Shaw & Sons Funeral Home is proud to once again be Yakima's Local & Family Owned Funeral Home. We not only care about the families we serve.
Tracing our heritage back into the 1800's, Shaw & Sons is the historical & landmark funeral home on N 2nd St., where families have came for generations. Shaw and Sons Funeral Directors is the oldest funeral home in Yakima, Wa. We also care about the community we live in.
06/25/2025
Today my son Jaron turns 18 and he is officially a Licensed Intern Funeral Director and Embalmer. This was not something that he was persuaded into, conversely, Kara and I will always strongly avoid familial pressure for our children to pursue a path that is not their calling. He chose it, on his own, out of a genuine desire to serve people during some of life’s most difficult moments. That says a lot about who he is.
From a toddler in a tie to a young man in one he has always carried himself with confidence and purpose.
Now, today, I have the honor of officially training him in this work, not just as a dad, but as a mentor in a profession that demands care, compassion, excellence, and integrity. Watching him step into it with heart and humility is something truly special.
Please join me in wishing him a happy birthday and congratulating him on this step towards a rewarding life in service to our community and in the funeral profession. 
06/15/2025
Our family attempts to be transparent with our lives both in the good times and the harder times. Many of us experience the pain of loss.
Today is a first for me; a Father's Day without my dad.
Many of you have more experience in this than I do.
And you know that our hearts can be full of gratitude for the memories and legacy and also grieve simultaneously.
Here is a short clip from a video my dad, the guy I learned life from, left for us just prior to him passing away 84 days ago. I'm both proud and thankful to be his son!
Walking this road of personal grief also inspires our family to be here for our community and support you with continued compassion and care.
05/31/2025
Join us in congratulating our very good friend, Retired Army SFC, Wayne White (and his wife Ramona), on his election and installation as Commander of VFW Post 379 Yakima, Wa
His distinguished service to our country and community are remarkable. We are grateful to consider him a friend of Shaw & Sons and our family.
05/28/2025
When we say that we are local, family owned and operated, this is in part what it looks like. Our children are glad to dress up and help with services and also glad to roll up their sleeves and sweat it out, pulling weeds. We often say the funeral service profession is a lifestyle and a calling and we are glad to see the next generation embrace this service to our community. 
Let’s give Maizie Jo a shout out for her beautiful heart and personality!
05/23/2025
As we go into the long weekend and enjoy barbecues, camping trips and time with friends and family, let us also be certain to remember the ultimate sacrifices that have been made to ensure our country’s enduring freedom.
Through the last couple of years, our family and staff have been called on to care for two men who paid the price before many of us were born.
SF3 Patrick Lloyd Chess, US Navy
Nov. 28, 1917 - Dec. 7, 1941
The island of Oahu
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
Captain Donald H Froemke, US Army
Oct 15, 1912 - Oct 5,1944
Opheusden, Netherlands
Operation Market Garden
We salute them and all of those who have laid down their life for American ideals.
04/20/2025
From our family to yours, we wish you a happy and memorable Easter.
04/09/2025
I want to take a moment to say thank you. Every message, every hug, every memory shared has helped us carry the weight of losing my dad.
Thank you for standing with us, for showing up, and reminding us that we (and he) are so well loved.
Lifelong friends, families we’ve served, community members, colleagues from around the state, law enforcement, and so many people expressed their care, and we thank you all.
03/24/2025
The highest compliment I have received is that I remind people of my dad. Thank you to everyone who has reached out in support of our family in this time of loss. We feel well loved!
View John Martin Mohler's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.
02/21/2025
Our oldest daughter got married last month and in keeping with our style, our approach has always been to be open and transparent about our family and community life.
We don’t conceal ourselves behind a business name; instead, we prioritize relationships and a sense of community, which has been such a blessing to our (growing) family.
We know we are blessed as a family to serve the communities in central Washington and thank you for entrusting us with the most sacred of honors.
