Ertel Funeral Home in Cortez, CO is celebrating its 100th anniversary of service to Montezuma and Dolores Counties, as well as the Ute Mountain Ute and Navajo tribes; still owned and operated by the founding family. Kinsey Ertel, the fourth generation of the Ertel family, has led the business since the spring of 2016, taking over from her father, Keenan Ertel, as he had in 1993 from his father, Walter Ertel. Her great-grandfather, J.W. Ertel, founded the business in 1921 and headed the business until 1956.
“There’s an immense amount of pride and honor that comes with carrying on our family’s legacy,” said Kinsey. “My family and our community have a shared history, and we are excited to note and celebrate that relationship.”
J.W. Ertel homesteaded land in Ackmen in the Pleasant View area in 1916 and bought the mortuary in Cortez in 1921. In 1936, the present building was finished and dedicated, lauded by the Cortez Sentinel as “the finest mortuary on the whole western slope of Colorado.”
For several decades after the construction of the Ertel Funeral Home, it was one of the few places in town with enough space and appropriate decor to lend itself to formal gatherings. Many new churches in the area without facilities used the chapel for their services until they settled in a permanent location. The chapel was often used for wedding and anniversary parties, as well as community meetings.
Honored by enrollment on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995, the building façade of Spanish-style stucco remains unchanged and original, and in the interior, only minor interior renovations have been needed throughout the years.
“The building is still basically as functional today as it was when it was built,” said Keenan, who marked Ertel Funeral Home’s 50th anniversary in 1986. “The architect really knew what he was doing back then in the ’30s.”
The 100th-anniversary celebration at the Market Street location will feature historical pieces from the business’s long history, including pictures, blueprints, clippings, and other memorabilia. There will be refreshments and cake served and the evening will be capped by fireworks.
Ertel Funeral Home will be celebrating One Hundred Years of service to our community from 1 – 7 p.m. Saturday, November 6, 2021, at 42 North Market Street, Cortez, Colorado with fireworks starting at 7 p.m. “The whole community is invited to celebrate with us,” Kinsey said. “From early on, the Ertel family believed in the future and growth of this area, and we are proud to be serving here still.”
J. Walter Ertel purchased the Ames and Omo Funeral Homes in Mancos, Cortez, and Dolores in 1921. In 1933, he consolidated the three funeral homes in an old two-story frame building located on the site of the current building. Mr. Ertel began building the present building in 1935 and on January 26, 1936, the Ertels and the Cortez community celebrated the opening of the new facility. The week-long affair was a major event that received extensive coverage in both local newspapers. One called it, "the finest mortuary on the whole western slope of Colorado". "Outwardly the building is a beauty. Inside it is even prettier. As you step through the doorway into the reception room you stand aghast at the beauty of the interior. As you enter the chapel you are more impressed. With perfect acoustics, it is a thing to marvel over. Most impressive is the colored glass in the front of the chapel and a light from behind brings out the words "Crossing the Bar". Underneath this rests the casket during the hour of service." In 1995 the Ertel Funeral Home was listed in the National and Colorado Register of Historical Places.
Since 1921 the Ertel Funeral Home has served Southwest Colorado, Southeast Utah, and Northeast Arizona, as well as two Native American tribes, the Navajo and Ute Mountain Ute tribes. Three generations of Ertel morticians have helped tend the family business: J. Walter Ertel operated the funeral home until 1956; his son, Walter E. Ertel, from 1956 to 1992; and his grandson, Keenan G. Ertel, from 1993 to the present. J. Walter Ertel felt a deep commitment to his community and the area he served. This ideal has been carried through each generation that followed.
In the several decades after the construction of the Ertel Funeral Home, it was one of the few places in town with enough space and appropriate decor to lend itself to formal gatherings. Many young churches found themselves without facilities and used the chapel for their services until a permanent home could be found. The chapel was also used for wedding and anniversary parties, as well as community meetings. Today there is little call for the outside use of the chapel but the Ertels continue to support the area and their community through contributions and service.
Since 1993 when Keenan Ertel purchased the funeral home from his father, numerous additions have been made to better serve the families of the area. With the increasing demand for cremation as the final disposition, Ertel Funeral Home purchased its cremation unit in 1997, thereby assuring families that the care of their loved ones would remain solely with Ertel Funeral Home. Ertel is the only funeral home serving Montezuma and Dolores Counties that can make that guarantee.
In keeping with the idea that each service should be reflective of the life being remembered, Ertel Funeral Home has made a conscious decision to offer custom caskets that more closely reflect the life or interests of the deceased and to go beyond the basic preprinted memorial folder by investing in state of the art machinery and designing custom pictorial folders.
Keenan and Beverlee's daughter, Kinsey moved back to Cortez bringing the fourth generation of Ertels to serve our communities. On February 29, 2016, Kinsey purchased Ertel Funeral Home from Keenan and Beverlee.
