The History of 400 South Main Street, Tuscola, Illinois

For many years the Tuscola community has come to find help, hope, and peace at 400 South Main Street.  While the Funeral Home has changed names over the years, its devoted occupants have striven to offer exceptional services.  It is no different with the Maus family.  We are dedicated to building upon the history of the funeral home, creating a memorable tribute for every family we are privileged to serve.  We believe every life lived deserves to be honored and remembered.

Even before we talk about the building located at 400 S. Main Street,we go back in time to 1899 when Mr. John Lewis Warren came to Tuscola.  In 1900 he started a furniture and undertaking business on Sale Street.  Al Amman and John Warren were business partners with W.P. Branham and with E.E. Murphy.  John Lewis was married to Belle Branham, who died May 16, 1924.  He lived to be 73 years old and is buried in Tuscola Cemetery.  James Clifford Waddington came to Tuscola in November, 1918.  He was the manager for Heinz and Creamer, funeral directors, until January 1, 1919.  He was then in partnership with O.L. Ingram and later bought the furniture and undertaking business of J.L. Warren.  He conducted this business until March 1922when he bought the interest of O.L. Ingram, closed out the furniture business and continued an exclusive undertaking business at the Knights of Pythias building on Main St.  He had the only private ambulance in Douglas County. His able assistant was his wife, Blanche Waddington.  Mrs. Waddington was in charge of funerals for women and children.

The home is graced with beautiful original mahogany woodwork and hard wood floors throughout.Twelve-foot ceilings, crown moldings, and four sets of nine-foot leaded glass French doors separate different rooms on the first floor. The crowning jewel in the home is the beautiful open staircase with all the original millwork just inside the formal foyer.

Tack Green was born October 27, 1908 in Marion County, IL,the son of Samuel A. and Mary Duncan Green. Tack graduated in 1929 after attending all grades in Tuscola.  He was a star athlete in football,basketball, and track and an all-state end in football in 1928.  He then went to Worsham Embalming School in depression-era Chicago.  One of his favorite stories to tell was of attending Worsham, just down the street from the location of the St.Valentine’s Day Massacre associated with gangster, Al Capone.  Tack did post graduate work in plastic surgery in Cincinnati.  Lois Campbell and Tack Green were married October 1934.  They were the parents of J. Clifford (named for Mr. Waddington), Douglas, and Duane Green. 

Mr. Green operated the funeral home and the young family lived in the upstairs residence until it became too small for their growing family.  They then moved next door to a private home, where their third son, Duane was born. (This home was located where First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust now sits). Tack, like Mr. Waddington, ran a local ambulance service. The boys remember their right of passage, when they were finally old enough to drive the hearse or the ambulance. 

Chuck Brewer had been helping Mr. Green for close to twenty-two years at the time of Tack’s death. Chuck also attended Worsham School of Embalming.  Mr. Green’s estate was left such that if Tack’s sons were not interested in the business, then Mr. Brewer was to have first chance of buying the funeral home. Mr. Brewer purchased the funeral home in March of 1972.  The Brewer family operated the home with only a few minor changes. The south wing was completed in 1980 and used as a new merchandise selection room. Though many years passed and different people owned the home, the name Waddington Funeral Home remained.  Chuck and Mary Brewer were the parents of Gary, Douglas, and Scot Brewer.  Mr.Brewer passed away February 26, 1998.

After the home stood empty for a few years it was sold to a local entrepreneur who re-decorated the home and opened it as a bed and breakfast. While the home embodied a beautiful place to house a bed and breakfast establishment, the rebirth never really caught on as the locals still thought of the stately home as a funeral home and the place where family members were laid to rest.

Under the operation of the Edwards family, the interior of the funeral home was given a beautiful remodeling and the use of rooms was adapted to accommodate modern funeral practices.  The once large merchandise selection room was turned into a beautiful homelike setting of a chapel,complete with men’s and women’s handicapped restrooms and a handicapped entrance to bring the building in complete compliance with ADA standards. A new family lounge was formed from what was once a private family sitting area. The former viewing area became a sitting room. These rooms are now used to meet with families making arrangements for their loved ones as well as a quiet place to escape to and enjoy refreshments during visitations. They are graced with more of the same beautiful mahogany woodwork, hardwood floors, and the home’s original fireplace.  The front formal foyer has now become an area for extra seating as well as a comfortable receiving area for family and friends to gather before and after services. What was originally the home’s formal dining room, is now the funeral home’s memorial area, decorated with Thomas Kinkade artwork and accessories. This area is set aside for family and friends to sign the register book, look at family photo boards or view a family video.  A state of the art selection room was carved out of the original two-car garage. The selection room showcases the “Batesville Meaningful Memories” quarter cut and half cut caskets, complete with personalization possibilities of cap panels and corner pieces as well as a complete line of Wilbert burial vaults.  A new embalming room was also constructed.  The home boasts a large front porch all along the east side.  A new burgundy canvas covered awning was installed to provide a more comfortable and safe entrance for families. The original funeral home contained an awning much like this new one. 

Now under the ownership of Jason and Jonda Maus, Mrs. Maus, a gourmet cook will utilize the beautiful first-floor kitchen, installed during the time of the bed and breakfast, to serve her family and provide homemade refreshments for the funeral home guests.  The family will also share the family lounge as their dining room. The Maus Family will complete the task of renovating the upstairs dining room and kitchen into an office space and third bedroom.  In the years to come, improvements and upgrades will continue to be made, but the charming, warm, and comforting atmosphere of the home, which originally drew Mr. and Mrs. Waddington will always remain.

The doors are always open.  Feel free to stop in to say hello and see the beautiful home.  Have a cup of coffee, or sit on the porch and enjoy the fresh air.  Maus Family Funeral Home is a place to celebrate life, at any stage!

                Tuscola: Strolling Through the Past, 1857-2007, Ed. Linda Brewer

                Duane Green