Dolby Funeral Chapel owners, Eric and Kristin Segee, have announced the acquisition of the Blais & Hay Funeral Home of Westbrook. The purchase, which was completed on August 30, occurred less than one year after the Segee’s bought the Dolby Funeral Chapels in both Windham and Gorham through an in-house sale from long-time owner Tim Dolby. The Segee’s had been employed there for about three years.
The
new institution will be named Dolby-Blais & Segee and “will reflect the
continuing legacy of these family-owned and operated homes,” says Eric Segee.
New signs will appear on the grounds of all three chapels by mid to late
October.
Kristin
Segee noted that former owners of both the Windham and Westbrook locations
continue to be involved in the day-to-day operations and during various funeral
services.
“They
provide a level of comfort for people that know them. And it helps assure the
same level of service and quality,” she said.
Blais
& Hay, located at 35 Church Street off William Clark Drive, formed from a
merger in 2001.
“Our
families will be in good hands for many years to come, “said James Blais,
commenting on the sale. “We are excited that the standard of care we have been
providing for years to families in our (Westbrook) community will continue
under the strong leadership of Eric and Kristin and their extremely competent
and caring staff.”
Both
the Blais and the Hays families had passed down their respective businesses to
sons.
In
an interview with the Windham Eagle in January 2017, Eric Segee observed that
both the owners and patrons of funeral parlors “want to avoid acquisitions by
big corporations.”
Eric
projects the addition of the Westbrook chapel will increase by over 150 the
number of families served by the larger institution. He said eight new
part-time employees have been added as result of the Blais acquisition.
The
Segee’s say minor changes are anticipated for both the Windham and Westbrook
locations. New carpeting, large TV screens and an updated audio-visual system
will be added to the Blais chapel. The technology improvements are designed to
accommodate slide presentations and musical options for families who wish to
design personalized tributes to the deceased. Eric noted that a small building addition
is anticipated at the Windham chapel.
The
Dolby Funeral Chapel was established in 1946 by Robert Dolby, Tim Dolby’s father,
who bought the business from John Nichols. Nichols was the last of three
generations dating to the 1860s. Until recently, funeral directors in Windham
have been members of just two families: Nichols and Dolbys. The Windham Eagle
will trace this fascinating history in the next segment of our “Then & Now”
series next month.
