History

In 1878, John J. Radel established the first Radel Funeral Home after helping a neighbor with the burial of their infant. He opened his first office, a small wooden frame structure, on the corner of State Ave. and St. Michael St. Its rapid growth compelled him to seek a larger facility, and on January 1, 1903 he incorporated the business, calling it The John J. Radel Company. That same year the company erected a new building on the pre-existing property. At the time, the spacious state of the art facility served not only as a funeral home, but also as furniture movers which was commonplace for the time period. The edifice itself was large enough to store all of the horse drawn carriages and wagons needed for both businesses. Soon the funeral business was consuming most of the time and energy of the company therefore it was decided to drop the furniture movers and devote themselves solely to the funeral business.

John J Radel purchased automotive equipment in 1912 to replace his horses and carriages, receiving national publicity as one of the first automobile- serviced funeral in the nation. Shortly after the introduction of vehicles to the funeral service, Mr. Radel invested a large sum of money to begin Cincinnati's first bus service running from Fountain Square to Price Hill. One way fare for the five mile trip was only five cents. The buses rode on solid rubber tires, giving the passengers an exceptionally bumpy ride. Eventually, the Radel bus service ended. A few years later Goodyear Tire invented the inflatable tire, offering a much more comfortable ride.

In 1917, at the of 57, John J. Radel died, a victim of the flu epidemic. His son, Henry J. Radel immediately took charge of the company. Henry was already accustomed to the hard work and long hours for he had helped with many of the funerals over the years. Now in charge of the company, he looked towards expansion.

A new funeral home was built in Newport Ky. at 822 York St. in 1927. Another funeral home was built in Covington at 1005 Madison Ave. in 1938, which was operated until its sale in 1989. Henry Radel bought the Shulte House at 4122 Glenway Ave. in 1933 and converted it to a funeral home. For some time the home also served as his residence with his wife Josephine and their two sons, Henry Jr. and Fares. Another funeral home was bought in 1950 and operated downtown at 1804 Vine St. for six years. A fifth funeral home was constructed at 2562 North Bend Rd. in 1962 and eventually sold in 1970.

Henry Radel Sr. passed away in August of 1973 at the age of 80. At that time, he was the oldest active funeral director in the state of Ohio. After his death, the company was taken over by his two sons, Henry Jr. and Fares. Both sons continued the trend toward expansion with the addition of Denman-Radel funeral Home at 6943 Montgomery Rd, which operated from 1979 until March of 1988. Later that year, Radel funeral home opened another location at 650 Neeb Rd. This location is now the main office of the Radel Funeral Company. In June of 1991, another location was completed in Highland Heights Ky.

On December 31, 1993, the John J Radel Inc. reorganized into two separate corporations. The funeral homes in Newport and Highland Heights are operated by Fares J Radel Funeral Homes Inc. under Fares J. Radel President. Radel Funeral Service Company operates the locations at 4122 Glenway Ave. Price Hill and 650 Neeb Rd. Delhi under Henry J. Radel Jr. President.

Although the complexity of the funeral industry has changed over the past century, one thing that has not changed is the commitment The Radel Funeral Home has to serve each family with dignity and respect. Since the doors first opened in 1878, the Radel family has looked toward the future without forgetting the traditions of the past. We look to uphold these same standards for the next 100 years...