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John Molnar Sr. came to the United States of America from Hungary in 1903 and settled in the Detroit area in 1912. Mr. Molnar worked for Cadillac Motor Company, and was one of 6 people instrumental in the creation of the V-8 engine for Cadillac. Molnar opened the Detroit Hungarian Funeral Home, now the John Molnar Funeral Home, in 1923. The funeral home began in his home until relocating across the street to its Delray location at 8632 Dearborn Avenue, in 1936. He had a very strong work ethic and believed that you never stop learning, a trait that has been carried on with all the Molnar Family. Mr. Molnar was an advocate for giving back to the community and donating to many organizations. The charity that he was most fond of was the Catholic Orphanage Children’s Home without Parents.
John Molnar Sr. had three children, his middle child, John F. Molnar, worked as a master pattern maker and also was the owner of Harvard Pattern Works. With his father’s encouragement, John F. Molnar went back to school and received his funeral director’s license on January 20, 1950. The second generation of the John Molnar Funeral Home began with the addition of John F. Molnar to help run the family business. Unfortunately this pairing of father and son was short lived with both of them passing away in 1950, father due to leukemia, and son after a brief illness.
At the time, Margaret E. Molnar, wife of the late John F. Molnar, having to provide for her young son's future, gave up her business as a beauty operator to continue on the legacy of the John Molnar Funeral Home. Mrs. Molnar overcame many adversities operating the funeral home as a non-licensed funeral service practitioner. With great pride in 1969, Mrs. Molnar’s dream was fulfilled as her son, John S. Molnar, began the third generation of the John Molnar Funeral Homes by joining her in the day-to-day operations of the funeral home.
With a vision for the future and a great shift in population out of the Delray area, mother and son made a heartfelt decision to expand their business into the Downriver area. They purchased the Central Baptist Church, in Southgate, and conducted a year-long renovation, turning it into a state-of-the-art funeral home. September 30, 1971, was a monumental day for the Molnar Family, as it marked the birth of John and Helen Molnar’s daughter, Angela, and began the grand opening weekend of the Southgate Funeral Home. From this point, The Molnar family's reputation grew as they became involved in the Downriver area. From starting the funeral home in a predominately Hungarian community, they earned the respect of their new culturally diverse community.
