SPRING VALLEY – On July 15, one of Spring Valley's longest-standing family businesses began a new chapter as Keehr Funeral Home became part of O'Connell Family Funeral Homes & Cremation Services. While ownership is changing, the mission remains exactly the same: serving families with compassion, dignity, and trust during some of life's most difficult moments.

Funeral service has never been about buildings or business names. It is about relationships. It is about quietly walking beside families through loss, earning their trust one family at a time, one generation after another.

Mike O'Connell said the decision is one he accepts with deep gratitude. 

"We are deeply honored that Ross has entrusted us with continuing what he and his family have built,” O’Connell said. “I have the greatest admiration and respect for Ross. Honestly, I am humbled that he wanted only O'Connell Family Funeral Homes to carry on the Keehr legacy. That trust means everything to us, and we intend to earn it every day."

For decades, Don and Ross Keehr have done exactly that. Their names have become woven into the fabric of Spring Valley and the surrounding communities through lives dedicated to kindness, humility and service. Countless families have relied on them, often returning generation after generation because they knew they would be cared for with genuine compassion. Many people may not realize these two funeral homes have been connected by history for nearly a century.

The story begins in the 1902 with Andrew N. Thompson. He moved to Baldwin where he opened a furniture store and learned the craft of undertaking. He passed down the business to Ed Simmelink and his son-in-law, Palmer G. Geving. They moved to Spring Valley in 1934 and established Geving Furniture & Undertaking. In 1948, Donald Keehr married Palmer Geving's daughter, Lavon, became a licensed funeral director, and operated Geving & Keehr Furniture and Funeral Service alongside Allan Geving. In 1972, the business officially became Keehr Funeral Home. Ross began helping that same year, became licensed in 1978, and faithfully continued operating the funeral home following Don's passing in 1984. 

The O'Connell family's story began right around the same time.

In 1926, Frank O'Connell opened O'Connell Furniture & Undertaking in Hudson. Like many funeral directors of that era, the family served their community in many ways, also operating a grocery store and bakery. Tom O'Connell graduated from the University of Minnesota Mortuary Science Program in 1951 and, while serving families as a funeral director, also operated Hudson's taxi and ambulance service. In 1985, Tom re-established O'Connell Family Funeral Homes, laying the foundation for what has grown into a family-owned funeral home serving communities throughout western Wisconsin.

Families who have made pre-arrangements with Keehr Funeral Home can be assured their wishes will be honored exactly as intended. The familiar care and personal attention the community has come to expect will remain unchanged.

Even more reassuring, Ross Keehr is not saying goodbye. Rather than retiring completely, Ross will continue serving families in a reduced role, allowing him to spend more time with his own family while remaining available to the community he has faithfully served for so many years. His familiar face and steady presence will continue to be part of Keehr Funeral Home, making this transition all the more meaningful.

“O’Connell Family Funeral Homes have been a trusted presence in the Hudson, St. Croix, and Pierce County communities for decades,” Keehr said. “It was important to me to ensure the future of our family business by passing it to another family-owned funeral home, continuing the tradition of compassionate, personalized service. The O’Connell’s are the perfect fit. I am excited to support Mike and Carla and look forward to a smooth transition. I will continue to help in a reduced role and plan to spend more time with family, and maybe a few more rounds of golf."

Nearly 100 years after both families first answered the call to funeral service, their stories have come together. Perhaps that is what makes this transition feel so natural. It is not simply one funeral home purchasing another. It is one family legacy being entrusted to another.

"There is an old saying that people don't come to a funeral because someone died. They come because someone lived,” Carla O’Connell said. “Buildings may change ownership, but the calling remains the same: helping families tell the stories of the people they love. We look forward to becoming part of the Spring Valley community and are grateful for the opportunity to continue a legacy that began generations ago."

As this new chapter begins, the promise is a simple one: to honor the remarkable legacy built by the Keehr family while continuing to earn the trust of every family who walks through the doors. Because in the end, funeral service has never been about who owns the building. It has always been about who stands beside a family when they need someone most.

Submitted by Mike O’Connell