Our first combination car was a 1948 Cadillac Combination Unit. Wow! What a car! I was not old enough to have a drivers license, but with only one police officer in town whose schedule I knew pretty well, I would take that super machine down to the local garage for gas, to check the tires, or whatever, about two times a week. I had to sit on a pillow to see out, but no problem.
Our casket display area was the same area we used for visitations and funerals, so that following the casket selection, out the caskets would go to the garage. We had to carry them all back in following the service. What a task! But, as a fella says, "Gotta do what ya gotta do."
The business grew beyond our facilities in Kennebunkport, and in November 1956 the property at 67 Summer Street in Kennebunk was purchased. The first visitation at the facility was for Phyllis M. Bibber. My mother had been terminally ill during the time of purchase and remolding of the new facility, but saw it completed before her death.
The building at 67 Summer Street, a large Victorian house 126 years old. It is located in Kennebunk's Historical District which was named a National Register Historic District in 1974. In December 1957, Earl remarried, to Eleanor (Ruth) Brann of Augusta, who served as Secretary/Treasurer at Bibber Funeral Home until his deathn in 1987. She continued to visit the funeral home in Kennebunk on a daily basis until her death in 2008.
I graduated from Kennebunk High School in 1957 and from New England Institute of Anatomy and Sanitary Science in Boston, MA in 1959. In 1961, I married Joanne Larson and during this marriage had two sons, Edward Vaughan born in 1962 and Douglas Richard born in 1965. Then, in 1976, married Patricia (Turgeon) Bibber who has been active in the firm and currently serves as Secretary/Treasurer.
In 1975, the Bibbers built new offices, new selection rooms and a new state of the art Preparation Room. In 1976, the Bibber Memorial Chapel purchased the Angell Funeral Home business and merged that business into the Summer Street location. The summers were especially busy with the ambulance transporting patients in emergent and non emergent situations. This was the time of year tourists "from away" filled the community of Kennebunkport. Unfortunately, it was not unusual to transport some back to New York, Montreal or some other location by ambulance because of a fracture or just unable to make the trip home by car. As our communities grew, so did the number of ambulance calls. When the Webber Hospital closed at its Elm Street location in Biddeford, we assisted in the transport of its patients to the newly built Southern Maine Medical Center. In 1979, Bibbers donated its ambulance and all its related equipment to the Town of Kennebunkport, thus ending a span of 40 years of ambulance service to the Kennebunks and surrounding communities. Kennebunkport is now served by Kennebunkport Emergency Medical Services (KEMS).
In the Fall of 1984, my son Edward joined the firm as a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer, a great feat as Edward is deaf. He became the State's first deaf licensed Funeral Practitioner. Ed graduated from Kennebunk High School in 1981, and completed his studies at New England Institute in 1984. Edward has served as President Maine Funeral Directors and Kennebunk Rotary Club. Ed has two daughters, Erin and Carly. Ed is married to Patti (Albee) Bibber.
My second son, Douglas, graduated from Kennebunk High in 1983, and Business Degree from Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, NH in 1987. He then continued his studies at New England Institute in Boston receiving his Mortuary Science Degree in 1988, at which time he joined the family firm. That same year, he married Robin (Hewitt) Bibber and they have two children, Luke and Grace who are both college students.
In 1986, Richard and Patricia broke ground for a new funeral home in Wells. This building, erected to meet the needs of the community, opened in November of 1987.
In March of 1987 Earl V. Bibber died leaving behind not only a second generation, but a third generation of Funeral Directors to meet the needs of our communities.
In the spring of 2002, the Bibbers purchased the Laing Funeral Chapel located in Berwick, ME, changing the name to the Laing-Bibber Funeral Chapel. Berwick is the 9th oldest town in Maine and is located on the NH border. In 2021, Ed and his wife, Patti completed construction of the new Funeral Home in Berwick at 62 Cemetery Road.
In 2001, the Bibbers added on to their Summer Street location with a new chapel for visitations and services, as well as new arrangement offices and a new selection room. We continue to utilize up-to-date equipment and technology for use in our services. All of our Directors attend seminars to increase their knowledge of current trends of services available to the families we serve and earn a minimum of 6 CEU's each year. In 2013, the firm celebrated it's 75 year anniversary of serving their wonderful communities that they are honored to serve.
The Bibber firm is a member of the Maine Funeral Directors Association with the late Earl V. Bibber, Richard V. Bibber, Edward V. Bibber and Douglas R. Bibber all being past presidents. The firm is also a member of the National Funeral Directors Association. For over 50 years, Bibbers has been a member of the Associated Funeral Directors Association and of the Selected Independent Funeral Homes (SIFH) of which Richard served as a board member and president.
The current officers of the firm are Richard V. Bibber, CEO; Edward V. Bibber, President; Douglas R. Bibber, Vice-President; and Patricia A. Bibber, Secretary/Treasurer.