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The Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel was originally known as the Veach Funeral Home, established in 1906. It was a single-story period house located on what was then Tennessee Avenue, now Washington Avenue and the present site of Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel. In February 1912, Marion Veach sold the business to Elizabeth and Karl Mills, a former associate. Thirty-six years later, the son, Robert G. Mills, joined the family business, later assuming ownership. Robert G. Mills operated the funeral home with his wife, Lois, until poor health required his retirement in 1977. Meanwhile, Russell Smith had moved to Cottage Grove in 1940 and established the Smith Funeral Home at 115 North Sixth Street, across from the Cottage Grove Sentinel newspaper office. In 1962, Smith built a new facility across the street on the corner of Sixth and Gibbs in what is now Centennial Bank.
 | | Doug Lund joined Smith in 1965, purchasing the business and changing the name to Smith-Lund Chapel. Smith assisted Lund for several years until he retired completely. |
 | | When Robert Mills retired in March 1977, Doug Lund and his wife, Jeryl, purchased his business. The two companies were combined at the Mills site and the name was changed to Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel. |
 | | The Lunds completely remodeled the building in 1979. The original foundation and portions of the original Veach building are still part of the existing facility today. |
 | | Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel has grown along with the community. In 1995, Marc Lund joined his father, Doug, as a funeral director. In 2004 Marc and His wife Christina purchased the Funeral Home from Doug and Jeryl Lund.
In 1995, an efficient, state-of-the-art crematorium was installed on the premises. |
In 1997, the Lund family purchased Fir Grove Cemetery, a post-Civil War cemetery originally founded in the late 1800s by the Masons and Odd Fellows. The cemetery is located amongst old growth and rolling hills off of West Main Street in Cottage Grove. Improvements have been made to the grounds and special places for cremated remains and memorials have been added at the site. Only 14 out of 30 acres have been developed, allowing plenty of room for expansion for future generations. | |
