About Us

More than Tradition, A History of Caring.

Henderson Funeral Home has offered caring and dignified funeral services to the residents of the Pekin area for more than a century. In 1900, Orville W. Noel opened the doors to the funeral home, which was originally named Noel Funeral Home, at 412 Elizabeth Street in downtown Pekin.

In 1939, Noel purchased the old "Rupert Park" estate, which occupied an entire square city block, and moved Noel Funeral Home into the 11-room Colonial style mansion. The stunning mansion was built in 1862 by Gideon Rupert, who was a pioneer settler and early businessman in Pekin and is credited with naming Tazewell County after Governor John Tazewell of Virginia.

This stately mansion still houses Henderson Funeral Home today. The Henderson family has preserved the beauty and charm of the magnificent estate over the decades, to offer their families a warm, comforting atmosphere to memorialize their passed loved ones.

In 1964, Merl Henderson became the third owner of the funeral home and soon after included his family's name on the business - Noel-Henderson Funeral Home. Merl's wife, Linda, played an integral part in the business and, in a family tradition; Merl's sons George, Greg and Don all joined the family business as licensed funeral directors.

Over 40 years later, the tradition continues with Greg Henderson and his wife, Marla, as the owners of Henderson Funeral Home. Adhering to the family values of compassion, integrity and trust, Greg and Marla are proud of the tradition of caring that has been a standard of Henderson Funeral Home for over 100 years.