The Blue Funeral Home was founded by Greg Meredith in 1982. Originally called The Meredith Funeral Home, the new single-story building was designed exclusively as a funeral home.

In September, 1994, Monte and Jeanie Blue became partners with Meredith. The Meredith-Blue Funeral Home came under the sole ownership of the Blues in 1999 when they bought Meredith's interest in the facility. In late summer 2002, the name was changed to Blue Funeral Home. ''We are proud of our full-service, two-chapel building and the ample parking area at our 1704 N. Court location in Marion,'' Monte Blue said.

Monte Blue said his lifelong dream was to own a funeral home. Born and raised in Marion, Blue worked 20 years for the Mitchell-Hughes Funeral home. He left his post as manager in 1994 when he and Jeanie acquired an interest in their present facility.

Marion is a quiet residential community of 15,000 in southern Illinois. Blue Funeral Home serves the people of Marion, Creal Springs, Pittsburgh and Goreville. The largest urban center is St. Louis, 120 miles to the northwest.

''We are family-owned and operated, Jeanie said, ''and our commitment to excellence is a promise we have always made to our friends and neighbors in their time of need.''

In the late summer of 2002, Monte Blue purchased the Whitnel Funeral Chapel in Goreville Illinois. Everett Whitnel built the chapel in 1985, and following his retirement, the chapel became available in July, 2002.

After an extensive remodeling project, the facility is refreshed and more functional. Having tripled the size of the chapel on the inside, and with the many exterior improvements including the large parking lot, it would be difficult to find a nicer and more comfortable funeral home than Blue Funeral Home.