About Us
About Us
Established in the 1800’s by the Hearns family, 603 Walnut Street in Carthage served families in the Carthage area for three centuries. After the Hearns family retired in 1943, the funeral home was purchased by the Jackson family and was operated by them until their retirement in 1954. It was then that Henry and Lillian Neiser moved from Chicago to purchase the funeral home.
During their ownership, many renovations and additions were made to the funeral home, including the casket selection room. In 1988, Lillian Neiser wrote a letter of recommendation for James D. Printy, a Hancock County Native, for entrance into the Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Chicago, where Henry Neiser had once taught. After Henry’s death, the DeJong family, already established in funeral service in Iowa, purchased the funeral home and operated it in the 1990’s. On March 1, 2000, James Printy purchased the funeral home and it became Printy Funeral Home.
For over 110 years, the funeral home at 603 Walnut Street, Carthage, Illinois, has been family-owned and operated, providing the finest in funeral service at reasonable prices. On June 1, 2008, Jim and Melissa Printy purchased the Carthage branch of Lamporte Funeral Homes on 405 Cherry Street, moving the location of the funeral facility.
Constructed in 1982 by licensed funeral director Bruce Leathem and his father, George, it was the first building in Hancock County to be built exclusively for funeral home use. A one-level facility with an expansive chapel, large family room, sitting area, arrangement office, and refreshment room, Printy Funeral Home provides a warm, comfortable facility for funerals and visitations.
In 2013, Evan Printy graduated from Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois, with his degree in Mortuary Science and came back to Hancock County to work at the funeral home as a licensed funeral director.
On May 4, 2014, Printy Funeral Home opened their new location in Warsaw, Illinois. The new facility was designed with large handicapped accessible bathrooms and one of the largest chapels in the area.
On August 22, 2017, Printy Funeral Homes purchased the remaining Lamporte–St. Clair Funeral Homes in Hamilton, Warsaw and Nauvoo.
Jim and his wife, Melissa, lifelong friends and natives of Hancock County, were married in 1990 and are the parents of eight children: Evan, William, Elaine Grace, Philip, Patrick, Faith, Emma, and Tessa. The Printys are of the Christian faith.
Serving Families Since 1944
Our funeral home is a family-owned and operated business with nearly 73 years of experience. We take pride in serving Keokuk and our surrounding communities. Outstanding service has always been, and always will be, our number one priority. We give each of our families the level of attention and care they deserve.
The caring and experienced professionals at DeJong-Greaves-Printy Funeral Home are here to support you through this difficult time. We offer a range of personalized services to suit your family’s wishes and requirements. You can count on us to help you plan a personal, lasting tribute to your loved one. And we’ll carefully guide you through the many decisions that must be made during this challenging time.
You are welcome to call us at any time of the day, any day of the week, for immediate assistance. Or, visit our funeral home in person at your convenience. We also provide a wealth of information here on our website so you can learn more from the privacy of your own home.
Rich traditions, proud history
Families have been placing their trust in us for generations. We have always made outstanding service our #1 priority and are honored to have serve you since 1944.
DeJong-Greaves-Printy Funeral Home is owned by Evan and his father Jim Printy, who purchased the funeral home from Dirk and Terry (Theresa) DeJong in June of 2020. Both Jim and Evan began their careers in funeral service working for the DeJong family in Keokuk. Jim has been licensed as a funeral director for thirty years, and Evan has spent his entire life working in the funeral home with his father. Dirk is the son of G. William and Dorothy DeJong, who bought the Pearson Funeral Home in 1944 on 917 Blondeau Street and established DeJong’s Funeral Home. Bill DeJong, born and raised in Keokuk, was a Licensed Funeral Director for over 50 years. After graduating from Keokuk Senior High in 1935, Bill attended Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant where he also worked as a funeral home assistant. After graduating from Iowa Wesleyan in 1939, he entered the College of Mortuary Science in St. Louis, MO where he also served as a night attendant in one of the largest mortuaries in that city. After graduating in 1941, he returned to Keokuk and became an assistant at Pearson Funeral Home where he worked for three years until he took ownership. He and his wife, Dorothy, operated the funeral home and raised their family of three children in the home. Dorothy assisted in many facets of funeral service and took an active place in the community, alongside Bill. She was a well-known musician and provided organ music for hundreds of funerals. Bill was a full-time funeral director and operator of the funeral home until 1991 when he became disabled by an accident which eventually claimed his life in 1993. Dorothy died in March 2005.
From the time of his birth, Dirk lived in the funeral home building with his family and was raised in the family business, helping with the work at the funeral home in many ways. He helped set up tents, carry and drive flowers, and whatever else he was asked to do. During the time the funeral homes also acted as ambulance services for the community, Dirk was on hand many times to assist in emergencies, including the explosion at the Keokuk Armory in 1965.
Dirk graduated from Keokuk High School in 1967 and later from Southeastern Community College. After his marriage to Theresa Neff in 1972, the couple moved to Dallas, Texas, where Dirk attended Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science. Following his graduation, he served an internship at Westover Funeral Home in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1975, he and Theresa returned to Keokuk to join the family firm and became integral parts of the funeral business. He again worked along-side his father and learned to appreciate Bill’s knowledge and experience as a funeral director.
Terry’s graduation from Carl Sandburg College in 1997 where she earned her degree in Mortuary Science.
Dirk and Terry have owned the business since 1995, purchasing the funeral home when they assumed the leadership role following Bill’s accident. They continue to carry on the tradition taught to Dirk by his parents in his years growing up in the funeral home. His parents always tried to do their best to help people both in the business and in the community through service and contributing where they could. They taught him to do the same and he has tried to carry on their work the best he can.
Terry wasn’t raised in the funeral home like Dirk, but also learned a lot about what the job means from working with Bill and Dorothy. She saw how much help and support they could be to families during a time of profound grief and it has always been important to the both of them to make that the first priority. Service and compassion are values they hold dear and have tried to pass along to their own children.
Dirk and Terry are both licensed in Iowa and Illinois and Dirk is also licensed in Missouri. As full-time owners and funeral directors, Dirk and Terry are actively involved in all activities of the funeral home.
Bob and Susie Kraus, former owners of Greaves Mortuary with Terry and Dirk DeJong as they announce their purchase of the business and the merging of these two historic family funeral homes.
In January of 2011, DeJong’s Funeral Home purchased Greaves Mortuary to create the DeJong-Greaves Celebration of Life Centers. Also owned and operated by different generations of the same family, Greaves Mortuary was started by Robert Greaves and later owned by William and Mary Jane Kraus, the daughter of Robert Greaves. Their son Bob Kraus became the third generation of the family to own the funeral home with his wife, Susie. They operated the business from 1972 until 2011, when it was bought by Dirk and Terry DeJong and became part of the new DeJong-Greaves Celebration of Life Centers. Dirk and Terry are proud to be trusted to carry on the traditions practiced by Greaves Mortuary and the Kraus family for so many years. Merging these two historic Keokuk family businesses allowed for the DeJongs to once again usher in modern approaches to the industry.
In additional efforts to embrace this change, Dirk and Theresa attended training and became Certified Funeral Celebrants in 2009, which allows them to provide personalized memorial services to individuals and families who either wish for something non-traditional or non-denominational.
In May 2014, Dirk was honored for both 40 years of dedication to funeral services and for three years of service as district 3 governor at the 134th annual Iowa Funeral Directors Association Convention in Ames, Iowa. He attends annual continuing education classes to stay current in his knowledge and skills.
