Hearse collection adds meaning for families as it serves the departed

WARREN/STERLING HEIGHTS — As a licensed funeral director, Jeff Mandziuk’s intent is to always treat the departed with the utmost respect and dignity.

It is one of the many aspects he learned from his father, Eugene Mandziuk, who in 1956 built his first funeral home, which became Mandziuk & Son Funeral Directors Inc. Currently, there are two locations: one in Sterling Heights and a second funeral home in Warren.

Eugene Mandziuk, who died in 2017 at age 91, not only passed down the business to the younger Mandziuk, but also his love for antique automobiles, particularly the Packard. Over the years, the father and son purchased seven antique Packards, most of them hearses.

The fleet includes a 1921 Henney hearse; hearses from 1939, ’40, ’42 and ’48; an 1851 horse-drawn carriage hearse and a 1949 Packard limousine. The first hearse Eugene Mandziuk owned was the horse-drawn model, which he purchased at an auction in Texas.

“A funeral home donated a hearse to a Catholic church to auction off to remodel the church,” Mandziuk said.

Eugene Mandziuk, a military veteran who lost part of his hearing during World War II, misheard the highest bid of $1,000. When he mistook it for $2,000, he bid $2,100 to outbid the highest bidder. He got the horse-drawn hearse, and grew his classic car collection from there. Some of the best times Mandziuk and his dad had were taking vacations to the East Coast. They’d attend car shows or hunt through junkyards “looking for other hearses to restore.”

By the mid-1980s, the Mandziuks began offering to drive the vintage hearses during funeral processions. However, families weren’t interested and usually declined the offer.

“When we had the hearse, nobody wanted to use it,” Mandziuk said. “Everyone wanted a modern-day car.”

That all changed in the mid-1990s when the Woodward Dream Cruise in Oakland County started. Soon, people became nostalgic for classic cars. Grieving families saying goodbye to their loved ones began asking if the antique Packards could be utilized during funeral processions. The vintage models provided some comfort, reminding them of their moms and dads.

“It just took off from there. I credit everything to the Woodward Cruise for starting it. All of a sudden people wanted to use the old cars,” Mandziuk said. “They are not just a hobby, but a labor of love to provide extra meaning for families. Sometimes the Packard hearse will go on two, three runs in one day. People have come in making arrangements. They’ll see the old hearse out there and say, ‘Is that just for show or do you actually use it?’”

From Mandziuk’s viewpoint, the Packards were built to last.

“I use them year-round. If it’s raining outside, it don’t bother me. They were built back in those days for that type of service. They never get stuck in the snow,” Mandziuk said.

Whether it’s rebuilding the engine or conducting maintenance, Mandziuk doesn’t shy away from working on the cars when needed. He learned by watching his dad.

“He would always talk about the class the hearse used to have,” Mandziuk said. “As the years went by, they just got boxy looking.”

During an interment, the Packards can be en route to a number of cemeteries, including Guardian Angel in Rochester, Resurrection in Clinton Township and White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery in Troy. Veterans buried at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly are often transported by a Mandziuk hearse. Since funeral assistant Larry Pokrywka is the only member on staff who knows how to maneuver a stickshift, he drives the hearses during processions.

Keeping it in the family, Mandziuk’s niece, Ashley J. Cicotte, wrote a history on the hearses. One recollection that stands out was when a local family laid their son to rest. He loved the color purple, so the family went to several funeral homes “searching for the perfect element for the service,” according to Cicotte’s essay. When they came upon a black hearse with purple interior in the Mandziuks’ fleet, they made the proper arrangements with the funeral home to honor their son.

Another highlight was the time a 102-year-old World War II veteran went to his final resting place in a Packard. When his daughter found out, she “was driven to the point of grateful tears” during her time of grief, Cicotte wrote, because her dad had once owned a Packard.

There also was the time in which Mandziuk got himself in a bit of trouble with the Packards. He “bought” his first 1941 Packard Sedan in exchange for one family’s funeral expenses. Dad wasn’t too happy with the method of payment, but eventually got over it. Mandziuk still has that Packard and drives it around at times.