Readers' Choice: FairHaven Voted Best Funeral Home

In just over a year, FairHaven Funeral Home has made an impressive impact on funeral care for families in Fort Wayne.

Under the leadership of Jarod Steffen, Mark Scheidt, Britton Claghorn and Lucas Glessner , the charismatic group of forward-thinking funeral directors who became owners in May 2018, FairHaven has managed to reshape the funeral experience in ways that have gotten them a lot of attention -- and a following.

The result? Being voted the Best Funeral Home in the Fort Wayne Newspapers Readers' Choice Awards for 2019 .

"We're very grateful and, frankly, humbled to be recognized by the broader community in this way," Jarod Steffen said. "Today, more than anything, we sincerely want to thank our supporters for getting out the vote, and recognizing us as bringing exceptional, local service to families in our city."

FairHaven's owner-directors made an important departure from the corporately owned funeral homes that dominate the Fort Wayne landscape. They believed they had compelling insights and unique perspectives into providing a more meaningful service experience. Fort Wayne Newspapers readers appear to agree.

"We think one of the reasons we've been so successful is that we don't have a CEO or shareholders steering things," Britton Claghorn said. "When a family is undergoing loss, they can take comfort in speaking directly to us as owners. We're here for them and we want to fulfil for them exactly what they want for their loved ones."

FairHaven Funeral Home has made no secret about leveraging their message and their reputation on social media. The end-of-life provider cares about the community it serves. FairHaven recently underwent a major renovationand chose local contractors and suppliers to increase its capacity and offer more space to families and employees.

"We're not just coasting in our community, we're investing in it. We share a belief that the citizens of Fort Wayne can have a strong, meaningful partner in helping them through the crisis of loss and grief," Lucas Glessner said.

"The way we're conducting ourselves, what we've assembled -- winning this award, the comments we've been getting. People are really tuned in to what we're accomplishing together, " Glessner added.