About Us

Who we are

Celebrating life since 1962

Since 1962, our commitment to providing compassionate care has grown from the establishment of Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Cedar Hill, Missouri, to include three significant locations. Today, we proudly operate Chapel Hill Mortuary funeral homes at each of these sites—preserving the legacy and records of each cemetery, which are secured by Missouri state-audited Endowed Care Trusts.

What we stand for

Our promise

Today, tomorrow, and forever, our commitment to you stays the same.

Dignity

Every life is unique, and we promise to honor and respect each journey, crafting ceremonies that reflect each individual.

Guidance

Navigating grief can be overwhelming; we stand by you, providing direction and solace every step of the way.

Legacy

Beyond a service, we're committed to helping families create lasting tributes that transcend generations.

Our story

Today, we retain all of the history and records while operating of each of these three (3) cemeteries. Each cemetery has a well funded and audited Endowed Care Trust with the State of Missouri. The funeral homes are operated under the name of Chapel Hill Mortuary at each of these locations.

12K+

Legacies Honored

Years in Business

1M+

Moments Remembered

1962

Began as an independent cemetery on farmland in Cedar Hill, Missouri, known as Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.

1968

Chapel Hill Mortuary began operating at the same location in Cedar Hill, marking the relocation of the original Brimmer Funeral Home from downtown House Springs, Missouri.

2010

Began operating Oak Hill Cemetery in Kirkwood, Missouri, which has a history dating back to 1835.

Started operating the funeral home on-site at the Kirkwood location, representing the original funeral operations of Pfitzinger Funeral Home from downtown Kirkwood.

2014

Purchased both the cemetery and funeral home operations at the Kirkwood location.

2016

Acquired St. Francois Memorial Park, a prominent cemetery in Bonne Terre, Missouri, and re-opened a funeral operation at this location.

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The original Protestant Church in Hillsboro was a one-room log cabin, used as a community meeting center that stood beside the old Potosi road, where it passed through the Western part of the town. To the South of the meeting house lay the oldest house in Hillsboro, which was built in 1839, the year the county seat was moved from Herculaneum. To the North was the home of Governor Fletcher, built in 1851, and later known as the Honey house and the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ware Evans.

No one knows the exact date the building was erected, but it is presumed to be soon after 1839. It is a known fact that services were still being held there in 1866, by Rev. James J. Wilson, who converted the building into a residence.

One of Hillsboro’s oldest inhabitants remembers when he was a boy, seeing a pile of logs down in the valley near the big spring, and being told they had been a part of the old log church. Since Mr. Boughton was born in 1888, it may be surmised that the historic building was torn down sometime within the twenty years previous.

The present church was given the ground, on which it stands by Samuel A. Reppy and Rachael, his wife, on the 30th day of March, 1870. The transaction is recorded in the Jefferson County Land Record, Volume 3, page 72.

It was expressly stipulated that this was to be a Union Church where each of four denominations, Northern and Southern Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist congregations were to hold services once a month. If there were five Sundays, preachers from any other churches were welcome.

Trustees who received the property were: John L. Thomas for the Methodist Episcopal Church South, Sullivan Frazier for the Baptists, Joel Prior Booth for the Presbyterians, and R. W. McMullin for the Methodist Episcopal Church North.

The following day, March 31, 1870, this notice appeared: “All those who subscribed to the Union Church of Hillsboro will be requested to pay the whole amount by the 15th of April. So hurry up and get your money together.” Signed, Sullivan Frazier, collector of the church fund. The same notice continued, “The contract for building the Hillsboro Union Church has been let to Charles Hemme and Charles Swingler for the sum of $1600.00. The work is to be finished during the summer.”

Building the new Union Church was begun immediately. In the Jefferson Democrat for April 8, 1870, this item appeared: “Persons who desire to contribute toward building the Union Church in Hillsboro, by hauling, are informed that they may do so by applying to Mr. Swingler, the contractor. Such donations will be thankfully received.”

