Ferguson-Lee Chapel of Thorne Family Funeral Homes

Ferguson-Lee Chapel of Thorne Family Funeral Homes In the mid 1940’s, a third partner was taken in by the name of Roy Speer. Upon the death of Raymond Sherwood, the name changed to Ferguson-Speer Funeral Home.

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.

08/05/2025
David Matthew Lee, 58, of Bloomington, Indiana, met his Savior face to face on August 1, 2025, after spending a few hour...
08/04/2025

David Matthew Lee, 58, of Bloomington, Indiana, met his Savior face to face on August 1, 2025, after spending a few hours surrounded by loved ones at the peace-filled Hospice House in Bloomington.

Born October 22, 1966, in New Castle, Indiana, David was the beloved son of George Hugh and Car...

View David Matthew Lee's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

Nettie Hughes, 96, of Bedford, passed away on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at the Stonebridge Health Campus in Bedford.Born o...
08/01/2025

Nettie Hughes, 96, of Bedford, passed away on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at the Stonebridge Health Campus in Bedford.

Born on January 30, 1929, in Oolitic, IN, she was the daughter of Pete and Mabel (Humphrey) Stevens.

She married Donald Sebright on October 22, 1949, in Angola, IN. and ...

View Nettie Hughes's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

Mikels Signs did a fantastic job along with our own Rick Kelley. What an improvement!
07/31/2025

Mikels Signs did a fantastic job along with our own Rick Kelley. What an improvement!

Please contact us with any questions about preplanning.
07/31/2025

Please contact us with any questions about preplanning.

Bernard "Bernie" Esboldt, 80, of Mitchell, passed away at 5:40am on Monday, July 28, 2025, at his residence.Born July 20...
07/29/2025

Bernard "Bernie" Esboldt, 80, of Mitchell, passed away at 5:40am on Monday, July 28, 2025, at his residence.

Born July 20, 1945, in Cedar Lake, IN, Bernie was the son of Emmett Esboldt and Celia (Snell) Esboldt. He married Elizabeth Homan on November 13, 1999, and she survives. Bernie was a ...

View Bernard "Bernie" Esboldt's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

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