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One of the most difficult times in a person or family’s life is the days immediately following the passing of a loved one. One funeral home in Albert Lea has dedicated their services to easing some of that weight by serving the community’s grieving families.

Bayview Freeborn Funeral & Cremation Services is a full service funeral home that provides traditional burial and cremation services, personalized memorials, preplanning and other work. The building has its own chapel and banquet hall for those who would like to hold a funeral or memorial service there.

“Anything a funeral home normally does, we try to do all of that for the family so it’s a one-stop shop,” managing funeral director Josh Fossum said.

The funeral home has deep roots in Freeborn County, originally opening in the 1930s as a member-owned cooperative to keep the costs of funerals down. Although it has changed buildings multiple times, Bayview continues to be member-owned, community-based and locally managed.

“It sets us apart from other funeral homes in the area,” said Beth Tuberty, Bayview’s assistant manager and CFO.

The business employs Fossum, Tuberty, two other full-time funeral directors, six part-time employees and an employee who handles transportation and maintenance.

Bayview prides itself on being a service that is available when people need them. They try to give immediate attention to clients whenever possible. One way they do this is by being prompt in getting to the scene of a death when the need arises.

In addition to individual funerals, Bayview hosts services of remembrance for places like local hospices. They have done services to honor people who have passed away from cancer, served in the military and other groups. They also hold seminars for preplanning services.

Fossum said they like to try and keep the building available for the community to use if it has a worthy cause, and they’re usually able to do so if given enough notice in advance.

Being active members of the community is very important to everyone at Bayview. Fossum said he has worked in many different cities and recognizes that being in a close-knit community like Albert Lea makes his work more meaningful because the people he serves are his neighbors and friends.

Bayview gives monetary donations to post prom and post graduation parties for area schools, the city’s new inclusive playground and other community fundraisers.

“Our dollars do go back into the community, too,” said Tuberty. “It’s just really important to me that Bayview is the community’s funeral home. We are here for the community.”

Fossum said one of his favorite things to do is to bring in confirmation and church classes and show them Bayview. He said he likes to “de-mystify” what a funeral director does. Often, students will reach out to him later and ask to shadow him or other funeral directors at Bayview.

Although Bayview began as a member cooperative, it has shifted its business model slightly. There is no longer a need for membership fees and the people at Bayview consider anyone who utilizes their services to be a member. They serve everyone in the Freeborn County area.

“We can’t expect people to come to us if we don’t help them,” Fossum said.

Working in a funeral home, Fossum and Tuberty both agreed, is not always as full of sadness as people expect it to be. Tuberty said, though death is sad, the work of helping people say goodbye to a loved one can be very rewarding.

They step into a person’s life, she said, and become like family for that week.

“We’ve shed tears with people, we’ve shared smiles and jokes with the families, and you become a very important part of holding everybody together because all they really want is a dignified service for their loved one,” she said.

The people who work at Bayview all have a common goal, Tuberty said, and that is to bring relief to families going through a very difficult period of life, maybe for the first time. Removing the burden of planning a funeral and holding a meaningful service is one of the first steps in the natural healing process.
Tuberty encourages the community to attend Bayview’s annual meeting on April 26. It is open to the public and more information will be released closer to the event.