Hoffmann-Schneider Funeral Home
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The Hoffmann-Schneider Funeral Homes and Cremation Service is a group of two funeral homes based out of Dubuque, Iowa. Hoffmann-Schneider is the oldest continually operating funeral home in the state of Iowa, tracing its history back to 1846. The funeral home is owned and operated by Jim and Sharon Schneider.
The main location for Hoffman Schneider is at 1640 Main Street in Dubuque, in a Victorian style mansion. An additional west end location was added in May of 2004.
[edit] History
In 1846, Mathias M. Hoffmann Sr. began the Hoffman Mortuary at 15th Street and Clay Avenue (today known as Central Avenue). For the next 32 years Mathias Sr. operated the business until 1878, when he turned it over to his son Mathias M. Hoffmann II. The younger Mathias continued the family business, followed by his son Alois M. Hoffmann II. In 1939 Alois purchased the present Main Street location, which was then known as the Lacey Mansion.
Jim and Sharon Schneider purchased the funeral home in 1985. Jim Schneider had been an employee of the mortuary while attending Loras College. Schneider graduated from the Wisconsin Institute of Mortuary Science. Prior to purchasing the Hoffman Mortuary, Schneider owned and operated the Manitowoc, Wisconsin based Schneider – Mittnacht Parkside Funeral Home from 1970 to 1985. When the Schneiders purchased the Hoffman Mortuary they changed the name to Hoffmann-Schneider Funeral Home. Following the death of Dennis Kitchen - another Dubuque area funeral home operator - the Schneiders purchased his Dennis Kitchen Funeral Home from his family in May of 2004. This funeral home, located on Asbury Road in the western part of the city was then renamed the Hoffmann-Schneider and Kitchen Funeral Home.
The Hoffmann-Schneider and Kitchen Funeral Home had a crematory in a chapel located adjacent to the funeral home. As the chapel had only seen limited use, the crematory was removed from the chapel, which Jim Schneider donated to Grace Baptist Church - who had been his neighbors at the Main Street location for many years.
