Fall River Funeral Home

10/22/2025

Funeral Home Construction Update
It’s been a minute since our last update on the funeral home construction! The framing stage always goes quickly, but now all the detailed work inside is moving right along — and great progress is happening outside too. The curbs and gutters are finished, and the parking lot is nearly ready for paving.

While I was in Idaho a few weeks ago, we finalized the selections for light fixtures, flooring, cabinets, and countertops. Everything is coming together beautifully. The building will soon be fully enclosed once the siding and door windows are installed.

We’re getting more and more excited to see the finishing touches come together. Thank you to everyone who continues to send photos and messages — your support means so much to us!

08/22/2025

Progress Update

Construction is moving right along—the funeral home is now fully framed! The siding, soffit, fascia, and shingles have all been selected and are on order. Roofing begins Monday, and we can’t wait to see the next stage come together.

We’re so grateful for all the photos being shared with us and for the Facebook updates along the way. Doug James Construction has been absolutely incredible—clean, prompt, and truly impressive.

Each day brings us closer, and our excitement to move back to Idaho keeps growing.

Dare to Dream!

👉 Don’t forget to like and follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more updates!

08/02/2025

Weekend in Idaho – Funeral Home Update

I made a quick trip to Idaho this weekend and finally got to see the progress on the funeral home firsthand. The trusses had been delayed by a week, but they arrived while I was in town—perfect timing. Walking through the building, room by room, it’s all beginning to feel very real now.

During our last visit, one of the funeral coaches wouldn’t start, so we had it taken in for repairs. These classic vehicles haven’t seen much use in recent years. After Gary Bidwell retired on December 31, 2015, he sadly passed away in November 2016. Since then, the coaches have mostly sat idle.

On Friday, I took the 1990 coach out for a drive and spent some time cleaning it up. It’s looking sharp and is just about ready to be shown again. The 1994 coach was started up back in May—it only needed a few minor adjustments and is now good to go as well. I’ve always loved the timeless look of these two vehicles. You’ll likely see them out and about here and there while construction continues.

At some point, I’ll need to remove “Bidwell Funeral Home” from the windows—but I just can’t bring myself to do it quite yet. I’ve always had deep respect for Gary and everything he did for this community. His legacy is still very much a part of this journey. I’ll always be grateful to the Bidwell family for their support and encouragement over these last few years.

This past week, our youngest daughter was in a musical called ‘Dare to Dream Jr.’ (last photo shown). The message in this musical—don’t be afraid of your dreams—hit me hard. I was in tears by the end. These last few weeks have been incredibly rewarding. The last few years? Honestly, really hard. But I’m glad we chose to chase this dream. I couldn’t have done it without the love and support of my beautiful wife Claire, our family, friends, and this incredible community.

Stay tuned—there’s more to come.

Make sure to subscribe and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with the progress as the funeral home continues to take shape.

07/24/2025

Progress Update:

This week has been nothing short of incredible in the progress of building the funeral home. Last week, the foundation and floor were completed—and this week, they managed to frame the entire building in just two days! To say we are impressed would be an understatement. Working with Doug James Construction has been an outstanding experience. We are truly blown away by how quickly and efficiently everything is coming together.

The roofing is scheduled for next week, and while it’s tough not being there in person to witness the transformation, we are so thankful to our family and many friends in East Idaho who continue to send me photos and updates. Please don’t hesitate to send more—we absolutely love seeing every step of the journey. We are beyond grateful for all of you.

We hope everyone has a fun and safe 24th of July - Pioneer Day weekend.

With Love,
Jade and Claire Owens
Fall Rive Funeral Home

07/04/2025

Have a Happy and Safe Independence Day!!!

05/28/2025

The work has finally commenced!
It feels like a dream to see this moment arrive-years later than we originally anticipated, but all the more meaningful because of the journey. We’re thrilled that construction has officially begun, and we cannot wait to return home to the beautiful Upper Snake River Valley to serve our community there.
Stay tuned for more updates as the work progresses-we’re just getting started!

05/11/2025

“Mother’s Day is a time to express gratitude for the selfless sacrifices, unwavering love, and nurturing influence of mothers and all women.”
—Mother's Day 2024: Celebrating the Divine Role of Mothers

Pictured are my mom, Rondee Owens, my mother-in-law, Teresa Arnold, Jade’s grandmothers, Lila Owens and Clara Hulburt-Merkley, and Claire’s grandmothers, Hazel Stewart and Margery Arnold.

We are deeply grateful for all of these incredible moms in our lives—those still with us and those watching over us from heaven.

05/10/2025

Fall River Funeral Home
Ground Breaking May 10th, 2025
Simple, and just our family currently in Idaho. In the words of Claire, “The sign is finally right.” Great things take time.

05/02/2025

We have been quiet for a little while, but we are finally there! Everything is signed, sealed and done. You will start to see movement on the property soon.

This has been one of the longest and hardest processes of our lives. If you want to put your marriage to the test, start a business, build a house, and move your family. Built a home in 2009, sold in 2020, and almost ready to check the other boxes. We have a strong marriage, and family, but it has been put to the test.

I have wanted to be a funeral director the majority of my life, owning my own funeral home in my home town. That dream is becoming a reality now.

I cannot thank Linda Bidwell and her family enough for being patient and allowing me to store all the equipment from Gary at her home. Their families support has been amazing and inspiring.

We have had a lot of bumps and road blocks, some weird rumors, and everything in between. But we are there! I am sad to leave Utah in the coming months. I have made a lot of friends, we have a lot of family here in Verna, and have a wonderful community behind us here.

10 years ago we had the prompting it was time to move back to Idaho, we just didn’t know how or what. It is clear now, and we are excited to come home again, continue to raise our family in another wonderful community I have loved my entire life.

Our Vernal friends, to answer the dreaded question, we will move when the funeral home in Idaho is near completion. Date unknown as of right now.

Stay tuned, I’ll post updates as progress continues to move along.

04/20/2025

HE IS RISEN!

04/19/2025

Word cannot describe my gratitude for Our Savior, Jesus Christ, and all he has done for us.

Life as a funeral director isn’t easy and not for the faint of heart. Watching parents bury children, children young and old bury their parents, and everything in-between, can be heart wrenching. I look to Our Savior to help make that pain more tolerable.

I love what I do, I do what I love, and that is serving families.

This week we hit a huge milestone, and more is to come in the coming days. Thank you all for standing by us as we have continued down this long road.

12/25/2024

https://youtu.be/0yFXfAGl17M?si=g1ohRLLQY92sUJxv

Many this time of year struggle after the sudden or expected loss of a loved one. I hope this video finds you and brings you peace.

Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

Official music video for original song “The Sweetest Gift” by The Piano Guys.Get this Song: https://smarturl.it/TPG_ALBUMS | WE’RE ON TOUR: https://smarturl....