Ferguson-Lee Chapel of Thorne Family Funeral Homes

Ferguson-Lee Chapel of Thorne Family Funeral Homes has been providing funeral services for the community at the corner of "18th" and "I" Streets in Bedford since 1937. The current Ferguson-Lee Chapel of Thorne Family Funeral Homes was started in 1937 by Raymond Sherwood and Claude Ferguson, known as Sherwood–Ferguson Funeral Home, located at the current corner of 18th and “I” Streets in Bedford, I

ndiana. Roy Speer took control of Mr. Ferguson’s share in the business and became the sole owner. The business operated with Mr. Ferguson as an employee only until 1959. On June 1, 1959, Paul Branson and Robert Lee purchased the assets and business of Ferguson-Speer Funeral Home, and the name was changed to Ferguson-Branson Funeral Home. In 1962, Paul Branson had a series of coronaries and Robert Lee assumed the debt of the funeral home and became the sole owner. Claude Ferguson stayed on as a senior employee and advisor and the name became Ferguson-Lee Funeral Home, at the same location. In 1973, Mr. Ferguson died. In 1971, Lee constructed a new funeral home on the same location’s parking lot and proceeded to tear down the house on “I” Street in order to make a complete parking lot. In 2004, a substantial addition was made to the parking lot by eliminating other residences. These homes were the homes of current owner Phil Thorne's great-grandparents, William J. and Louisa Kathryn (Schaefer) Thorne
and great-great-grandparents, Casper and Rosina (Gerhart) Schaefer. In the late 1980’s, Robert E. Lee II, son of Robert Lee, joined Ferguson-Lee Funeral Home as a Funeral Director and later Manager, until his death on January 14, 2001. Robert Lee continued to operate the funeral home until December 1, 2016, when the newly formed corporation of Thorne Family Funeral Homes purchased the business and Philip and Amelia Thorne became the owners of the funeral home. We look forward to continuing the tradition and excellence provided by the Lee family for many years to come.