The same newspaper announced, May 13th, 1870, “On Thursday next, the cornerstone of the Protestant Union Church at Hillsboro will be laid with proper rites and ceremonies. Ministers from four denominations are expected, Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist, North and South. The exercises will begin at 2:00 o’clock on the ground.”

That the work was completed on schedule was attested to in an article dated August 12, 1870 in the Democrat. It was entitled “Completion of the Union Church” and read: “The Protestant Union Church of Hillsboro is nearly completed, and will be dedicated on the 5th of next month…Each denomination will be represented in the ceremonies…It is expected that we will have one of the grandest and most imposing ceremonies ever performed in this county. The speakers will be announced in a short time. Good music, both vocal and instrumental, will be rendered. All desiring to participate in the music are requested to report to R. W. McMullin. Come one, come all.” It was signed by the program committee, William H. Thomas, Samuel A. Reppy and Peter Jenni.

The ceremony must have come up to expectations, because the Sept. 9th issue of the Jefferson Democrat proclaimed: “The Union Church of Hillsboro, pursuant to notice, was dedicated to the service of God, in due form on Monday, the 5th of September, 1870.

The following named ministers were present and participating in the exercises: D. J. Marquis of the Methodist Episcopal South, W. N. Darnell of the Northern Methodist Church, J. C. Downer and T. K. Hedges of the Presbyterian Church, W. Stephens and Sullivan Frazier of the Baptist Church.

The Invocation was given by the Rev. Mr. Downer, the congregation sang “Beautiful River”, and the choir sang “Joy to the World” and “Wake the Song of Jubilee.” Rev. Marquis read the sixth chapter of Chronicles, Rev. Downer preached the sermon and Rev. Stephens gave the prayer. Mr. Darnell then informed the congregation that to him had been assigned the important duty of dedication of the House of God by prayer.

But before this could be done, the church must be paid for! The total cost of the building, furniture and bell was $2259.55 of which $1307.50 had been raised by subscription. This left $952.05 yet to be raised. He then made a stirring appeal to those present. John L. Thomas and Samuel A. Reppy gave $150.00 each; Peter Jenni and R. W. McMullin $100.00 each; F. N. Stone and J. J. Williams $50.00 each; William H. Thomas $35.00; O. D. Bittic, Dr. C. Pipkin, Samuel L. Hicks, Charles Swingler, Charles Hemme and Abner Green $25.00 each. Several others subscribed fifteen, ten and five dollars. When the hat was passed, the amount donated exceeded the deficit by $80.25. The church was then dedicated to God, and the services were closed by singing of the Doxology.

The editor went on to say, “This church is one of the finest in the county, is built compactly and of good material. A bell of some 250 pounds in weight has been purchased and suspended in the cupola. A beautiful chandelier hangs from the center of the ceiling. Carpets are laid upon the aisles and pulpit. The room is light and airy, containing eleven windows.”

Those eleven windows, as I first remember them, in 1894 or 1895, were of clear glass. About ten years later, a committee of three was appointed to redecorate the interior. They were Mrs. Octavia Buchannan (known to everybody as “Aunt Tave”), Robert Kleinschmidt’s mother Mrs. Theresa Kleinschmidt, and my Mother Mrs. Lily Booth. These three women accomplished the stupendous task of covering all the window panes with Fensterfarbe, a transparent gelatin-like substance that when rolled onto the clear windows, gave the appearance of stained glass. The lighting effect in the sanctuary was enhanced by the rich hues of purple, gold, red, green and blue.

By the year 1903, all traces had been lost of the chandelier that Mr. McMullin had described as “Suspended from the ceiling.” But the church was still lit by coal oil lamps bracketed to the walls between the windows. For additional lighting, two tall coal oil lamps were placed on either side of the pulpit. The stands that held them were made by Charles Hemme who also made the pulpit.

