Aurelius Vest standing beside the first motorized hearse owned by A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home. He purchased the 1926 Model T Ford chassis and built the hearse body onto it himself. The funeral home still owns the vehicle, which is housed at the Andrew Johnston House museum in Pearisburg, Virginia. Inside the hearse is the last known casket built by Aurelius Vest that is still above ground.
From left: Deborah Vest, the widow of Louis Vest, holds a photo of Louis Vest with Susan Morris on the day Morris purchased the family business.
Wayne McPeak, Carl Vest, Louis Vest & Nelson Vest in front of the old hearse on the 100th Anniversary celebration day in 1996.
A local funeral home will remain in the family of the man who started the business 125 years ago. Susan McPeak Morris, great-granddaughter of A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home founder Aurelius Vest, recently purchased the family funeral home.
Aurelius Vest standing beside the first motorized hearse owned by A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home. He purchased the 1926 Model T Ford chassis and built the hearse body onto it himself. The funeral home still owns the vehicle, which is housed at the Andrew Johnston House museum in Pearisburg, Virginia. Inside the hearse is the last known casket built by Aurelius Vest that is still above ground.
