Patrick Gormley and Patrick Gormley Jr. stand next to the neon sign in the parking lot of W.F. Gormley & Sons in Sacramento on March 13. The funeral business, which the Gormley family has operated for 129 years, is moving from midtown to Land Park.
PAUL KITAGAKI JR.
pkitagaki@sacbee.com
For about a century, W.F. Gormley & Sons funeral home has operated on Capitol Avenue in midtown Sacramento.
Things are changing for the funeral home, which is on its fifth generation of family involvement and has been in its current location since 1925. The business dates to 1897.
Owner Patrick Gormley announced earlier this month that his family’s business would be moving to a Riverside Boulevard site that previously housed the George L. Klumpp Chapel of Flowers funeral home. That business relocated this month to 2122 28th St.
The current W.F. Gormley & Sons location was sold in February to a company related to Pappas Investments, a developer. A representative for Pappas declined comment.
Moves for Klumpp and Gormley
Almost simultaneous to selling its midtown location, W.F. Gormley & Sons purchased the former Klumpp property, according to county records. An entity related to the Diocese of Sacramento had previously owned the Klumpp location.
Gormley said the plan to move was set in motion by the diocese’s decision to sell the Riverside Boulevard property.
“When that came on the market, then it triggered us to look, go down the rabbit hole and then we knew we could have a buyer on this,” Gormley said.
A photograph shows the second location of W.F. Gormley & Sons at 720 H St. in Sacramento, where the funeral home operated from 1901 to 1924. For 129 years, the Gormley family has operated the business, with the fourth and fifth generations continuing independent ownership as Sacramento Funeral Home. W.F. Gormley & Sons
Gormley said the benefits of the pending move to Riverside Boulevard include more parking spaces, a location directly across from three cemeteries and easy freeway access.
Both funeral homes have history.
When William F. Gormley died in 1935, The Sacramento Bee described him as a longtime funeral director as well as a former sheriff and coroner of Sacramento County.
George L. Klumpp served on the Sacramento City Council and was mayor in the 1940s. He was also a part owner of the Sacramento Solons, helping prevent the baseball team from relocating.
“We rather suspect that George Klumpp, nosed out in an upset for mayor, could today win any Sacramento popularity contest hands down,” the Sacramento Union noted in 1948. “He came to the city’s rescue in the clutch, and the sports public will be long in forgetting this.”
A photograph shows the first location of W.F. Gormley & Sons at 914 J St. in Sacramento, where the funeral home operated from 1897 to 1901. W.F. Gormley & Sons Changes in funeral home business
Jerry Del Core, president and CEO of Catholic Funeral & Cemetery Services, which acts on the local diocese’s behalf, said the former Klumpp location was put on the market last summer for two reasons: change in the funeral business and the building’s long service life.
“The families that we serve at Klumpp are different today than they were back … when they moved in,” Del Core said. “Most of the families are doing cremation these days and the facility, from our perspective, didn’t need to be as big.”
Timothy Schramm is a spokesperson for the National Funeral Directors Association and operates funeral homes in Michigan. He said cremation rates in California were more than 70%, which is above the national rate of 63%. Schramm added that by 2045, cremation rates in California could reach 87%.
A website for the Diocese of Sacramento noted that George L. Klumpp Chapel of Flowers opened at 8th and O streets in Sacramento in 1939. The funeral home moved to Riverside Boulevard in 1972.
The new Klumpp location on 28th Street is considerably smaller than what was at Riverside. It formerly housed a tattoo business according to Jim Culleton, who does printing work next door.
Jessycah Shoemaker, manager of funeral services for George L. Klumpp, said the location will mean changes for the business.
“We’re not able to do funeral services here,” she said. “What we’re doing is arrangements only.”
W.F. Gormley’s move to Land Park
The current W.F. Gormley building at 2015 Capitol Ave. was completed in March 1925.
The Sacramento Union noted at that time that the building “embraces many ultra modern improvements and was built to resemble a high-class apartment or club.”
The property at 2015 Capitol Ave. spans two parcels, with surface level parking on the eastern parcel. It is distinctive for its large neon sign in front. The property has been on the city of Sacramento’s local historic register since 1982.
Gormley said he would be sad to leave the midtown location. He aims to move into the Land Park site by September, after some improvements are complete.
“We’re going to try to bring as much charm and character of this into that space to make it our own,” Gormley said.
The Sacramento Bee
Graham Womack is a general assignment reporter for The Sacramento Bee. Prior to joining The Bee full-time in September 2025, he freelanced for the publication for several years. His work has won several California Journalism Awards and spurred state legislation.