Family Mortuary Sells After 3 Generations

After three generations as a family business, Neels Brea Mortuary has sold the firm to a national management company for an undisclosed amount.

Carol D. Weddle, whose grandfather started the business in 1911, said that the mortuary will retain its staff and that he has signed a 10-year contract to continue running the business. Weddle is 58.

The mortuary, which conducts about 300 funerals a year, was sold to Loewen Group Inc. of Burnaby, Canada.

Weddle, a former mayor of Brea, said his children decided not to succeed him in business. “It’s a demanding, interesting, rewarding business, but it’s not for everyone,” he said.