Our History

We have years of experience caring for families, from all walks of life. Each family comes to us because they know we are leaders in our profession, dedicated to excellence in service, and have the highest integrity.

A Tradition of Excellence

Serving Families since 1923

Our “Tradition of Excellence” began 90 years ago, in 1923, when Bill Larkin established the first funeral home in New Hampton and Lawler, Iowa. Words like integrity, loyalty, honesty, friendship, compassion, caring, understanding, and trust were not only spoken but put into daily use providing service to families in need. This tradition was continued when Emmett Martin took over the business in 1961 and Leon Hugeback in 1979.

Today, in the new millennium the tradition continues as Bryan and Gayla Hugeback, Drew and Maggie Johnson, Andrew and Hayley Hugeback, Gary Olson, and Judy Chenoweth, along with their talented and compassionate staff, continue serving families with kindness and care, at prices affordable to every families needs.

In 2003, the firm merged with the Chenoweth & Son Funeral Homes in Nashua & Fredericksburg, widening our circle of compassionate care. Outstanding service to area families has earned the Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Homes an unsurpassed reputation for excellence. Together, three generations of Chenoweths have served our area and now three generations of the Hugebacks have as well with Bryan’s son Andy and his son-in-law Drew Johnson of Alta Vista, IA, joining the staff in 2012.

If you would like information about arranging your funeral or cremation ahead of time, if you need to arrange services today, or if you simply want to learn more about your options, we would be pleased to help you in any way we can.

Receive FREE Information

“
March 16, 2023
My Dad had arranged a prepaid cremation with this funeral home. Very pleased with communication and service. Highly recommend!

Becky B.
“
The entire staff at Hugeback Funeral Home are top notch, professional, caring and so very kind. They take the extra steps to make sure you, the family, are completely satisfied with all the arrangements. It's a family owned business, which is appropriate because they treated us like family.

Karen Clemens
“
Very organized and great response time on any questions. They took care of everything!

Stephanie Tangen
“
Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home was amazing to work with when my mom passed away expectantly. They made sure to listen to us but also guide us thru the process. I highly recommend their services.

Tammy Robinson
“
As a funeral home owner in Illinois, my husband and I were very pleased with the services provided for the death of my father. Thank you for your compassion and attention to detail when handling arrangements. We were very impressed with the facilities and we felt comfortable working with the staff. Under the situation we face with social distancing, our family was able to have friends and family give the proper respect to our dad. They offered many suggestions and options and we ultimately were able to give our dad the proper send off.

Jennifer Winter
“
Our experience was above and beyond anything we expected and or have experienced when attending other funerals. The staff made suggestions but was never pushy. There were many things that were included which we were not expecting and this made it less stressful on all of us. They took care of making the video, the bulletins and the thank you notes and personalized them for our family. The staff was very compassionate and thought of many details which made the day more special. The funeral space was very comfortable, up to date and allowed people to gather and visit. The 360 days of remembrance /grieving has been very helpful and the staff have volunteered to help even after the funeral in any way they can. They deserve a rating of Best of the Best. The Dietz Family

Thomas Geise
“
There are no words to express my satisfaction and gratitude for the Hugeback family and how comforted they made my family feel after the sudden loss of our father. We felt very much at ease with their assistance in helping us with many difficult decisions that we were not prepared to make, while displaying the utmost compassion and professionalism at all times. The attention to detail was truly heart warming and there is no doubt our dad was very pleased and proud of the dedication you put forth for his final send off. You are the best at what you do!!

Christine Straw
“
Wonderful people to work with.

Jeff
“
Affordable and kind when they cremated my father.

Shelbz
“
They did an amazing job with my beautiful Mom. The respect and kindness will forever be in my mind. Thank you for taking such great care of her and giving her back in a timely manner. (The urn was purchased elsewhere.)

Jennifer Houser