ST. GEORGE —After 56 years in the business, Ted Spilsbury and his wife Vivian have passed on the Spilsbury Mortuary legacy to their daughter, Jody Spilsbury-Snow. To mark the occasion, a celebration was held last Wednesday.
“I have now been in the business for about 56 years, and I’m not tired,” Ted Spilsbury said. “I have never run out of gas, but I’m thankful that we’re able to make it. This is the crown jewel of funeral service and we’re a major player in this town.”
Spilsbury-Snow took over the family business in September and is now the owner and funeral director of Spilsbury Mortuary & Cremation Service. Her son, Raycen Snow, is now acting vice president. Ted Spilsbury said his grandson is kind, gentle, bashful and a person people won’t forget.
“I’m pleased to hand it over to my daughter,” Spilsbury said about the family business. “My daughter is the finest funeral director, technician and lady I know on this planet. She has the mentality that I do. No one could I turn this business over to that would take better care of it.”
The legacy began when Ted Spilsbury’s father graduated from mortuary school in 1939. Later, Spilsbury Funeral Home bought out Pickett Mortuary in Cedar City. After name changes and a family partnership with his brother-in-law, Ted Spilsbury took over the family business. Combined, the father and son duo have almost 85 years in the mortuary industry.
“I estimate in my own career, I think I have probably helped more than 12,000 families,” he said. “I don’t know one soul in funeral service that has endured like we have.”
After marrying his wife Vivian in 1967, Spilsbury said they moved to Los Angeles where he attended the California College of Mortuary Science. He got a job at Turner and Stevens, a prestigious funeral home in Pasadena, California, and was on call every other night and every other weekend. Each call included meeting the funeral director, going on the call, bringing the deceased back to the funeral home and embalming them. At the time, the couple lived above the mortuary and made around $237 a month.
“I never worked so hard in my life,” he said. “I can’t ever remember sleeping through the night. But I got a real education. I worked under 10 different embalmers.”
Although they enjoyed their time in California, Vivian Spilsbury said they were anxious to come home and decided to move to Cedar City. They joined the Spilsbury family business, which consisted of five mortuaries from Cedar City to Kanab. While it has been a blessing, she said it hasn’t been without difficulty.
During their first year in Cedar City, they only received 12 calls. Before cellphones or fax machines, getting obituaries into the paper was a daunting task, taking them to a cafe by bus at midnight, then calling the Tribune or the Deseret News to ensure it ran in the paper.
“It’s just unbelievable where this business has come from, from where I started to where it is now,” Ted Spilsbury said. “The greatest compliment I could receive would be to be revered in the funeral service, and I think we’ve accomplished that.”
While Spilsbury is not completely stepping away from the business, he will be serving more as support for his daughter while continuing to ensure families are well taken care of, he said. With more time to enjoy other things in life, the couple plans to buy more cows, build a new cabin on their ranch in Kolob and take their first cruise.
“We’ve never been away from this business for more than seven days at one time in our entire life,” Vivian Spilsbury said. “We’ve been right here every minute.”
Ted Spilsbury thanked the many people who’ve supported him throughout the years: his wife, grandson and daughter, 15-year partners Mike and Lori Beard, long-time employee Tony Whitney and his secretaries Cindy Foote and Connie Zdunich.
“This is a wonderful business,” he said. “It’s a tender moment that you get to experience. You really realize the impact that this has on people’s lives and how important it is to honor your loved one in a way that will allow your family to move forward.”
Photo Gallery
Ted and Vivian Spilsbury pose in front of a statue at Spilsbury Mortuary in St. George, Utah, Oct. 12, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
(L-R) Owner and Funeral Director Jody Spilsbury-Snow poses with her son Raycen Snow and father Ted Spilsbury, St. George, Utah, Oct. 12, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Ted and Vivian Spilsbury pose in front Spilsbury Mortuary in St. George, Utah, Oct. 12, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Food is served at the Spilsbury celebration, St. George, Utah, Oct. 12, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Food is served at the Spilsbury celebration, St. George, Utah, Oct. 12, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Fruit is served at the Spilsbury celebration, St. George, Utah, Oct. 12, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
A photo of Ted and Vivian Spilsbury sits on a table during the celebration, St. George, Utah, Oct. 12, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
The sign for Spilsbury Mortuary is seen from Bluff Street, St. George, Utah, Oct. 12, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Ted and Vivian Spilsbury enjoy time together outside, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Cindy Foote, St. George News
(L-R) Raycen Snow, Ted Spilsbury and Jody Spilsbury-Snow pose together in a three-generation photo, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Cindy Foote, St. George News
Ted and Vivian Spilsbury smile for the camera, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Cindy Foote, St. George News
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