FLAGLER MEMORIAL GARDENS:
FLAGLER MEMORIAL GARDENS:
Hard work, Partnership and Community Service
From land ownership to sacred land, the Craig Flagler Palms Funeral Home and Flagler Memorial Gardens counts its history back to the early 1900s in Flagler County, according to longtime general manager Allen Whetsell. An extension of the Craig family’ s funeral home operation in St. Augustine dating back to the late 1800s, the Bunnell location moved to its current home on Old Kings Road somewhere in the 1940-50s. Its permanent home is now on land deeded in 1923 and once known as the“ Hope Cemetery.” A number of the county’ s founding fathers are laid to rest in what is now the Flagler Memorial Gardens along with prominent families of today including the Wicklines, Pellicers, Durrances, Tanners and Espositos.
Becoming Flagler Palms Memorial Gardens in the 1960s, the Craig family sold the business in 1994 to the third largest funeral corporation in America, later changing hands to an independent owner in 2004 before becoming part of the Dignity Memorial family in 2017.
“ We have never changed our core values. Families come first,” said Whetsell, calling service a vocation.
Joining the Craig Flagler Palms family in 2000, Whetsell saw a place where his management skills and nurturing character could play key roles in the facility’ s growth.
Recruiting co-worker and friend Sal Passalaqua in 2006 for the Flagler County location from south Florida, the pair set about creating a long-term plan to stay ahead of Flagler County’ s growth.
Over the years they have facilitated an expansion of the 3,000 square foot funeral home to more than 11,000 square feet of space, allowing for both upscale and modest functions, the addition of a crematory, the multiphase addition of mausoleums, and the recent acquisition of seven acres adjoining the current property to increase the garden space for future generations of family planning.
By investing in the business and the community, Craig Flagler Palms Funeral Home has grown the number of individuals served from 125 in 2000 to more than 400 per year in 2020. Passalaqua, area manager for both Flagler and Volusia counties, says it is a result of caring staff and attention to detail that families have entrusted them with their loved ones generation after generation.
“ We work very well together,” said Passalaqua.“ He’ s been my mentor and I’ ve learned a lot from him about community service, which helped us build the business and establish those long relationships which we have with families.”
Allen Whetsell, left andSal Passalaqua
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