Coming from a line of funeral directors, Jeff Monreal was drawn to the business after hearing how his grandfather listened to clients when making arrangements.
“It’s not always what you say but how you listen to people, you let them grieve and then you guide them through the grieving process,” he said. “So that’s kind of what attracted me to this business.”
Monreal is now a funeral home director himself, operating Jeff Monreal Funeral Home in Painesville. He is the fifth generation in his family to carry on that role.
“Things change with the way that funerals are being held today, and the empathy and compassion, I still try to keep that spirit of being a funeral director alive through those generations and not just make it a business,” Monreal said.
He contrasted his space with other funeral homes, adding that clients have told him that his space is “not dark and dreary.” The home offers an open space with television screens to show pictures from the life of the deceased loved one.
“So many people have been to funeral homes, and they’re either uncomfortable or they’re – it’s just not a place they want to go,” Monreal said. “When people come here, it – and I’m not trying to be funny – but it almost sometimes sounds like a rock concert, because it’s so open and airy and people talk, they get louder and louder.”
He said that he also tries to offer a different experience for visitors waiting in a line during calling hours. He places family members in different parts of the room so that visitors can go directly to people that they know instead of going through a line of people they do not know.
Monreal added that he serves as the funeral home’s point of contact, helping families prepare for various aspects of their loved one’s funeral.
“I’m on 99 percent of the funerals, and I’m here during visitations for the families,” he said. “So, there’s that personal touch that really encapsulates the family’s experience when they come to Jeff Monreal Funeral Home.”
Monreal said that the family’s line of funeral home directors started with his great-great-grandfather, Joseph Monreal, who came to the United States from Germany and opened a furniture store in 1892. Jeff Monreal added that furniture stores offered funeral services at the time.
“People would go to the furniture store and they would pick out their casket for their family, and the furniture store would deliver the casket and then assist the family placing the body into the casket,” he said.
The line of funeral directors continued with Jeff Monreal’s great-grandfather, grandfather and father.
“My great-grandfather and my grandfather, that was just the way of life, you followed in your father’s footsteps, and there was pride in that, and there still is pride in that today, to do what your dad, your grandpa and so on did before you,” he said.
Jeff Monreal decided to open his own funeral home business 11 years ago. He started out renting space from another funeral home before purchasing his current Painesville location in 2021 and opening it in 2022.
“I kind of wanted to put my own stamp on the funeral director business,” he said. “So, following my dad, my grandfather, my great-father and my great-great-grandfather’s footsteps, it’s an honor.”
Monreal added that he was drawn to Painesville by the city’s history. He also touted the building’s central location in Lake County and the nearby freeway access.
Jeff Monreal also conducts funerals at other facilities in Willoughby and Mentor.
Over the years, two changes that Monreal has noticed have been a shift to cremations and an increasing number of prearrangements.
He estimated that most of his funerals were burials when he started. Now, he believes that most are cremations.
As for prearrangements, Monreal said that those were “very rare” when he was younger but have increased in popularity. He added that prearrangements provide a clearer idea of what the deceased individual wants in a funeral so that surviving loved ones do not have to guess.
“I really would like to change this industry even more, and I would like to one day incorporate better video, maybe video of the person talking as a last memory,” he added.
Besides his work with the funeral home, Monreal also runs a charity golf outing each year. He said that the events have raised more than $125,000 for various charities over seven years.
This year, he is aiming to raise $18,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association. The golf outing will take place July 29 at the Quail Hollow Country Club at 11295 Quail Hollow Drive in Concord Township. More information can be found by visiting jeffmonrealfuneralhome.com.