PRESCOTT – The Starkson family will soon open a second life celebration and event space in Prescott at 1400 N. Acres Road in the former Allina Clinic building.

Jesse and Katie Starkson own and operate the Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel across the river in Hastings, Minn. The hope is to have the new Prescott location open to the public in July. Elise Schumacher, who is a pre-planning and memorial specialist and licensed funeral director, will be the location manager.

WESTconsin Credit Union and Edward Jones will still occupy space in the building, while Starkson’s will occupy two suites in just under 6,000 square feet. The space will hold a celebration of life center, office and monument company.

“We are ripping everything out, all the flooring, walls, cupboards, cabinets,” Katie Starkson said. “The clinic was divided up into tiny office rooms.”

Schumacher said Starkson has an eye for creativity and will use her design savvy to make a modern, inviting space.

“It will be open and bright with natural light, warm and comfortable to welcome families,” Schumacher said. “The space will be flexible and the layout will be functional for all events.”

The office space will house a large, comfortable lobby area for families to gather, similar to the Hastings location.

“People seem almost relieved when they walk into Hastings,” Starkson said. “Most people think of a funeral home as dark, cold, with heavy draperies and not very inviting. Jesse and I believe in a more natural space.”

“This is the hardest thing they’re ever going to have to walk in and do,” Schumacher added. “It puts them at ease when they walk in.”

Schumacher stresses that the space can be used however families see fit for their loved ones’ celebrations of life, whether that’s a big open bar party, a traditional funeral service or a combination of tradition and celebration.

“They can do a combination,” Schumacher said. “They can have a service at church and come back to our event space and have their party.”

Jesse and Katie Starkson are both from small towns. They owned funeral homes in Waseca and Janesville, Minn., before coming to Hastings and Prescott.

“We love the small community feel,” Starkson said. “We were able to expand into Prescott because the location is close to Hastings. Prescott deserves to have people that are very passionate and care about this business a lot, that love people, that will help them through the grief process. Especially Elise, who has a background in grief classes. This is going to be their one-stop shop for their whole grief journey.”

Schumacher spoke of Starkson’s after-care program, which is dedicated to helping people through their journey after the funeral is complete. The Prescott location will be home to a grief group, open to all who are interested, even if they didn’t have a service at Starkson’s.

“It’s hard when the funeral is over and people go back to their lives,” Schumacher said. “Sometimes people are forgotten about in their grief. We don’t want that to happen.”

Schumacher wants people to know that Starkson’s handles everything for the family from cremation to traditional funerals to celebrations of life. They also offer pre-planning services and custom-made memorials.

“We can have a catered bar and meals,” Schumacher said. “The space can even be used for other events, such as dinners. And with us, our cemetery memorials are custom made. When they want something unique, such as a pet memorial in their garden, a bench at the golf course, we walk them through it. A lot of what they envision can be brought to life.”

The building will also boast special touches, such as a coffee bar, state-of-the-art sound system for music and technology used in choosing and purchasing caskets and urns. Gone are the days of walking into a gloomy room full of coffins. Instead, families are shown options on a big screen.

“It curbs that daunting anxiety of ‘when do we have to go into that room,’” Schumacher said. “We’re ahead of the curve. It’s not an experience that people are really wanting anymore.”

Starkson said when she and Jesse combined their business in Hastings with Wise Family Funeral Home in 2018, they disposed of the showroom idea. They also have their own crematory at the Hastings location, meaning people’s loved ones are always within their care.

“It’s not necessarily common that a funeral home would have their own crematory,” Starkson said. “We are taking care of mom or dad or grandma the whole time. The service is onsite and things are more expedited. Many families want to be a part of that process. They can be if they choose.”

Schumacher admires the high level of service Starkson’s provides to families, noticed since she came on board in January.

“What families want, they will truly do everything in their power to accommodate what families want,” she said.

How does one choose to go into the funeral home business? You might be surprised.

Starkson was attending college at Concordia in St. Paul for marketing and business when family friends of hers, who owned the funeral home in her hometown of Waseca, introduced her to Jesse, a licensed director. After they married, she discovered she liked the business side and working with families.

“I also really enjoy the design aspect,” Starkson said. “There are so many parts of a funeral service, printing, cards, working with family through the journey. It’s important to them to share their story and I love that.”

Schumacher called her a natural caretaker.

“It’s a difficult business to be in but it’s also so rewarding to work with these families who are going through the hardest times of their lives,” Starkson added.

Schumacher, on the other hand, knew from the age of 4 that she wanted to be a funeral director. It may sound odd, but she grew up attending many funerals, especially related to her Catholic school. Then in sixth grade, she learned the University of Minnesota had a program.

“My parents were very open and honest about any questions I asked and were always very accepting of that,” Schumacher said. “It was always assumed that was what I was going to do. It was never a question. It was kind of imprinted on my heart from a young age. I feel very fortunate for that. It’s always hard to know what you’re going to do when you grow up and I feel very lucky that I get to do that passion.”

Schumacher is grateful for the feedback she’s received from the Prescott community, the Prescott Area Chamber of Commerce and those they’ve served through their Hastings office.

“We’re really grateful for that, that people would already trust us,” Schumacher said. “To entrust your loved one or if you’re planning your own services, to entrust us, we will never take that lightly or for granted. We’ll always do everything we can to provide exceptional service to the community.”

While Prescott’s office will not be open until summer, Schumacher is available to meet people in Hastings or wherever they are at. For more information, visit hastingsmnfuneral.com