About Us
About Us
We are dedicated to providing compassionate care and personalized services to support families during life’s most challenging moments. Our experienced and caring team is here to guide you every step of the way, ensuring your loved one’s life is honored with dignity, respect, and heartfelt attention to detail. We believe that every life is unique, and we work closely with you to create meaningful tributes that reflect their story and legacy.
With a variety of options to meet your family’s specific needs and wishes, we strive to make the process as seamless and comforting as possible. Our deep commitment to excellence and care ensures that you receive the support and guidance you deserve, providing peace of mind during this difficult time. Let us help you celebrate your loved one’s life in a way that brings comfort and healing to those who cherish their memory.
Our Beginnings
Dakota Fair 1918
Bud & Louise
A Long History
A Third Generation
Four Generations
A little over 100 years ago, Daniel Gephart started a hardware store in downtown Lakeville that carried a variety of household items, including a few pieces of furniture. Daniel moved on to include a few simple caskets in his shop, and from there the birth of the funeral home.
He was a successful businessman, known for his compassion and fairness in his business dealings.
One of his children, Louise Gephart, married a hard-working young man by the name of Flavian "BUD" White. Bud worked in the then Funeral Home/Furniture Store for some time before he took over the business and ventured to leave the furniture store behind and build a brand new funeral home in Lakeville. Bud and Louise had six children; the third-oldest boy, James F. White, began working with his father and eventually took over the business.
Since our inception over a century ago, when a young boy named Bud White began delivering caskets with a horse-drawn carriage, White Funeral Homes has been providing quality, dignified services. Our grandfather believed the funeral business was much more than numbers; it was respect, dignity, and concern, with a smile and a gentle touch. We have since lost our grandfather, but not his ideals. We will continue to give our families the best possible service, care, and value that any funeral home could possibly give.
Our Beginnings
L. N. Gephart Furniture and Undertaking advertised by having a booth at the 1918 Dakota Fair.
Louise Gephart grew up to marry Flavian J. "Bud" White. They lived in the same house in downtown Lakeville for many years. Our grandfather worked hard to build his reputation as a compassionate man who believed in hard work and honesty.
He operated the funeral home out of a storefront in downtown Lakeville until he and his son, James F., moved the funeral home out to the "country" in its present location on Highway 50.
Here is a little ad that was placed in the Rosemount High School yearbook in 1930. This was when both the furniture and funeral home were combined both in Farmington and Lakeville. Our phone number has changed, but our commitment to service has remained constant throughout the years.
Please visit our "Recommended links" section of this website for a video featuring James F White. He speaks of how the funeral home has grown over the years.
After many years working with his father, James F. White, 3rd oldest of six children grew to take over the family business. He and his father purchased a new funeral home in Farmington, MN, and Jim ran this business out of the house where he and his wife, Pat, lived in downtown Farmington. The funeral business was downstairs, and the family of seven children lived upstairs. It was in the late 60's when they moved the business to its present location on 3rd Street in Farmington and kept the house for the family. I guess the upstairs was not enough room for seven kids!
The commitment to serve has solidified through three generations and into the fourth. Three of James F. Whites son's now continue the long tradition of funeral service in the family. Over the past 15 years, White Funeral Homes has expanded: first with Lonsdale, then Apple Valley, and most recently Burnsville, MN. Even though we have grown over these past 100 years, we have not lost our sense of vision and purpose: to serve families with dignity, respect, and a consistent commitment to excellence.