The interior of the one-room church was ceiled throughout, and as time passed, the wood became darkened by smoke from the two wood stoves. There was no other source of heat and the floors were cold. Elderly folks carried hot bricks wrapped in newspapers to keep their feet warm, but they always got cold before church was over.

For more than sixty years the building remained the same. Then in 1931, the east wing was added. In the early 1940’s Colonel Joseph E. Vollmar donated the beautiful stained glass windows which beautify the church today. The following names, members of all four denominations, are placed on the memorial windows: The McMullin and the Honey families; Fred Vollmar, Sr. and Fred Vollmar, Jr.; M. C. Matthes, Jr.; Rev. and Mrs. George Steel; Dr. and Mrs. Brewster; Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Kleinschmidt; Mr. and Mrs. John F. Williams; Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Williams; Aunt Tave Buchannan; Mrs. F. W. Reinimer; Mrs. Lily Booth; Ware Evans; Charles Kleinschmidt, Jr.; Raymond Gasche; W. J. A. Schubel; Mrs. Jennie Bechler; S. A. Reppy and Rachael P. Reppy; W. G. and Ella M. Hearst; and Joseph King.

Northern Methodist members could no longer raise the money to pay their share of the financial obligations, so their interest was purchased by the Baptists, who then held services twice a month. Methodists and Presbyterians attempted to combine forces by establishing a Community Church. They drew up a constitution and by-laws, and called the pastor of the Community Church at De Soto, and later, the Rev. Francis P. Cook and Rev. Harold Fry, under whose guidance the first Vacation Bible School at Hillsboro was initiated.

The Community Church satisfied a very definite need among its members, until it was dissolved by Rev. Clarence Burton, who was the Methodist District Superintendent at the time. This left the two small congregations to struggle along as best they might.

In 1953, the Baptists withdrew to build their own sanctuary, and sold their interests to the Methodists and Presbyterians. Again the two churches decided to carry on together. Since there was no Women’s Society of Christian Service, all Methodist women who were missionary minded, were active in the Presbyterian Guild. The choir, made up of singers from both denominations, was ably directed by Mrs. Rebecca Frazer with Mrs. Betty Baker at the organ.

Brother J. W. McKinney preached for us as long as he was able, and then came Richard Mallette and James Fullbright. Our District Superintendent, Dr. Roy L. Brown, humorously described us as “that double-jointed church.” But all the members, especially the Methodists, were well satisfied with the plan, sharing local expenses, while each church maintained its own denominational affiliation.

Six years passed, during which the membership of both the Methodists and the Presbyterians had grown. Then, in 1959, the Presbyterians decided to withdraw and build a church of their own. Our pastor, Rev. Glenn Mangam, encouraged the Methodists to buy the Presbyterians’ share. The task seemed almost insurmountable at the time, but at the end of the Conference year our numbers had doubled, and Brother Mangam had organized us into a full-fledged Methodist Church.

Throughout the hundred years of its existence, the present church has continued to grow. In 1955, the basement was extended to include a Fellowship Hall, Sunday School classrooms, and a modern kitchen was added a few years later.

The sanctuary has been redecorated; it now presents a scene of restful beauty, providing an atmosphere that is conducive to worship. A new organ has replaced the one that had been in use since 1953. It adds immeasurably to the quality of the music in what has always been known as a singing church.

At the turn of the last century, this was the only church in Hillsboro. Now there are several churches of many denominations, and we cooperate with all of them in the ecumenical spirit of brotherhood.

Saga of the Art Glass Windows in the Hillsboro Church

"The present permanent citizenry can take pride in the preservation and rehabilitation of this church for a useful purpose in the community." the late Mrs. Leona Gasche.

This information is that of the memory of the late Mrs. Leona Gasche, a native born citizen of Hillsboro.

Who were the people memorialized on the windows-outside their church services and attendance, what did they contribute to the community?

