Funeral home adds more space and new services

Lebold-Smith Funeral Home of Bolivar has recently carried out an expansion of its space and services with purchase of the Wilkshire Hills Banquet Center and adding parking space at the funeral home.

Owner Bob Smith will use the newly named Wilkshire Event Center at 474 Jeanne Anne Lane for family gatherings after funerals, as well as banquets, meetings, weddings, reunions and other events.

“I’ve remodeled what used to be the Doll House Museum and set it aside as the Lebold-Smith Family Center,” Smith said. “I believe the meal and the time families spend together afterward is a really important time. Our funeral home in Sugarcreek offers a spacious hospitality room for family gatherings, and I wanted to find a way to provide that in Bolivar as well.”

Smith said he also wants to reach out to area hospitals and companies, offering business meetings, conferences and seminars. Each meeting room has its own audio-visual system, and the east room features a catering kitchen.

A gazebo, small walking bridge and patios also dot the landscape around the center, and an outdoor pavilion on the property has its own kitchen and restroom facilities. Smith said in addition to being a popular space for weddings, the pavilion can be used to hold outdoor memorial services as well.

“It really is a beautiful facility. Martha Simon and her husband built something really nice,” Smith said of the previous owner.

Smith’s daughter, Kelli Mossor, and Kristen Muzchek will manage events at the center other than funerals.

Smith said he plans to hold a community open house in the fall to introduce people to the new facility. “We want to try to keep it a nice community facility because this is a great community to have a business in,” he said.

Expanded parking at funeral home

Additional parking space was added beside the funeral home at 248 Park Ave. in Bolivar when Smith purchased the vacant home next door and donated it to the Bolivar Fire Department for fire training.

Not content to just put in a parking lot, Smith sought the help of Ackerman Landscaping to beautify the space.

“The whole purpose was to put in additional parking, but I didn’t want people to drive by and just see a parking lot,” Smith said. “I also wanted to create a nice outdoor space for families and visitors during calling hours, as well as for the many people who must walk by on any given day.”

Lebold-Smith already has one patio in the back, but Smith added another in front of the new lot.

Tom Ackerman, owner of Ackerman Landscaping, said he spent about two weeks installing the patio and planting flowers, shrubs and boxwoods.

“Bob wanted a park-like setting — something that felt homey for people,” said Ackerman, who has been in the landscaping business for more than 25 years.

Still to come are additional pole and landscaping lights to illuminate the patio area at night.

“I’m ecstatic with how it turned out,” Ackerman said. “I was also happy to learn that Bob likes to use local businesses when he needs anything done.”