Our History
Our firm is considered to be one of the oldest funeral businesses in Michigan, and is certainly the longest continuously-operated funeral home in Lenawee County. For over 140 years, the Wagley Funeral Home has cared for families in our community. Throughout the tenure of our firm, our focus has been on personal, compassionate service.
The Everiss-Wagley Funeral Home, founded in 1867 by J.E. Everiss Sr., a cabinetmaker from Troy, N. Y., is one of the oldest funeral businesses in Michigan and the longest continuously operated funeral home in Lenawee County. Mr. Everiss was born in England and came to Adrian in 1854 after residing in upstate New York for several years. His firm was first located on South Main Street at the site of the former Christian Science Reading room. Today, over 140 years and six moves later, the funeral home is located at 1501 West Maumee Street, Adrian, Michigan.Joseph Wagley Jr., theformer owner, recalls stories of the early days when the Everiss family operated a livery service along with the funeral home and provided a taxi, ambulance and hears with tow matched teams of black horses. The livery business at that time was a larger concern than the funeral business. The Everiss enterprise also included chauffeuring people who traveled by train from the depot to the center of town.
In 1895, Everiss bought a choice piece of property owned for many years by W.H. Cleveland on the corner of South Winter and Church Streets. Needing larger facilities to house the growing funeral business, Everiss constructed a brick building at 6 WestChurch that same year. In 1899, he sold this property to the Bell Telephone Company and built another brick structure next door at 8 West Church Street. This building, now 118 Church, is occupied by Graphics Unlimited today, but for 33 years it served as the headquarters for the Everiss firm.
In 1900, Everiss’ two sons, Walter and Joseph Jr., became associated with their father in the business. As the years passed, they accepted more responsibility and in 1913 they formed a partnership and purchased the funeral home from their father.
W. Raymond Everiss Sr., was named president of the firm in the 1930’s and decided to move the funeral home for the fourth timein 1932, to a more residential district. The new address was 138 E. Toledo Street, just behind where the historic Croswell Opera House still stands. The beautiful funeral home with its adjacent seven-car garage no longer exists, giving way to a downtown parking area. In December of 1957, W. Raymond Everiss Sr. passed away and his son, W. Raymond Everiss, Jr., headed the firm. On September 1, 1958, Everiss decided to relocate the funeral home to the spacious site at 943 West Maumee Street, which is now the site of condominiums. Joseph Wagley, Jr., joined the firm in 1955 and purchased the funeral home from W. Raymond Everiss Jr. in 1968.
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Braun, Sr., moved from Tecumseh to Adrian in 1929 and operated their funeral business, Braun Funeral Home, at 1501 West Maumee Street. Mr. Braun passed away in 1952 and the business was then operated by Mrs. Braun and her sons, Ed Jr. and Richard Braun. In 1986, Richard purchased Ed’s share of the business until 1991 when Richard’s son and daughter-in-law, Keith and Sheryl, bought out his father’s share. Keith and Sheryl Braun then sold the Braun Funeral Home to David Wagley in 1997, which made a family merged business, then named Braun-Everiss-Wagley Funeral Home. David Wagley, and his wife Barbara, bought the funeral home themselves, making it the Wagley Funeral Home in January, 2007.
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David Wagley Owner/Manager
David W. Wagley along with his wife, Barbara L. Wagley own and operate the funeral home. David is a graduate of the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science and has been a funeral director for over 25 years. He is a current member of the Kiwanis Club of Adrian and a past president. He attends Ogden Church and has served on past campaigns for the church. David can be found in his spare time fishing for salmon in Michigan’s northern rivers and enjoys spending time with his two dogs, Max and Tinker Belle. David and Barb have three grown children: Adrianne and her husband Patrick Kaplan, Austin and his wife Danielle Wagley, and Andrew Wagley.
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Doug Tagsold Manager - Tagsold Chapel
Doug Tagsold, licensed funeral director and manager of the Tagsold Chapel. The Tagsold family has been serving the Blissfield community for 4 generations, and is celebrating 100 years of service in 2013. Doug viewed Wagley Funeral Home's family values and high level of service similar to his and decided to partner the two generational firms together in 2010. Doug keeps busy sailing and working on his model trains. He and his wife, Diane, have two children, Steven (Jen) and Jennifer.
