Christopher Mitchell, Cooper Funeral Home join forces

Photos by Tom Rivers: Jake Hebdon (left), owner of Cooper Home Funeral, and Josh Mitchell, co-owner of Christopher Mitchell Cremation & Funerals, are merging the two locally owned funeral and cremation providers. They are shown at the Christopher Mitchell site in Albion.

The owner of Cooper Funeral Home and the owners of Mitchell Family Cremation & Funerals announce they have joined forces in a new partnership that will ensure local ownership of five sites for many years to come.

David and Joshua Mitchell, owners of Mitchell Family Cremation & Funerals, and Jacob Hebdon, owner of Cooper Funeral Home in Medina, said the agreement, effective April 1, will merge staff and resources, working together to better serve families with compassionate service in their time of need.

Hebdon, 39, has been owner of Cooper Funeral Home for about six years. He started working at the site for the previous owner, Tim Cooper, in 2007. Hebdon will remain in charge of the Medina site.

“I am very excited to be working alongside the Mitchells,” Hebdon said. “I have always had tremendous respect for David and Josh. They have been supportive colleagues of mine for many years. The Mitchells’ reputation in their community and their work ethic supersede them. I cannot think of a more competent, reliable, positive team to partner with.”

David Mitchell, Josh Mitchell and Jake Hebdon are shown outside the Cooper Funeral Home in Medina. Hebdon will continue to lead that site, which he has owned for about 6 years.

David Mitchell has been working in the funeral business for 40 years. He has no plans to retire anytime soon. His son Josh, 34, joined the business in 2012 and became co-owner in 2020.

Hebdon will be the first person outside of the Mitchell family to have ownership in the company since Michael Christopher in 1971, when he merged with Rho Mitchell, forming Christopher Mitchell Funeral Home.

“Our family business was started in 1957 in Albion and we’re extremely proud to be our third generation of ownership,” Josh Mitchell said. “Since our inception, we provided compassionate and professional care to over 6,000 families.”

“Working with Jake in the communities he serves only makes sense to help each other as professionals,” Mitchell said. “In turn, it will help each and every family that is served and provide that same care for generations to come.”

The trio of owners – Jake Hebdon, Josh Mitchell and David Mitchell – are shown outside the Christopher Mitchell site in Albion.

Starting on April 1, Hebdon became a co-owner of the Mitchell Family Cremations and Funerals and Cooper Funeral Home will operate under the new partnership which also operates Christopher Mitchell Funeral Home in Albion and Holley; Bates, Wallace & Heath Funeral Home in Middleport; and Sherrie Bream & Kenneth H. Sherrie Funeral Home in Gasport.

The new partnership brings together five licensed funeral directors and other employees. They will share resources.

Hebdon and Josh Mitchell said there is a shortage of funeral directors in the country, and that is expected to get worse with fewer people going into the funeral service.

Mitchell reached out to Hebdon about a year ago, to discuss the future of the local funeral care. They began discussing a partnership that would keep their sites under local ownership, while also giving the owners support and shared resources.

“The workforce in the funeral business is aging and unfortunately there are not enough young people interested in the profession to replaced them,” Hebdon said. “Josh and I, both being in our 30s agree that the time is right to work together and support one another into the future to best serve families for generations to come. Our partnership helps solidify that our funeral homes will remain locally owned and operated by us, the same people that families here have come to trust.”

The Mitchells say they are getting a dynamic partner with Hebdon.

“Cooper Funeral Home has always been a well-respected business in our area,” David Mitchell said. “With bringing Jake on board, we look forward to adding his expertise, professionalism and caring touch, which will bring tremendous value to our family of funeral homes.”

Josh Mitchell, 34, and Jake Hebdon, 39, said the new partnership assures local ownership of their funeral homes for many years to come.

Josh said the funeral partners value traditional funeral services, and also embrace modern technology to serve families, including video tributes, live-streaming services, and jewelry or other mementos with fingerprints of loved ones.

“Josh and I are thinking about who will be serving the community in 20 years and into the future,” Hebdon said. “I can’t think of a better person to partner with. We see death care as an important and vital service in any community and we are overwhelmingly proud to provide it to our community.”

Josh said Hebdon is “someone I can trust and work with. We’ve always got along on a personal level.”

Josh Mitchell and Hebdon both said they want a work-life balance, and joining forces will allow 24-7 coverage for local families, while giving the owners and funeral directors some time off.

“We are looking to the future,” Josh said. “We want to maintain the professionalism and care that each family needs.”

Josh and David are both active members of the Holley Rotary Club, with Josh chairing the annual golf tournament in memory of Gary Ahl.

Hebdon is active with Medina’s Municipal Tree Board and the Boxwood Cemetery Commission.