Family Owned & Operated

About Us

Since the late 1800's, Fessenden and Drake, and their surrounding communities, have been served by their local funeral directors. Otto Neuenschwander (1876-1942), the original owner and operator of the Neuenschwander Funeral Home in Fessenden, established the business in the late 1800's.

In 1942, Otto’s two sons, Roger (1909-1977) and Wilfred ‘Icky’ (1920-2013), took over ownership of the funeral home and operated it in conjunction with their hardware business. Wilfred later purchased Roger’s share and continued to operate the businesses until 1978, when Mark and Jill Nelson purchased the businesses.

Mark and Jill (Clairmont) Nelson were both raised in Walhalla, ND. Following Mark’s graduation from the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science in 1974, they lived a short time in Grand Forks, where he was employed with the Norman Funeral Home, before moving to Fessenden in May of 1978. At this time, the funeral home was located on Fessenden’s main street, above the Gambles’ hardware store, which the Nelsons operated until 1986. In 1984, the funeral home was moved to its present location, which was formerly owned by Charley Richards and later by Reiner and Ruth Widiger.

Employees of the Nelson Funeral Homes through the years have included August and Jeanette Breider, Elmer Severson, Duane Larson, and presently Lowell Rau. The Nelson Funeral Home of Drake, previously the Bethke Funeral Home, was established in 1927 by Aaron Bethke (1884-1977). Aaron was joined by his son Alden in 1941, and together they operated the funeral home and family hardware business until Aaron’s death in 1977. In addition to operating the funeral home and hardware businesses, Alden was a master plumber and ran the local ambulance service for many years. He sold the hardware store in 1981 but continued to operate the funeral home until 1985, when it was purchased by Mark and Jill Nelson.

Following his retirement, Alden (1915-2003) continued to assist with funerals and visitations for many years. Although there have been many changes in the funeral profession since Otto Neuenschwander and Aaron Bethke began serving their respective communities, the focus of the funeral director has remained the same.... To serve each family as they would want to be served. To serve each family as though they are our family.