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Barbara Wagley Office Manager
Barbara has worked in funeral service for 21 years alongside the rest of the family. She is a lifelong resident of Lenawee and attends Ogden Church. Barb has a passion for food and enjoys hosting family get togethers at her home. David and Barb have three grown children: Adrianne and her husband Patrick Kaplan, Austin and his wife Danielle Wagley, and Andrew Wagley.
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Julie Martin Licensed Funeral Director
Originally from Franklin, Pennsylvania, Julie is a 1999 graduate of Rocky Grove High School. In 2003 she graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and holds a B.A. degree in Social Work. She is a certified Direct Practice Social Worker and was employed as County Caseworker for several years. Julie graduated from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science in 2013 with an Associate Degree in Specialized Technology in the field of Funeral Arts and Sciences. She became a licensed Funeral Director in 2014 and holds licensure in both Michigan and Pennsylvania. She began working at Gardinier Funeral Home, Inc. in Franklin, PA in December 2008 as the Aftercare Provider and Funeral Home Assistant; eventually earning her Funeral Director’s license. After working at Gardinier Funeral Home for 7 years, she relocated to Michigan in 2015. Julie joined the Wagley Funeral Home staff in 2016 and serves families in Adrian, Blissfield, and the surrounding communities. She lives in the Adrian area with her young son, Garrett. Julie attends the First United Methodist Church in Adrian, where she helps with the children’s ministries. Julie is active with her son’s school activities in the Adrian Public Schools. Using her extensive background as a dance instructor, Julie assists with the Adrian Junior Majorettes and occasionally returns to her home dance studio in Franklin to choreograph for their competitive dance team.
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Jason Ferguson Licensed Funeral Director, Certified Pre-planning Consultant
Jason Ferguson has been in the funeral service profession for 18 years. Jason was born in Morenci and was raised in Fayette, OH, where he graduated Salutatorian of his class in 2004. After high school he served his hometown families at Eagle Funeral Homes, while working at Paschal Vault Company in Hudson. He also served a 10-year position as sexton for Pleasant view Union Cemetery in Fayette. Jason graduated from Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science in 2013, and became a licensed funeral director in 2014. Jason has three children. Caleb, Carly, and Camryn are students at Sand Creek Community Schools. Jason and his family live in Adrian and are proud to be among the founding members of Holy Family Parish. They are active parishioners at St. Mary’s Campus, ministering to the children’s religious education program, Knights of Columbus, and Parish Pastoral Council. Jason enjoys biking, running, traveling, politics, and most especially spending time with his family and their dogs.
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Julia Willett Family Service Specialist
A lifelong Lenawee County resident, Julia Willett graduated from Sand Creek High School, and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Eastern Michigan University. She worked in the public mental health field for over 25 years, specializing in treating the elderly and chronically mentally ill populations. Julia married Frank Willett in 1992, and together they have two children. Noah is completing his studies at the University of Michigan and Lydia is enrolled as a High School student at Lenawee Christian Schools. They are members of Holy Family Parish, St. Mary’s Campus, where Julia assists with the Confirmation class and funeral dinner committee, and serves as a Eucharistic Minister. Julia and her family enjoy going up north in the summer and exploring the many cities along the west coast. In her leisure time, Julia enjoys going for walks and playing board games with her family. Julia joined the Wagley staff in December of 2016. She values being a part in helping families find closure and a sense of peace during a period of transition in their lives.
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Jennifer Griffith Family Service Specialist
Jennifer Griffith, administrative assistant, has been with Wagley Funeral Home since the fall of 2007. Jennifer retired from Morenci Area Schools after 34 years of teaching middle school students. Jennifer lives in Sand Creek with her husband Jack. They have three children, Jason (Kara), Carrie (Charlie) and Chuck (Stacie); they are the proud grandpa and grandma to seven grandchildren—Kyle, Tess, Charlie IV,Isabella, Amelia, Issac, Rose and Silas. Jennifer enjoys spending time with family, reading, sewing, helping people and keeping up with life. She is a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, where she ministers to the Brookdale (Grand Court) residents. Jennifer especially enjoys her career at Wagley Funeral Home helping families in their time of need.
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Rhea North Greeter
Rhea North, a part time greeter at Wagley Funeral Home, keeps herself busy with her champion English setter, Gunner. Gunner is the therapy dog that visits many local nursing homes and frequents the Hospice of Lenawee Home. Rhea enjoys doing yard work and taking care of her older friends. She is a member of the First United Methodist Church. Rhea brings her genuine caring nature to all families in need at Wagley Funeral Home.
