About Us

About Our Funeral Home and Our Commitment to You

History

Serving and supporting our Community is our Goal……. The former Strickler's Funeral Homes, Inc. was purchased by the late Mark and Helen Via Bower in 1970 from the late Stanley S.& Bessie Stricker who began the business in 1950. The couple's had family acquaintances from their hometowns and days at Bridgewater College. The Funeral home also has a branch location on East Main Street, Dublin, Virginia. Now, Dana Bower Rygas and her family are proud to continue in her parent's footsteps. Three generations were serving in the family funeral home until the death of Mark Bower in 2003-now the second and third generation will continue the family tradition of serving their community . Investment and pride in the community are reflected in the modern facility built in 1984 when the Bower Family moved to a new location on Bob White Boulevard in Pulaski to replace the original funeral home on North Jefferson Avenue. They built an all ground level 8,000 square foot facility which is all handicapped accessible and with an abundance of off-street parking. The chapel area will seat over 200 with additional areas to sit more.

Whenever possible, they believe in spending their money with local businesses. For example, the funeral home was built by local contractors from Dublin and the chapel furniture and pews by Virginia Church Furniture of Pulaski. The financing and subsequent banking services have always been through local businesses as well as using local legal and accounting services. We are committed to doing business in the community and the New River Valley at every opportunity for we understand that doing so provides the lifeblood for growth. Our Dublin location on East Main Street is in the Historic Downtown district. The original structure is designated to be the oldest home within the Town. A larger chapel was added to the structure in the 70's to provide additional space. We are continuing to update and make improvements to the location for those who choose to use the Dublin home. BOWER FUNERAL CHAPELS- "Providing dignified and affordable funeral services to our Community with sincere, personal service"

Our policy regarding Covid - 19

The health and safety of our families, guests, and employees is our top priority.
Our funeral home will operate as normally as possible during this difficult and unprecedented time.
Face masks or coverings are optional in the building as well as the practice of social distancing.
We will discuss all available options with our families and collectively decide the best and safest option. 

We want to assure you that the Bower Funeral Home team is taking proactive measures to help prevent
the spread of any potential illness. We are closely monitoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and World Health Organization’s statements, along with Virginia Department of Public Health, National
Funeral Director’s Association, and the Virginia Board of Funeral Directors & Embalmers regarding the
novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and following guidelines from these agencies and our local health departments.

We use cleaning and disinfecting protocols to clean our chapel, visitation rooms, offices, lounge and restrooms before
and after each service with particular attention paid to high touch items like knobs, faucets, chairs and other communal areas.
Proper and frequent hand washing is vital to help combat the spread of viruses. Our teams are reminded multiple times a day
that cleanliness starts with this simple act.

Additional hand sanitizer has been placed at the register book area, and all of our meeting/arrangement rooms. Employees
who exhibit cold or flu-like symptoms have been instructed to stay home from work. In an effort to minimize direct contact, we ask that you consider avoiding shaking hands or physical contact with the members of the family or other guests.

Direct Eye Contact, Loving Words, and a Warm Smile can be as meaningful to the families as a traditional handshake or hug, especially during these difficult times.

We request that guests who have experienced the following, refrain from visiting the funeral home at this time:
* Cold or Flu-like symptoms including, fever, cough, and shortness of breath in the past two weeks.
* Have recently traveled to any of the countries or municipalities affected by the COVID-19 virus
* Have been in direct contact with someone who has recently traveled to the affected areas.

For those who elect not to attend any services, you are welcome to leave messages for the family on our website www.bowerfuneralhome.com