Bagües and Sons Mortuary opened its doors in 1928,
in an old burlap manufacturing building, when Felipe and Lucy Bagües started
the business. Catering to the Latino community, the business grew and
eventually outgrew its original building.
In 1936, the mortuary moved
to its location on East Cesar Chavez Avenue. At that time, the street
was called Brooklyn Avenue, since it was well before anyone had heard of Cesar Chavez.
Many of the old-timers in the neighborhood still refer to the street as Brooklyn Ave.
The youngest Bagües son, Manuel, seen here with his father in front of the mortuary, was
soon working in the family business. Manuel ran the family business through the 50's, 60', 70's
80's, 90's and into the 21st century. Manuel can still be found almost every day working at
the mortuary with his daughter.
Bagues and Sons Mortuary closed its doors for the last time on August 30, 2014.
The hearse is the symbol of the mortuary business and through its 85 year history, Bagües and Sons Mortuary had quite a variety of company cars.