01/23/2025
12/23/2024
As we reflect on the past year, we are truly grateful to every family who has entrusted our family and staff with your care. It is a blessing to serve our communities and to do so alongside our highly skilled and compassionate team as your local, family-owned funeral home.
As we look ahead to 2025, we wish you all a safe, healthy, and memorable new year. We remain committed to delivering the award winning service that has set us apart and raised the standard of excellence in our region.
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Historical records of the Yakima Valley indicate that in 1891 one of the businesses in North Yakima on First and A Streets was that of Cross and Stanton Furniture and Undertakers. However, it was not until 1899 that another firm, North Yakima Furniture Company, provided the foundation for a family funeral business that would span four generations. Shaw & Sons has become the longest continuously operating funeral service firm of the area.
On March 3, 1899, A. E. Howard and A. L. Flint filed articles of incorporation as the Yakima Furniture Company and the business was located at 15 E. Yakima Avenue in North Yakima, Washington. It was common in those early years for a furniture business to get into undertaking, primarily because it had the means for building caskets, and this new company was no exception. The company's letterhead stated: “Furniture– Carpets – Picture Frames – Upholstering – Funeral Directing – Embalming”.
It is not totally clear when A. J. Shaw entered the business, however, after the retirement of A. L. Flint on February 5, 1906, the major trustees became Andrew Jackson (A. J.) Shaw, Herbert A. Shaw, Carl Shaw, and R. N. Shaw. At this time the business was renamed A. J. Shaw and Sons Furniture and Undertaking. In 1908, the firm closed out the furniture department and became a funeral home exclusively and was moved to 217 E. Yakima Avenue. Over the next many decades, four generations of the Shaw family would conduct over 30,000 funeral services for generations of Yakima Valley residents.
In 1910, the stock of A. J. Shaw was transferred to his wife, Alice Shaw, and the trustees then became Alice Shaw, Herbert A. Shaw and Royal N. Shaw. In 1914, the business was again moved to 131 North 2nd Street and new articles of incorporation were filed on March 18, 1920, under the new name of Shaw and Sons Undertakers. The new trustees were Alice Shaw Rice, Herbert A. Shaw, Royal N. Shaw and Lester S. Shaw, the son of A. J. Shaw and Alice Shaw Rice.
In 1923, Shaw and Sons Undertakers built a brand new facility at the present day location of 201 North 2nd Street. By the 1930’s, the firm had become highly successful with succeeding generations of one family operating the business, providing stability of operation and helping establish a “traditional” kind of reception from area residents.
The sons of Herbert A. Stanley and Gilbert Shaw, like the brother combination of their father and uncle before them, operated the business in the 1940’s and into the 1950’s.
In 1942, Lester Shaw’s daughter, Barbara, began working in the firm as the bookkeeper. Chalmer Nance joined the firm as an employee in 1947, he later married Barbara Shaw and together they carried the tradition of the family for many years. A fourth generation of the Shaw family and son of Stanley Shaw, Jack H. Shaw, joined the firm in 1957 and worked as assistant manager for several years.
In 1965, a remodel project and additional land purchase was underway to enlarge the foyer, add garage space, add another apartment and additional parking area was also added. A complete modernization of the entire facility was accomplished.
In 1980, A. J. Dionne joined the firm as an employee until 1981 when he assumed the responsibility of General Manager, working with Chalmer and Barbara Shaw Nance until the death of Chalmer Nance in 1985 and the retirement of Barbara Shaw Nance in 1986.
It was in February 1987, that yet another addition to the facility was underway which resulted in the addition of more garage space, a community room (now named The Bill Greenside Community Room) named after Mr. Bill Greenside who was an employee of the firm for 63 years.
Today, we are proud to be local, family owned & not affiliated with any large corporate conglomerate. We are once again able to serve our community, who are our friends and neighbors, without remote investors or corporate oversight. We are honored to continue the traditions of quality and compassionate service established by the four generations of the Shaw family and carried down through the years to our family and staff.
