by Rebecca A. Utay

DJW Staff Writer

Blend Wolfe Funeral Home opened its doors July 29, 2002. The first Jewish-owned and -operated funeral home in Dallas, it is licensed, prepared and very happy to serve families of all faiths.

"We're going to do the best we can for families - Jewish and non-Jewish," said Stephen Blend, owner. He added that Blend Wolfe will make sure things are done with the highest and utmost attention to detail.

Blend empathizes with families in mourning and considers the Dallas Jewish community his extended family.

The Blend family is no stranger to Dallas. Almost 100 years ago, Stephen's mother's family came to the city.

Dallasites may remember the Blend Brothers Bakery, which opened its doors in 1930. The kosher bakery ran for several decades serving numerous restaurants and businesses in the Greater Dallas area. The bakery was finally closed in 1981, a year after Stephen Blend's father passed away.

After the bakery closed, Blend says he tried a few different types of work before he landed in the funeral business. He was in funeral sales at Sparkman-Hillcrest from 1995 to 1998. He admits that working for the large funeral home gave him the motivation and the idea to start his own business.

The new funeral home promises full service, says funeral director Richard E. Kelley. "We are happy to do a chapel service at a synagogue or church. If anybody wants graveside service, we can do that, too."

Offering both pre-need and at-need service, Blend Wolfe offers to personalize their service for a family in as many ways as they can.

"We immediately offer to go to their homes," said Blend. "We go wherever they want us to meet them."

The Dallas Chamber of Commerce helped jump-start the business on Aug. 12 with an official red ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Blend Wolfe Funeral Home, 7810 Spring Valley Road, is open and ready for business - in loving memory of both Stephen's and Sharon (Wolfe) Blend's parents.

"The family - whatever their need - is our first priority," Kelley said, "and to make the transition as comfortable as possible. That is our top priority."

"My goal," said Blend, "is to have a full-blown on-site funeral home, doing 100 percent of the Jewish business." He added that it would also be nice to have a second location one day.

Happy that his endeavor has finally launched, he says it wasn't easy and there were pitfalls along the way.

He knows, however, that his vision and dream of owning a funeral home wouldn't have been possible without the help of his wife, Sharon.

"She was especially encouraging when we lost our original funding," he said. "She would give me a swift kick in the touchas and say, 'We're going to do this!'"

"I don't know how many times I got discouraged," Blend disclosed. But, he said that he now knows firsthand what it means when people say, "behind every great man is a great woman."

Web site coming soon. To make arrangements with Blend Wolfe, please call (972) 774-9925.