Our funeral home is a family owned and operated business. Families have been placing their trust in us for generations. We have nearly 140 years of combined experience and we take pride in serving Algona and our surrounding communities. Outstanding service has always been, and always will be our number one priority. We are large enough to give our families the same service as the largest funeral homes around, yet we are small enough that each family gets the level of attention and care they deserve.

Our Proud History

In 1923, Mr. Warren Laird built a ‘store-front’ building in downtown Algona on Dodge Street, now occupied by Algona Chiropractic Clinic, to be the Laird Funeral Home. In 1936, William G. McCullough moved to Algona from Newton, Iowa, and joined Mr. Laird. In 1949, W.G.’s son, Robert “Bob” McCullough became a licensed funeral director and embalmer and joined his father. W.G. “Bill” died in 1951, and Henry Geilenfeld, already working at the firm as a student, became licensed and was employed by Bob. In 1968, Bob McCullough purchased the funeral business in Whittemore, Iowa, 10 miles west of Algona, from Marion Hyink and moved it four blocks south. In August 1968, Bob McCullough purchased the Frank and Emma Dingley home, located at 218 South Moore Street, built in 1915-1916. Farm Bureau had purchased the home in 1952, and occupied in until 1968, when it became a funeral home. In October 1969, Michael Schaaf moved to Algona and joined the firm. January 1, 1971, Mike and Henry “Hank” purchased the funeral homes in Algona and Whittemore from Bob McCullough. Bob moved to Tucson, Arizona, in 1971, and died there in 1982. Garry-Roberts-Murphy-Schaaf Funeral Homes was formed January 1, 1985, to include four partners, Tom Garry, Reg Roberts, Rick Murphy and Mike Schaaf. There were eight locations involved, the former Garry Funeral Home of Bancroft, the former Blake Funeral Homes in Corwith, LuVerne, Titonka, Renwick and Wesley and the locations in Algona and Whittemore. The funeral home still has the eight locations which serve Kossuth, Hancock and Humboldt counties in Iowa. On October 1, 2000, Mike and Tom retired from the firm, their sons, Brian Schaaf and Victor Garry then became partners.