When the old church was remodeled in 1931, Joseph Vollmar, an engineer and business man in St. Louis generously provided and paid for all of these art glass windows in the Hillsboro Church. He had actually grown up and worked on the farm on Highway 21 now known as Bridle Ridge Acres on the Hall Horse Farm. He was attending local public school and Sunday School in the old church building but he never forgot his roots in Hillsboro. He died in 1985 at age 93 in St. Louis.

After the windows were installed, the local church officials decided to permit sale of a space on each window for local people to memorialize a loved one at $100.00 per window to add to the ever needy treasury to improve and support the church building.

: Fred Vollmar, Sr. and Fred Vollmar, Jr. were father and young brother of Joe. They formed and participated in church, school, and community activities for some years before moving away to St. Louis with the rest of the Fred and Mary Vollmar family.
: Charles Kleinschmidt and Theresa Kleinschmidt were Aunt & Uncle of Joe Vollmar and lived directly across the street from the church on 4th street. Charles was an attorney and a member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Hillsboro when it was founded in 1892. Later his son Robert followed in the same footsteps. Theresa was a very forceful woman in the community, well-respected in business and social life. Their children were: Carrie who married Victor Hill of Hillsboro. She was a music teacher and shared her talents at church services and was also a substitute and class teacher. Elizabeth married Adolph Hurtgen of Hillsboro. He was a teacher of drama as well as Sunday School class teacher. Robert, who married Pearl Harrison, also taught vocation. They were the parents of Charles, George, and Jack.
: Charles Harrison Kleinschmidt was killed by a bolt of lightening at age 9 while on the tennis court at what is now Cedar Grove Nursing Home. His brother George and two other playmates were stunned but not hurt at the same time. George became an M.D. in Nebraska and had one daughter, Carolyn. Jack, a business worker, is in St. Louis.
: M.C. Matthes, Jr. was the son of M.C. Sr. and Mildred Matthes. He was a Senior in Hillsboro High School and died of a rare brain disease with which he had been stricken. He was in choir practice at the church, now the remodeled one. His father, known as Charley, was a lawyer and gave freely of his time in volunteer work on school and community projects. He and Mildred also had a daughter Joanna who grew up here and participated in music at church and school and later married Gerald Smith, a judge of Eastern Division of Court of Appeals in St. Louis, as also "Charley" served as Chief Justice of same. Unique about this family was that all four were members of the church.
: Clyde Williams and Lola Williams. He was a lawyer and bank executive in Hillsboro but spent several terms as Congressman of this district in Washington, D.C. Lola was active in Women's groups in the community as well as the church. Their children were Doyne, who married Herry, iba of Basket, Texas, a bank executive and Duane who lives in Indiana in Insurance business. Lola had been a member of the Marsden family here and in Victoria.
: W. Green Hearst, Ella Marsden Hearst. He was the jovial driver of "The Hach" transporting the mail and passengers to Victoria to the Iron Mountain Rail Road later a part of Missouri Pacific R.R. He also maintained a livery stable and had horses, surey, and buggies available to rent.
: Joseph King was husband to Gertrude Frazier King. He was local grocer and live stock hauler. Gertrude was the granddaughter of Rev. Sullivan Frazier an early Minister in county churces. Mrs. Dorothy Abel is the King's daughter and Cordia Biehle the granddaughter.
: John F. Williams and Mae Williams, a couple who retired here from active farming on Big River and lived in the large white frame house in front of the Horse show grounds. Their children were Edward and Fred Williams, Ralph Warne, Katherine Williams Schneider, Irene Williams Doyen, Grace & Jessie Williams and Carl Williams.
: Near front of Church on North Side, Mary Reinemer, wife of W.G. Reinemer, who served in local, political, and school positions many years. She was grandmother of Bill Emerson presently Congressman in D.C. from S.E. Missouri. Her children were Alice Detrich and Marie Emerson Hahn.
