Jon Lambert (center) his wife Tamara Lambert (right) and co-owner Kevin Neal (left) (co-owner Tabitha Neal not pictured) are surrounded by family, friends and fellow chamber members who came to congratulate them and tour the facility at its grand opening Monday in Calvert City.
Residents have another option in preparing their end-of-life arrangements.
Neal & Lambert Family Funeral Home opened its doors Monday in the former Lakeland Baptist Temple at 4952 U.S. Highway 62 in Calvert City. Owners Jon and Tamara Lambert and Kevin and Tabitha Neal, who is also Marshall County judge-executive, are not new to the industry. Lambert grew up living the trade; his grandfather, Harvey Johnson, owned Johnson-Lambert Funeral Home in Calvert City from 1974 until his death in 1981, according to a statement from the Kentucky Lake Chamber of Commerce. Lambert’s father continued in his footsteps, having served as a funeral director himself, Lambert said.
It was only natural for him to continue the family tradition.
“I’ve always loved the funeral business,” Jon Lambert said. “So, it is a calling. I kind of see it as a ministry, as well. There’s a lot of people, they need someone that cares about them during this time. My wife and I, and Kevin, you know we’re all Christians and we try to help them in any way that we can. So, we feel it’s a ministry. We’re helping someone when they’re in that time of need.”
For Lambert, owning a funeral home was a childhood dream; it was a dream he shared with Neal, his best friend since kindergarten.
“When we were growing up, Jon and I would play in the rooms of his grandfather’s funeral home,” Kevin Neal said in a statement issued by the Chamber. “He told me one day we’d have our own.”
It’s been a great deal of work to get to that point, though. Jon Lambert said the two had casually discussed the idea before, but about two years ago the families got serious about planning. When the former Lakeland Baptist Temple went on the market, the pieces fit into place — in the right place.
“I love this community,” Jon Lambert said. ” … We’re just looking to serve our community. Kevin and I both grew up here; my wife grew up in Hardin. So, we’re all familiar with Marshall County, and we’re just happy to be here.
The families set to work, renovating the 7,800 square-foot building from top to bottom and doing everything with the exception of carpet and tile work themselves. Lambert’s wife, Tamara, said it was an exhausting process but worth it. The newly completed facility features a vaulted chapel, a full casket-selection room, arrangement offices that can be shut off from chapel and selection activity, foyer and a serenity room, complete with essential oil diffuser and fountain.
“I love that (serenity) room,” Tamara Lambert said. “… It’s perfect if you need to just step away from everything for a few minutes.”
The Lamberts will run the facility on the day-to-day level. Jon Lambert, 2003 a graduate of Mid-America College of Funeral Service, will serve as director and embalmer. Tamara Lambert, who also has experience in the industry and is a licensed life insurance agent, will assist in the endeavor.
Among services available, Neal & Lambert offers pre-planning arrangements, including burial insurance, and discount packages for veterans and first responders. For more information, visit www.nealandlambertffh.com or call 270-395-4888.