J.E. Foust & Son in Grapevine adapts historic funeral home to changing needs

When walking into Grapevine’s J.E. Foust & Son, families don’t enter a traditional funeral home.

Gone are the pews that force families and loved ones to stare at the back of someone’s head. Rather, visitors sit together at banquet-style tables with tablecloths and elegant centerpieces set in natural light.

William Ciociola, the home’s funeral director and manager, said the reason behind this redesign is to change the atmosphere of being in a funeral home. With this, Ciociola said the changes allow guests to talk and share stories.

“It makes the space a little lighter and less somber,” he said. “We find that the tables and chairs promote conversation [and] promotes reflecting, celebrating, honoring and remembering the loved one that we’re having services for.”

Founded in 1880, J.E. Foust & Son is among the oldest funeral homes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, serving Grapevine residents and beyond at 523 S. Main St. Ciociola said the home is not looking to reinvent funerals but rather adapt to new needs.

“We as a funeral profession have perfected what we do, so we’re not reinventing what we do; we’re just evolving it with the generations,” Ciociola said.

For its services, he said the funeral home creates a life story to capture the essence of the loved one it is serving.

“When I walk families back, whether it be a first view or for the service, they stop at the door and they’re taken aback by how much it feels like their loved one is there in that room,” Ciociola said. “There’s no way to describe it.”