Our History

Nichols Life Tribute Funeral & Cremation Services Muscatine Funeral Home has roots deep in the community and generations of experience caring for Muscatine area families. Transitioning from a cabinetmaker's shop in 1863 to a store-front undertaking parlor in 1883. The firm is known for being progressive, having brought many 'firsts' to the funeral profession and Muscatine:

Iowa's first formal funeral chapel, 1924
First Muscatine undertaking establishment to use the term "Funeral Home"
First lady embalmer, 1924
First motorized funeral cars and ambulance
First pipe organ in chapel, 1927
Air conditioned building
Private family and reposing rooms
First funeral home to adopt a cost accounting system
Only local funeral home invited into the prestigious National Selected Morticians
First area funeral home to use service folders/memorial records, guest registers, temporary grave markers and sermon transcripts for each service
First area funeral home to offer prearranged funeral planning, 1927
First local funeral home to offer on-site catered receptions, January 1989
Iowa's first Cremation Memorial Center, August 1998
Muscatine's first crematory, January 1999


1923	Circa 1925

Circa 1929

Circa 1938