Why Choose Us
Our Story
Luce, Luze, & Reck Funeral Homes has been serving South Dakota area families for years. We are honored to be a part of the rich history of this community and plan to be a part of it for many years to come.
Luce Funeral Home
William S. Small and his niece, Margie Small came to Gettysburg in 1900. They opened a furniture and Undertaking Parlor. Over time, it was necessary for them to hire a licensed Embalmer and Funeral Director. They hired Hardie Langslet in 1933. In 1941, Hardie and Ruth Langslet purchased the business and renamed the business, Langslet Funeral Home. The business was located in an old two story hotel which was located on the current site of the Gettysburg Post Office. In 1954, Langslet’s built the current Funeral Home at 502 East Commercial Ave in Gettysburg. In 1959, Hardie’s son, Loren, graduated from Mortuary School and joined the family firm. Hardie was active in the Funeral Home until his death in 1974. Loren hired John F. Luce, Jr. in 1978, to manage their Faulkton location. Loren sold the Funeral Home to John F. Luce, Jr. in 1982. At that time, John moved to Gettysburg. We continue to be the only locally owned and operated funeral home in Gettysburg.
In 1886, Boller Funeral Home was owned and operated by Andrew Boller. Mr. Boller came to Faulkton in the 1880s from Highmore and in 1906, Andrew’s son, Fred, joined him in the funeral business. Andrew died in 1928. Fred Boller continued to run the Funeral Home and furniture store until 1946 when he sold his firm to Ross Sorum. Fred Boller died in 1969. Ross Sorum operated his new business in the original Boller Funeral Home until 1954, when he built the current Funeral Home at 814 St. John Street. In 1973, Ross Sorum sold the Funeral Home to Hardie Langslet. Hardie operated the business solely until his son Loren joined him in the family business. Loren took sole operation. In 1979 John F. Luce, Jr. along with his family moved to Faulkton where he ran this location until 1982 when he purchased the business from Loren and relocated to Gettysburg.
Upon John’s purchasing he hired Ken Ripley to run the Faulkton location. Ken remained here until he and John together purchased Larson Funeral Home in Mobridge. Ken relocated to Mobridge at that time to run its location. In 1986, Bruce Vik came to work for John and took care of the funeral home. During the summer of 2000, John hired Mandy Luikens. Mandy was located in Gettysburg and worked between the two locations. Bruce Vik died in 2002 and Mandy resumed the managerial role of Faulkton until in December 2003 when Tiffany A. Hofer came to work for the funeral home. Tiffany managed the funeral home for three years.
In 1985, John purchased a building on Main Street of Eagle Butte and converted the building to a funeral home to serve the community which did not have a funeral home.
John Luce passed away September 9, 2005 in a plane accident.
On October 18, 2006, Mandy Luikens and Tiffany A. Hofer purchased the Funeral Homes from the Luce Family. The funeral home continues to be an independently family owned and operated business.
Luze Funeral Home
In 1899, Welcome McLaughlin became a licensed Embalmer. He operated the Funeral Home on the second floor of the McLaughlin Building on Commercial Ave in Highmore. In 1912, he turned the Funeral Business over to F.I. Schilling. C.P. Swanson made the coffins for the Funeral Home. In 1941, A.N. and Marjorie Hurd purchased the funeral equipment and a house on Commercial Ave in Highmore for their home and the Hurd Funeral Home. Mike and Delores Luze purchased the business in 1975 and converted half of the garage into a Funeral Chapel. Luze built the current Funeral Home at 306 Iowa Ave in 1991. In January of 2005, Mike and Delores sold Luze Funeral Home to John F. Luce, Jr. John passed away September 9, 2005 in a plane accident. Mandy Luikens and Tiffany A. Hofer purchased the funeral home on October 18, 2006 from the Luce Family. The funeral home continues to be an independently family owned and operated business.
Reck Funeral Home
May 30, 1883, B.F. Stamm stared an Undertaking business alongside his furniture store in the south part of Miller. In 1893, S. Pauley bought the Undertaking in Miller. Mrs. Alice Pauley of Miller was the first lady Embalmer/Funeral Director in the state. Together, they ran the mortuary until selling to Pert Coquillette on November 27, 1902, who owned the Furniture and Undertaking business until August 15, 1910, when he sold to Mr. and Mrs. E.O. and Josephine Reck. June 1, 1912, Reck Undertaking occupied the first floor of the Commercial Blub building (Bushfield building). The Funeral Home was in the basement of the furniture store. E.O. Reck died in 1940. From 1945 to 1948, Mrs. E.O. Reck hired Funeral Directors to help in the Funeral Home until son, Jack, finished Mortuary School. In 1950, the Reck Family built the current funeral home at 313 1st Ave. Jack and Lucille Reck sold the Funeral Home to Aaseth Funeral Home, Inc. Jack later died in 1977. Dick Frank bought Reck Funeral Home on January 1, 1977, and owned and operated it until selling the Funeral Home on March 1, 2000, when he sold to John Luce, Jr. John passed away on September 9, 2005 from a plane accident. On October 18, 2006, Mandy Luikens and Tiffany A. Hofer purchased the Funeral Home from the Luce Family. The funeral home continues to be an independently family owned and operated business. We continue to be the only locally owned and operated funeral home in Miller.