Hennessey Funeral Home & Crematory’s Spokane location is getting a new cremation unit, managing partner Melissa Johnson says.

Modern Construction, of Liberty Lake, will handle deconstruction and removal of the old cremation chamber at the 2203 N. Division location, as well as installation of the new unit.

“In order to do that, I have to take out part of the wall in the crematory and part of the roof, because we have to bring in the stack and everything,” Johnson says.

The ThermTec SQC-300 human cremation unit costs about $122,000, and work associated with removing the old unit and installing the new one will cost an additional $40,000, she says.

The entire process will take about a month to complete, Johnson says. Work will begin in June.

While the Spokane crematory is out of commission, the Spokane Valley Hennessey location will handle nearly all of the Spokane Hennessey’s cremation services. Clients will be referred to other local crematories as needed, Johnson says.

Johnson says the new ThermTec unit is both more environmentally friendly and more efficient at cremating. The old unit was installed in 1979, and Johnson says that, while it’s still working well, a new unit will enable Hennessey to serve more clients.

“Not every cremation chamber is made for larger individuals,” Johnson says. “There are only a couple around Spokane that can cremate people with bariatric issues.”

While most cremation chambers can hold up to 600 pounds, Johnson says the ThermTec can hold remains that weigh up to 1,000 pounds.

Nearly seven in 10 Hennessey clients choose cremation, Johnson says. More people who would have chosen embalming have instead chosen cremation during the COVID-19 pandemic, she says.

“(The old unit) went through a lot these last couple of years, especially with COVID,” Johnson says. “Services weren’t happening. People just weren’t having them. People said, ‘let’s just cremate and make it simple.’ We went through a lot more cremations in the last two years than we probably had in many years prior.”

Hennessey has had a presence in Spokane for 128 years, Johnson says. It has operated out of the Division Street for at least 32 years, she says.

Like this story?

You’ll love the rest. Subscribe today, and you’ll receive a year’s subscription to the Journal of Business, unlimited access to this website, daily business news emails, and weekly industry-specific
e-newsletters. Click here for 50% off your first year.