Honoring the Dead From the Comfort of Your Car

Robert L. Adams Mortuary in Calif. Provides Drive-Thru Viewings for Guests

By Nicola Menzie, Christian Post Reporter Friday, February 10, 2012

Most certainly not the only drive-thru funeral parlor in the U.S., the Robert L. Adams Funeral Home in Compton, Calif., does stake claim to being the only business of its kind in the state that offers viewings for those who may want to honor the dead from the comfort of their vehicles. 

The Robert L. Adams Funeral Mortuary, opened in 1974, did not arrive at the drive-thru concept purely to cater to those who may be pressed for time and find a drive-by departing to be most convenient. 

(Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

The entrance to the Robert L. Adams drive-through funeral parlor is seen in Compton, Calif., Feb. 8, 2012.

7 photo slide

(Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

Peter Taylor, 55, (R) views the body of his late friend Robert Sanders, 58, at the Robert L. Adams drive-through funeral parlor in Compton, Los Angeles, Feb. 8, 2012.

(Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

Nathaniel McDade, 67, (R) and Henrietta McDade, 63, of Pasadena view their late friend Robert Sanders, 58, at the Robert L. Adams drive-through funeral parlor in Compton, Los Angeles, Feb. 8, 2012.

(Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

Nathaniel McDade, 67, (R) and Henrietta McDade, 63, of Pasadena view their late friend Robert Sanders, 58, at the Robert L. Adams drive-through funeral parlor in Compton, Los Angeles, Feb. 8, 2012.

(Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

The family of the late Robert Sanders, 58, (L-R) mother Clemetene Sanders, 75, nephew Kendrick Sparks, 42, sister Virgie Douglas, 60, and brother Ronnie Sanders, 56, views his body at the Robert L. Adams drive-through funeral parlor in Compton, Los Angeles, Feb. 8, 2012.

(Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

Jeff Allen works at the Robert L. Adams drive-through funeral parlor in Compton, Los Angeles, Feb. 8, 2012.

(Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

The body of the late Robert Sanders, 58, lies at the Robert L. Adams drive-through funeral parlor in Compton, Los Angeles, Feb. 8, 2012.

According to the funeral home's office manager, the drive-thru service is primarily intended for elderly visitors who may find it difficult to move or for those who are physically impaired.

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

Subscribe

Denise Knowles-Bragg, the office manager at the Robert L. Adams Mortuary, told Reuters news agency that the drive-thru convenience is also for visitors who want to pay their respects during their lunch hour, and is especially useful for families who expect many guests at a service. 

The funeral home was named for owner Robert Lee Adams Sr., reportedly a former local politician. According to his wife, Peggy Scott Adams, who was widowed in 2005, the drive-thru service became popular in the 80s, when the area was plagued by gang violence, including shootouts during burial services at cemeteries. 

Scott Adams, a Grammy-nominated Gospel singer, told the Los Angeles Times that due to the mortuary's bullet-proof drive-thru glass partition, the company's services were especially attractive for those with "gang funerals."

When The Christian Post called the mortuary Friday for more information, a representative said the business had actually been in operation since 1973. When asked if there was a specific reason for the implementation of a drive-thru service, the unidentified woman said it was simply what the owner wanted at the facility. The woman over the  phone also informed CP that there was no extra charge for families using the mortuary's services who wanted to opt for a drive-thru viewing.