: On west wall near front, Rev. George Steele, Mildred Steele. He was minister in Baptist Church who likely performed more marriages and conducted more funerals than any other protestant minister of his area. They had lived on farm near Hillsboro to rear their children in the early 1900's. Their family were sons-Adrian, Paul, Roy, and George Jr, and daughters Lillian and Mary, all of whom became professional people in the county and St. Louis. Miss Lillian was associated with U.S.O. work in its early beginnings in World War 1. Rev. Steele published a poem on aging directed to his own 60th year. (How differently we look at aging now-not at 60 but much later.)
: Samuel Reppy, Rachel Reppy were very important citizens in the area having donated the land on which the 1870 church building was erected-possibly little realizing they were starting a means of worship service to continue for a period of 120 years-continuously one of their sons was Judge John H. Reppy.
: "Aunt Tave" lovingly so designated by citizens of Hillsboro and the area. She was Octavia Buchanan who was ever present to usher in a new citizen or give comfort to a family at the end of a life span completed by a member. Hers was truly a life of service to others in the need of physical aid.
: Dr. Thomas A. Brewster, Mary Jane Brewster. He was a Homeopathic Doctor relying on use of herbs and roots to compound his medications. Some knowledge of his was said to have been learned from the Indians inhabiting the area. Their sons were both lawyers-Arthur had also been a legislator in Jefferson City.
: Window 14 had been purchased by a group of ladies of all faiths known as Ladies Aide who met and quilted (exchanged news and recipes) conducted church dinners-cleaned the church building and listed the name of Jennie Bechler who served in several county offices and on school boards.
: W.J.A. Schubel provided by his wife Mary and their 4 sons and a daughter whose names were Eileen Schubel, Sheible Burnell, Byron Mason and Dwight Burnell was a Methodist Minister, the other 3 were associated with Jefferson County Title and Abstuct Co.-now First American Title Co.
: McMullin and Honey Families for two families who did much for the town as well as the church. The McMullins were newspaper people. The Honeys were farmers and their daughter had been the wife of Governor Fletcher and they had lived in the house now designated as a landmark by MO Parks Association here in Hillsboro. Quite a few professional people were members of these families. One son-Arthur McMullin served many years as a missionary in Siam/East Asia.
: Ware Evans of a long established local family. His parents had served many years as Hotel Keeper when Hillsboro had 2 hotels with livery stables for guests and their horses. Ware was a county officer Rural mail carrier & baseball player on teams in the county. His wife Rebecca had been the daughter of Charles Hemme, one of the builders of the original church. At her demise he married Elva Manning who gave of her talent in music with their children David and Jean. Ware's children were also Huegh and Robert Evans.
: Lily Wittram Booth, Anna Wittram. Two ladies who, is addition to rearing their families and with help of their husbands, gave much to the area; their children all became active in community affairs as well as professional people. Both Lily Booth and her mother had been teachers. Mrs. Booth served many years as the clerk in probate office where she brought comfort as well as business services in heed due to deaths and illnesses of the concern of the community. She also was active in obtaining Farm Bureau organization of service to local farmers.
: Raymond Gasche gave full measure of himself to all worthwhile community, civic and schools as volunteer. His career had been postmaster in Hillsboro and business man in Hillsboro & De Soto. His parents had been George Wand and Cara Winer Gasche. His father was a teacher, county official and postmaster. His brother was Delmont and sister Marie Gasche McKinney, his wife-Leona Reilly Gasche.
: Zoe Booth Rutlege, besides a career in teaching in schools of the county, was the founder of Opportunity school the forrunner of the State School for the Handicapped, now in service in Mapaville. Her husband had been a Doctor in Festus. She was one of the children of Lily and Charles Booth, the others being Medora and Charles Jr. Incidentally their farm home on Pioneer Dr. was acquired and moved to St. Charles City as an historic representative of porch open at both ends. It now serves as rest rooms and has a plaque that denotes it as having come from Hillsboro, MO.

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About Us

Celebrating life since 1962

Our promise

Dignity

Guidance

Legacy

Our story

1962

1968

2010

2014

2016

History of Hillsboro Methodist Church

Saga of the Art Glass Windows in the Hillsboro Church

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