Kinsley Mortuary

In September of 1874, Mr. Ernst Lange, a cabinetmaker from Germany, started a furniture store in Marysville. Mr. Lange’s funeral business evolved after he was asked to construct coffins for residents that had passed away. In Mr. Lange’s early years, bodies were simply packed in ice and no embalming was required. Later on, Mr. Lange heard about a mortuary school that had been established in Kansas City that taught the new science of embalming. Mr. Lange was in business for 29 years. His funeral home was located where the old Brunswick Pool Hall once was, just west of the longtime former location of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Mr. Lange developed stomach cancer. In 1907, after Mr. Lange’s daughter, Emma, showed no interest in continuing her fathers business, it was sold to Mr. Claude Gutherie on September 5, 1907.

In 1926, Mr. Gutherie built a new location for his business at 1006 Broadway. When the Firestone Tire Store burned, Mr. Elmer “Jokes” Kinsley bought the funeral home from Mr. Gutherie. Jokes was not an embalmer so he hired Buddy Champain to do all of his embalming and preparation work.

In 1935, Jokes asked Frances “Francie” Long if he would like to help out at the mortuary. Francie then helped set up tents at the cemetery and took care of the funeral home equipment. After graduating high school, Francie enrolled in Hoehenschuh-Carpenter School in St. Louis, Missouri. Upon graduation, he moved back to Marysville and worked at the funeral home until the beginning of World War II. While Francie served during the war, Cecil Rotts was hired as an embalmer.

Mr. Ernst Lange’s grandson, Ernie, served an apprenticeship with Kinsley Mortuary in 1947. The next year he joined Mr. Kinsley and Mr. Long as a partner. This lasted until 1949.

On November 5, 1952, while making an ambulance removal in Frankfort, Jokes was hit and killed by a train. Mr. Archie Griffith took over Jokes position and joined Francie as a partner. In 1975, Mr. Griffith became ill.

In 1975, Jon Padden of Frankfort came to Marysville after graduating from the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science in San Francisco, California. He purchased Mr. Griffith’s shares. In 1976, Cleve Walstrom, a classmate of Jon’s in mortuary school, joined the staff. Jon, Cleve and Francie worked together as partners until Francie’s death in 1987.

In 2007, Jon Padden retired and sold his shares to Dustin Zutterman, a long time employee.

In 2023, Cleve Walstrom retired and sold his shares to his son, V. Woody Walstrom. Dustin Zutterman and Woody Walstrom are the current owners of Kinsley Mortuary.