Bill Text: VA SR73 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-02-15 - Bill text as passed Senate (SR73ER) [SR73 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SR73-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, for 150 years, Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home has provided dignified and compassionate service to Alexandria families in their time of greatest need; and
WHEREAS, Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home traces its origins to 1849, when Benjamin Wheatley opened Wheatley Funeral Home on the waterfront in Alexandria; and
WHEREAS, Benjamin Wheatley subsequently relocated Wheatley Funeral Home to King Street, where he served the community for many years; the Wheatley family were well-known for the high quality of their handmade coffins and were industry leaders in embalming; and
WHEREAS, during the American Civil War, the Wheatley family helped prepare and preserve the remains of both Union and Confederate soldiers so they could be returned home for burial; and
WHEREAS, Benjamin Wheatley's son, Ben, operated Wheatley Funeral Home from 1909 until his death in 1919, at which time his widow sold the business to another family-owned funeral home, Stover's Funeral Home in Strasburg; and
WHEREAS, Josiah Stickley Everly, a former apprentice at Stover's Funeral Home, purchased Wheatley Funeral Home in 1933; a few years later, he also purchased the former E.W. Groff Funeral Home and renamed it as Everly Funeral Home, which was managed by Julian Wilson Everly, Sr.; and
WHEREAS, in 1959, Josiah Everly renamed Wheatley Funeral Home as Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home and moved the business to its current location on Braddock Road, where his son, John C. Everly, maintained the family traditions of professionalism and a commitment to excellence; and
WHEREAS, both Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home and Everly Funeral Home were sold to Stewart Enterprises, Inc., in 1990; both Julian and John Everly passed down their expertise to new generations of employees and continued to work as funeral directors until their retirements; and
WHEREAS, Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home continues to provide comprehensive programs to shepherd families through the grieving process and ensure that their deceased loved ones are treated with the utmost care and respect; and
WHEREAS, Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home has built a strong support network with local caregivers, first responders, clergy, hospices, veterans' groups, and charitable organizations, and the business encourages its employees to give back to the community by volunteering with such organizations; and
WHEREAS, in honor of its dedication to enhancing the Alexandria community, Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home was selected as the Best Small Business of the Year by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce in 2022; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home hereby be commended on the occasion of its 150th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's admiration for its contributions to generations of families in Alexandria.
