Abraham C. Fernald, Sr. was the founder of the Fernald family funeral profession in 1860. For more than a century, our commitment has remained unchanged, yet we always strive to respond to the changing needs of the community. Since its inception, the Fernald funeral service business has been owned and operated by five generations of Fernalds. In 1961 the current funeral home was built in the village of Somesville in the Town of Mount Desert. On January 20, 1981, the family purchased the Jordan Funeral Home in Ellsworth, followed by the purchase of the Healey Funeral Home in Blue Hill on December 2, 1993, and the facility in Bar Harbor in 1999. In 2004 all four locations became known as Jordan-Fernald Funeral Homes.
As the years have moved forward funeral services have had many changes. As a funeral and cremation provider we saw the need to make changes as well. On Mount Desert Island it became clear that one centrally located facility was all that was needed. In 2011 the Bar Harbor Facility closed. The Somesville location had been renovated and was able to accommodate the needs of the families served. In 2014 the Blue Hill location of 141 South Street was closed and re-opened at 49 Main Street with a more central location and a slightly more modern space. In December 2018, that location closed, with communities on the Blue Hill Peninsula and beyond being served by the Ellsworth location.
Our staff has had changes as well. William C. Fernald who started in 1961 retired in 2009 and his brother, Thomas J. Fernald who had joined the family business in 1967, retired in 2013. However, the longest serving member, Robert B. Fernald who started in business in 1955, passed the reigns to his daughter, Lauri E. Fernald, in 2018. Lauri joined the firm in 1988.