Our HISTORY

Reid Casket Company’s slogan, coined by Tom Reid in 1968 and still proudly advertised today, serves as a mission statement. “Serving those who serve the community.”

What began as an entry level office job after high school, became a lifelong career for James Reid.

Vintage black and white photo of a young man at a desk with a typewriter
James Reid, Superior Casket Company circa 1940’s
Vintage photo of a group of ladies sewing fabrics on machines
Superior Casket Company circa 1940’s
Vintage photo of a group of men working to build caskets
Superior Casket Company circa 1940’s
Vintage black and white photo of a young man at a desk with a typewriter
James Reid, Superior Casket Company circa 1940’s
Vintage photo of a group of ladies sewing fabrics on machines
Superior Casket Company circa 1940’s
Vintage photo of a group of men working to build caskets
Superior Casket Company circa 1940’s
Vintage black and white photo of a young man at a desk with a typewriter
Vintage photo of a group of ladies sewing fabrics on machines
Vintage photo of a group of men working to build caskets

Starting with Superior Casket Company in Toledo, Ohio he worked his way to become salesman and part owner of the company. The inability to keep up with rising material costs and the weakening effects of the sacrifices during the Second World War, caused the failure of the company in the early 1950’s. Heavily in debt, personal bankruptcy was never an option. Jim went to work for Hasmer Brothers Casket Company in Chicago and eventually paid off his indebtedness. Jim worked as a salesman for Coble Casket in Richmond before becoming a salesman for the prestigious Chicago Casket Company of Chicago.

During these changes, Jim always kept Toledo as his home base and the Northwest corner of Ohio and lower Michigan as his territory. Railroad shipping of caskets was prevalent during these days, but Jim was quick to see that the delivery to the funeral home was a key to the future. Another key became the warehousing of caskets for faster delivery.

In 1961, Jim opened the first Reid Warehouse in order to store caskets for delivery. During delivery his youngest son, Tom, then eleven years old, became a familiar fixture to local funeral directors.

Father and son working together were clearly forging a family business.

Seeing the growing strength of large manufacturers and the thinning ranks of smaller manufacturers, Jim chose the other end of the spectrum, small family-owned casket companies.

Together, Jim and Tom formed James Reid and Son Casket Company in 1968, taking over the billing and the ownership of the inventory. From this point forward any changes in suppliers would have a slight impact on his customers and the products.

Chicago Casket Company ceased manufacturing in the early 1970’s but the best caskets continue to be offered in the Reid catalog by a brokerage method to shop the different components of the casket and effect the assembly.

Doing this they are still offering the Chicago Casket Company “Pillar Casket” first cast in 1926.

In 2025, it is essentially the same casket.

A vintage page from an old book that shows an old casket with tufted interior.
Chicago Casket Company | Solid Bronze Pillar Original
A golden casket with column corners and swing bar hardware and tufted velvet interior.
The “Pillar” solid bronze casket in the 1970’s
Brushed bronze casket with black 3-point shading. Gold swing bar hardware and Roman ionic corner columns. Tailored champagne velvet interior with tufted pillow and cap panel.
Pillar 2025 | Solid Bronze Casket
An old page text that says: "We wish to call attention to the Solid Bronze Casket as the finest type of burial case that the casket industry has been able to produce. The use of this metal is sanctioned by the experience of thousands of years as bronze articles of the early Roman and Greek times are unearthed without showing corrosion or decay, This metal fashioned by modern skill into the handsome, massive caskets here illustrated cannot be surpassed for beauty and permanence. It is the indestructible metal, its lasting qualities as far as we know, are eternal. The dark bronze polished finish, is used on the finest statuary and has elegance that is approved by good taste. The interior upholstering is of the finest Silks and Satins, hand tufted or soft crushed. An inner top with heavy beveled plate glass seals the casket air tight. "
We wish to call attention to the Solid Bronze Casket as the finest type of burial case that the casket industry has been able to produce. The use of this metal is sanctioned by the experience of thousands of years as bronze articles of the early Roman and Greek times are unearthed without showing corrosion or decay, This metal fashioned by modern skill into the handsome, massive caskets here illustrated cannot be surpassed for beauty and permanence. It is the indestructible metal, its lasting qualities as far as we know, are eternal. The dark bronze polished finish, is used on the finest statuary and has elegance that is approved by good taste. The interior upholstering is of the finest Silks and Satins, hand tufted or soft crushed. An inner top with heavy beveled plate glass seals the casket air tight.
A vintage page from an old book that shows an old casket with tufted interior.
Chicago Casket Company | Solid Bronze Pillar Original
A golden casket with column corners and swing bar hardware and tufted velvet interior.
The “Pillar” solid bronze casket in the 1970’s
Brushed bronze casket with black 3-point shading. Gold swing bar hardware and Roman ionic corner columns. Tailored champagne velvet interior with tufted pillow and cap panel.
Pillar 2025 | Solid Bronze Casket
An old page text that says: "We wish to call attention to the Solid Bronze Casket as the finest type of burial case that the casket industry has been able to produce. The use of this metal is sanctioned by the experience of thousands of years as bronze articles of the early Roman and Greek times are unearthed without showing corrosion or decay, This metal fashioned by modern skill into the handsome, massive caskets here illustrated cannot be surpassed for beauty and permanence. It is the indestructible metal, its lasting qualities as far as we know, are eternal. The dark bronze polished finish, is used on the finest statuary and has elegance that is approved by good taste. The interior upholstering is of the finest Silks and Satins, hand tufted or soft crushed. An inner top with heavy beveled plate glass seals the casket air tight. "
We wish to call attention to the Solid Bronze Casket as the finest type of burial case that the casket industry has been able to produce. The use of this metal is sanctioned by the experience of thousands of years as bronze articles of the early Roman and Greek times are unearthed without showing corrosion or decay, This metal fashioned by modern skill into the handsome, massive caskets here illustrated cannot be surpassed for beauty and permanence. It is the indestructible metal, its lasting qualities as far as we know, are eternal. The dark bronze polished finish, is used on the finest statuary and has elegance that is approved by good taste. The interior upholstering is of the finest Silks and Satins, hand tufted or soft crushed. An inner top with heavy beveled plate glass seals the casket air tight.
A vintage page from an old book that shows an old casket with tufted interior.
A golden casket with column corners and swing bar hardware and tufted velvet interior.
Brushed bronze casket with black 3-point shading. Gold swing bar hardware and Roman ionic corner columns. Tailored champagne velvet interior with tufted pillow and cap panel.
An old page text that says: "We wish to call attention to the Solid Bronze Casket as the finest type of burial case that the casket industry has been able to produce. The use of this metal is sanctioned by the experience of thousands of years as bronze articles of the early Roman and Greek times are unearthed without showing corrosion or decay, This metal fashioned by modern skill into the handsome, massive caskets here illustrated cannot be surpassed for beauty and permanence. It is the indestructible metal, its lasting qualities as far as we know, are eternal. The dark bronze polished finish, is used on the finest statuary and has elegance that is approved by good taste. The interior upholstering is of the finest Silks and Satins, hand tufted or soft crushed. An inner top with heavy beveled plate glass seals the casket air tight. "

Today, Reid Casket Company is enjoying an anniversary of 57 years as an independent entity.

Jim “Papa” Reid passed away in 2011 and his son, Tom carried on the business. As the third generation owner/operator, Tom’s daughter, Anne Reid Gerber, will carry on the Reid Casket Company tradition of service as a family-owned and operated business.

As our Papa Jim Reid always said, “It’s our family business helping another family business, helping the families who call them in time of need.

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