Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home sells to Canadian company

Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey, a Waco funeral home founded 99 years ago, has been sold to Park Lawn Corp., a Canadian-owned company with a presence in 17 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces.

Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey general manager Josh Blake confirmed the sale Thursday. Longtime President Hatch Bailey has retired. Blake said Hatch Bailey and his brothers, Wes Bailey and Roy Bailey, approved the sale.

In a company newsletter, Park Lawn Corp. wrote it was excited to announce that, on September 9, 2024, "it acquired substantially all the assets of Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funerals & Cremations in Waco, Texas." The newsletter says the buyout "expands Park Lawn's presence in central Texas through the addition of one stand-alone funeral home."

Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey operates at Bosque Boulevard near Valley Mills Drive, though it had a presence downtown for decades after its founding in 1925.

Blake said the funeral home under new ownership will honor all pre-need plans. He said Park Lawn Corp. has been helpful throughout negotiations and he has no reason to believe local operations will change.

Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey employs about 20 people locally.