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Dick Hall Funeral Assisstant
Dick Hall is a long time Adrian resident, and former owner of Dick's market. He and his wife Barb, have 2 children and 7 grandchildren. Dick and Barb love to go camping with their 5th wheel, their favorite place being Ludington. Dick and Barb keep busy attending their grandchildren’s sporting activities.
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Lawrence Marks Funeral Assistant
Lawrence Marks is a long time resident of Blissfield, and has worked for the Tagsold family for over 21 years, and has helped with over 1,075 services. He enjoys auctions and likes to host family holiday dinners. He is a retired farmer but still helps his son, David, with farming. He has two children, David and Brenda, 5 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren, with one on the way.
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Larry Betz Funeral Assistant
Larry Betz has worked for Wagley Funeral Home since 2012. Larry and his wife Kathy live in Adrian. Larry was the minister at the First Church of Nazarene in Adrian for 11 years, and his wife Kathy helped in the office at the church. Larry works part time at Hospice of Lenawee as a Chaplin, and is a veteran of the Air Force.
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Susan Horn Greeter
Susan Horn has worked for Wagley Funeral Home as a greeter since 2004. She has many part time jobs around Adrian including Bath & Body Works, and Tillotson’s Garden Produce. She has 3 children and 4 granddaughters. Susan enjoys reading books in her free time. Many of the beautiful flowers that sprinkle Wagley Funeral Home’s landscaping are Susan’s work.
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Vernon Sell Funeral Assistant
Vernon Sell started working with the Tagsold family in 2005. He and his wife, Linda, have 2 daughters and 2 granddaughters. Vernon retired from Ford Motor Company in Saline. He attends St. Johns Lutheran Church in Adrian. Vernon enjoys spending time around the house, working in the garden and taking care of the lawn.
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Michael Sheldon Funeral Assistant
A Lenawee County native, Michael Sheldon grew up on his family farm near Blissfield and was a 1972 graduate of Blissfield High School. Early in his employment, he worked for Precast Concrete. Mike then began his career at the Adrian Training School until his retirement in 2009. Following his retirement, Mike worked at the Lenawee County Fairgrounds until 2016. He joined the Tagsold Chapel staff in February, 2013. In 2018, following the loss of their spouses, Mike married SueEllen Beckey. SueEllen retired from the Deerfield-Britton school district in 2015. Together they are active members of 1Mosaic Church in Adrian and participate in community outreach. Mike also volunteers his time at Share The Warmth, Habitat ReStore, and the Blissfield Senior Center, where he helps with Meals on Wheels and is a Bible Enrichment Leader. Mike loves spending time with his 4 children, 2 step-children and spoiling his 12 grandchildren. In his free-time, he enjoys woodworking, travelling with SueEllen, and hiking, biking, and kayaking the National Parks. Mike serves both the Blissfield and Adrian communities through his work at Wagley Funeral Homes. A true ministry for him, Mike follows God’s lead in helping families through the loss of a loved one.
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Roger Myers Funeral Assistant
Roger and Bev Myers have been residents of Adrian since 1973. While having had an interest in the funeral service since high school, Roger chose a professional career in the public sector. He is an alumnus of Eastern Michigan University with a graduate degree in the fields of public administration and political science. He served as Executive Director of Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority, retiring after nearly 40 years of service with that organization. Roger has served on various community boards and committees, and is currently is a member of the Board of Directors for Paramount Care of Michigan, Inc. Roger has worked for Wagley Funeral Homes since December 2013. He and Bev are active members of Turning Point Church in Adrian. They have two children and are the proud grandparents of Chloe, Oliver, Hazel and Zara.
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Craig Pearson Funeral Assistant
Craig Pearson joined the Wagley staff in April of 2017. A lifelong Adrian-area resident, Craig was a graduate of Madison High School and later completed two years of college, majoring in art. He worked for PPG Industries of Adrian for over 35 years prior to his retirement. Craig married Patty Selders, a fellow Adrian native, in 1980. They have two daughters, Jennifer Ward and Kristen Goodwin. Craig and his family are active members of Berean Baptist Church. Craig is a locally renowned accomplished stained glass artist and craftsman. He and Patty own C&P Glassworks, and his talents are showcased in several local churches and businesses. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening and fishing.
Craig enjoys helping people and comforting them during a trying time in their life. He enjoys the comradery of the funeral home staff and especially appreciates the gratitude shown from families served.
