McCalley Funeral Home

On Oct. 4, the ownership of the business, including both locations, will officially transfer to Mark and John Parrish, who currently own and operate Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home in Urbandale.McCalley said that there is a combination of reasons that now is the right time to retire.One reason is that about a year ago, he was in a motorcycle accident that has made it hard for him to be on his feet for a whole day at a time like he needs to be. Another reason is that his circle of grandchildren is growing and he wants to spend time with them.Another reason, however, is that he feels comfortable about the hands in which he is leaving the business.“I wanted to be comfortable with who I’m turning this over to,” McCalley said. “I’ve been here for 25 years, and these people matter to me. Turning… what I consider my people, which is the southern half of Dallas County and most of Madison County, turning my people over to a corporate monster wasn’t an option.”McCalley said that he feels that their small-town roots help make the “Parrish boys” a perfect fit to take over for him.“They know what it takes to serve families, especially in a small town, they’re professional,” McCalley said.Mark and John grew up in Algona, and Ryan Morford, who will serve as the funeral director for the McCalley Funeral Home under the new leadership, also came from the small town of Clarion. Mark said that they all came up in towns where all the residents knew the people who ran the local funeral home.“That’s kind of what we grew up knowing funeral homes to be and we’re excited to kind of get back into a community like that, and especially into a community like Adel and Winterset, which are both growing communities,” Mark said.The Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home is Mark and John’s first funeral home and decided to expand their business to Adel and Winterset as a way to be able to help and serve more people and Mark said that they will be able to expand their staff as a result.McCalley has gotten to know John and Mark Parrish over the years, as they have covered fo... (Dallas County News)