About Us

Our Family Serving Your Family Since 1912

Den Herder Funeral Home began as Crowell Funeral Home in 1912, when Charles E. Crowell came to Paulding, Ohio, to start a new undertaking and furniture business. Charles Crowell began his career in the funeral business in Portland, Indiana, and Kendallville, Indiana, before moving to Paulding. Charles began his undertaking and furniture business in Paulding at a location on West Perry Street; from there, he moved his business to the west side of the courthouse square in the building that was formerly Don & Perry's Furniture.

In 1925, Charles built the Crowell Funeral Home on the northwest corner of North Cherry and Jackson Streets. At this time, Charles discontinued his furniture business and concentrated solely on operating and owning the funeral home. During this era of the Crowell Funeral Home, Charles worked with his sons, Richard W. and Kenneth G., until Charles' death in 1946 and Kenneth's death in 1954.

For the next 10 years, Richard owned and operated the Crowell Funeral Home until the funeral home was purchased in 1956 by the first generation of the Den Herder family to be in the funeral business, John S. Den Herder. Richard Crowell passed away in 1981.

John S. Den Herder came to Paulding in 1956 from Cincinnati, Ohio, where he had been a funeral director and an embalmer for 17 years at Charles A. Miller and Sons. During the next two decades, John S. Den Herder continued to improve the funeral home located at the corner of Cherry and Jackson Streets with improved and dedicated ambulance service to the residents of Paulding County and many structural improvements to the funeral home. During this era, the funeral home was known as Crowell-Den Herder Funeral Home.

In 1974, the second generation of Den Herders joined the funeral home with the addition of John's son, John W. "Jack" Den Herder, as a funeral director and an embalmer. The name of the funeral home was changed to Den Herder Funeral Home in the late 1970s to better reflect the current management and ownership.

In 1983, John and Jack recognized that Paulding County had outgrown the existing funeral home facilities at the corner of Cherry and Jackson Streets. They began construction of a new funeral home on Wayne Street on the west edge of Paulding. In 1985, John died at the age of 65 after 45 years of service as a funeral director and an embalmer.

During the next 18 years, Jack and his mother, Lucille E. Den Herder, also a funeral director, continued to run the day-to-day operations of the funeral home and continued to improve and expand services that are offered to the families of Paulding County. Lucille passed away in 2014.

Today, Jack and his son, William J. "B.J.," continue to run the day-to-day operations of Den Herder Funeral Home. Since 1912, our heritage and dedication have provided continuous service to the families of Paulding County and the surrounding area.