The Wells County Chamber of Commerce staff and Ambassadors recognized Goodwin-Cale & Harnish Memorial Chapel as the May Member of the Month. The business is now owned by two families, Doug Cale and Mitch Harnish, for nearly two years after the retirement of Dave Goodwin in 2016, who served as the Funeral Director for 40 years.
Dave Goodwin’s father, Carl Goodwin, bought the funeral home from Ralph Jahn and Al Reed in 1956, and since then the funeral home has the “Goodwin” name. “The reputation of the funeral home goes back to the values Carl set and we live by those daily,” said Doug Cale. “We live by the Golden Rule to treat every family in a fashion that we would want to be treated. It’s important for us that people feel they are at home and can trust us from the very beginning of the process and that we are consistent with that trust.”
Mitch Harnish added, “we understand that a funeral home is uncomfortable, and we want people to feel at ease as soon as they walk through our door. Losing a loved one is emotional, and we become part of that emotion with the family and we commit ourselves to sacrificing personal matters to be there for our clients.”
Goodwin-Cale & Harnish Memorial Chapel has a staff of caring individuals that help with the maintenance, funeral callings, staff support, and keeping the facility clean and tidy. “We are fortunate to have a great group working with us such as Clark Stoller, Tony Terhune, Rick McEvoy, and Cathy Dohrman who meet the high expectations that are set,” commented Harnish.
Since May 2017, the staff welcomed Funeral Director, Kaelin Brock, who is a 2014 graduate of Norwell High School. Brock pursued her career path in Mortuary Science and Funeral Service Management and served as an intern at Goodwins after graduating mortuary school.
Additional services that are offered through Goodwin-Cale & Harnish Memorial Chapel are pre-planning services, monuments (available through the Goodwin Monument Gardens), and Life Insurance policies.
“We spend a lot of our time meeting people and pre-planning their funeral services. We strongly encourage families to do that now because it makes the process a lot easier when the individual passes,” explained Harnish. “There is no charge or commitment to meet with us and go through your planning. We will help you decide on photos, a casket, music, flowers, jewelry, a monument, and service arrangements.”
“The more time spent upfront planning helps the family during grieving so they can focus getting out-of-town family members home, taking care of other details, and ease the stress during this trying time,” said Cale.
Cale and Harnish said that the pre-planning meeting is very informal, and they are also licensed insurance agents in the State of Indiana to review pre-funded policies and options, which can help families make the best decisions possible. “We can also take care of prepaid polices from other funeral homes should someone move, or if the other funeral home closes their business; those prepaid expenses can be transferred,” Harnish said. “Location does not matter even for a funeral service or burial.”
Cale and Harnish handle 100% of the clients’ loved ones from start to finish with commitment, dignity, and compassion. “People come to us because of the relationships we have with people and our community. Those good experiences and values were set from the very beginning, and has continued to be built over the years, we live by our slogan of A Tradition of Caring,” concluded Cale.
Pictured in the photo left to right:
Tony Terhune, Goodwin-Cale & Harnish Memorial Chapel
Clark Stoller, Tony Terhune, Goodwin-Cale & Harnish Memorial Chapel
Mitch Harnish, Tony Terhune, Goodwin-Cale & Harnish Memorial Chapel
Sid Schwartz, First Merchants Bank, Chamber Ambassador
Kaelin Brock, Tony Terhune, Goodwin-Cale & Harnish Memorial Chapel
Doug Brown, News-Banner, Chamber Ambassador
Doug Cale, Tony Terhune, Goodwin-Cale & Harnish Memorial Chapel
Cathy Dohrman, Tony Terhune, Goodwin-Cale & Harnish Memorial Chapel
Kevin Sills, Ossian State Bank, Chamber Ambassador
Rick McEvoy, Tony Terhune, Goodwin-Cale & Harnish Memorial Chapel
Jessica Beste, American Mortgage, Chamber Ambassador
Erin Prible, Executive Director, Wells County Chamber of Commerce
Randy Brinneman, Ossian State Bank, Chamber Ambassador
Alyssa Sponseller, Archbold & Lewis Insurance, Chamber Ambassador
Kathy McGill, Woodforest National Bank, Chamber Ambassador