Our History

Conrad Laufersweiler was born in Doerrebach, Prussia, near the Rhine River. As a young man, he emigrated to the United States. He lived in Ohio for a short time, but then made his way west and traveled up the Des Moines River to Fort Dodge. He was a pioneer in Fort Dodge and opened a funeral home business in 1856, which is still in operation today. One year later, Laufersweiler opened the first furniture store in Fort Dodge. He made his furniture out of black walnut, trees that are still found in abundance in the Fort Dodge area. The furniture business and funeral business were located in the same buildings, however, it was one of Conrad Laufersweiler's principles in business to keep them separated, because he wanted to "keep from the public anything that might resurrect unpleasant memories".

At the beginning of the Great Depression, Laufersweiler closed his furniture business and focused on managing his funeral home. The Laufersweiler Funeral Home has been part of the Fort Dodge community for over 168 years and is now a fifth-generation business that has served thousands of families. Conrad and his wife were the parents of eight children, seven of whom lived to adulthood. Their daughter, Mary Laufersweiler, married August Hilton in Webster, Iowa, in 1885. Mary and August's son, Conrad became the developer and owner of the Hilton Hotel chain. Mary Laufersweiler Hilton had a very strong influence on her son Conrad, helping him to develop high moral values, honesty and a strong work ethic. Conrad Hilton was named Conrad Hilton made visits to Fort Dodge and was the speaker at the Fort Dodge Chamber of Commerce's 50th Anniversary Banquet on December 4, 1952, at the Hotel Warden. Conrad Laufersweiler died on April 22, 1903, was buried in the Corpus Christi Cemetery in Fort Dodge. His son Charles Laufersweiler was the 2nd generation to be succeeded by his son Welch Laufersweiler the 3rd generation. Welch passed away in 1985. Joe Laufersweiler purchased the funeral home from his father Welch Laufersweiler in 1979. Joe is the fourth generation of the Laufersweiler family to serve the Fort Dodge community.

In 1994, the firm had the opportunity to merge with Ned Palmer, who has funeral home locations in Gowrie and Rockwell City, Iowa. The Palmer family is a 3 generation funeral service family thereby enhancing the partnership with additional tradition and knowledge. Now 3 Funeral Home locations strong, Dave Swank became a partner in 1995. Each partner contributes to the overall success of the firm. These Funeral Homes are a prime example of what can happen when you mix the strength of longtime tradition with today's innovations and the minds of a strong team working together. Mark Laufersweiler, nephew of Joe Laufersweiler, will graduate from mortuary school in 1996 and will return as the fifth generation. Luke Laufersweiler (Mark’s younger brother) attended Kansas City Kansas Mortuary School and returned to join the firm in 1998. Joe passed away in January of 2018. The firm is currently owned by Mark and Luke Laufersweiler - the 5th generation to serve families in the area both having almost 30 plus years of experience themselves.