In 2023, we reached a significant milestone, marking our 100th year of serving families across our community. Throughout this century of service, we have experienced tremendous growth and success, earning a reputation as a trusted name for families in need. This page is dedicated to showcasing our rich history and accomplishments, which have been made possible by the incredible support of our community. From the bottom of our hearts, we extend our deepest gratitude to you for choosing us to care for your loved ones.


Meet the Generations

That built our legacy


John Molnar Sr.
May 21, 1882 - November 22, 1950

John Molnar Sr. came to the United States of America from Hungary in 1903 and settled in the Detroit area in 1912 because of the large Hungarian population. Mr. Molnar worked for Cadillac Motor Company, and was one of the 6 people instrumental in the creation of the V-8 engine for Cadillac. He opened the Detroit Hungarian Funeral home, now the John Molnar Funeral Home, in 1923. He had a very strong work ethic and believed that you never stop learning, a trait that has been carried on with all the Molnar Family. Mr. Molnar Sr. passed away at the age of 68, after losing his battle with a terminal illness.


John F. Molnar
July 4, 1906 - May 25, 1950

John F. Molnar worked as a Master Patternmaker and also was the owner of Harvard Pattern Works. With his father’s encouragement, he went back to school and received his Funeral Director’s license on January 20, 1950. The second generation of the John Molnar Funeral Home began with his addition to help run the family business. Mr. Molnar passed away only four months after receiving his license, at the age of 43 due to a brief illness.

Margaret E. Molnar
August 9, 1909 - August 21, 1987

Margaret E. Molnar, the wife of John F. Molnar, owned and operated the Margaret Molnar Beauty Shoppe next door to the funeral home. Following the passing of her husband and father-in-law in 1950, Margaret had to provide for her young son’s future. She gave up her business as a beauty operator to continue the legacy of the funeral home. Mrs. Molnar continued with the daily operations until 1979 and then went into semi-retirement. The Molnar family experienced a great loss on August 21, 1987 with Margaret’s passing. She will always be remembered for her caring manner and compassion for others.


John S. Molnar

John S. Molnar has been involved with operating the John Molnar Funeral Homes as President since 1969. John's leadership qualities have served him well as 1969 Class President of Wayne State University School of Mortuary Science, former President of the Delwood Kiwanis Club, past officer and member of the Southgate Knights of Columbus, and Past President of The Hungarian Heritage Club. Civically, John has served as Chairman of the Southgate Public Safety Commission, and he is also a member of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Southgate. John acknowledges his success in business would not have been possible without the steadfast commitment of his wife, Helen. They have one daughter, Angela, who has proudly continued the Molnar tradition of being a licensed funeral director. John and Helen have entered into semi-retirement but he still continues to be a fixture within the funeral homes.


Angela M. Molnar-Ferguson

Angela graduated from Wayne State University in the fall of 1993 as the Vice President of her Mortuary Science Class. After graduation, she began to assist her father in operating the John Molnar Funeral Homes. Today, Angela runs the day to day operation of the funeral home. Community service is also an important part of her life. She is a member of Our Lady of the Woods Catholic Church, and has been a past board member of the Brownstown Downtown Development Authority, and was the past secretary, past president, and charter member of the Kiwanis Club of Brownstown. When she is not hard at work, Angela enjoys spending time with her four daughters, Madelyn, Megan, Melanie and Maranda family and visiting her parents in Florida. With the acquisition of the Nixon and Thon Funeral Homes in 2016, Angela has been intimately involved with making the funeral homes operate as efficiently as possible. She has never been so humbled and proud to work with such an amazing group of people who truly enjoy what they do. Angela is known to be the driving force to keep the funeral home up to date . Angela loves continuing the Molnar family tradition by being able to work with an amazing staff to care for all the families the Molnar Funeral Homes serve. 


Megan M. Ferguson

Megan grew up on Grosse Ile as the second oldest daughter of Larry Ferguson and Angela Molnar-Ferguson, and the granddaughter of John and Helen Molnar. She graduated from Grosse Ile High in 2019 where she was the president of her class. Currently, Megan is attending Central Michigan University but has started the process of transitioning to Wayne State University where she will join the Mortuary Science Program to pursue her true compassion for helping families during their greatest time of need. Currently, Megan assists our Funeral Directors and enjoys the environment as well as the caring team that she is fortunate enough to call her family as well. In her free time, Megan enjoys playing and coaching sports, traveling with her family, and spending time with her friends.


Madelyn M. Ferguson

Madelyn, the eldest daughter of Larry Ferguson and Angela Molnar-Fergusion, carries with her the proud lineage of John and Helen Molnar as her grandparents. She graduated from Grosse Ile High in 2018 where she excelled as the class president. Madelyn's academic journey continued at Michigan State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology with a minor in entrepreneurship in 2022. She is now looking forward to the fall of 2023 when she intends to begin her enrollment in the Mortuary Science Program at Wayne State University. Driven by a deep passion to help others and follow in her family's footsteps, she is looking forward to being able to offer solace and support to those who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Currently, Madelyn immerses herself in the day-to-day operations of the Funeral Home to gain valuable hands-on experience. In her free time, Madelyn enjoys reading, spending time with friends and traveling with her family. 

The First Generation

It was in 1923 that John Molnar Sr. first opened John Molnar Funeral Homes, originally known as Detroit Hungarian Funeral Home, within his very own house. It would remain there until 1936 when he relocated it to its Delray location at 8632 Dearborn Avenue. His strong work ethic and desire to give back to the community are traits passed down through the Molnar family and team. 

The Second Generation

John Molnar Sr. had three children. With his father's encouragement, his middle child, John F. Molnar went back to school and received his Funeral Director's license on January 20, 1950, thus beginning the second generation. Unfortunately this pairing of father and son was short lived with both of them passing away in 1950, father due to leukemia, and son after a brief illness. At the time, Margaret E. Molnar, wife of the late John F. Molnar, having to provide for her young son's future, gave up her business as a beauty operator to continue on the legacy of the John Molnar Funeral Home. Mrs. Molnar overcame many adversities operating the funeral home as a non-licensed funeral service practitioner.

The Third Generation

With great pride in 1969, Mrs. Molnar’s dream was fulfilled as her son, John S. Molnar, began the third generation of the John Molnar Funeral Homes by joining her in the day-to-day operations of the funeral home. 





While attending Mortuary school, John S. Molnar led the class of 1969 as its president. 

The move to Southgate

With a vision for the future and a great shift in population out of the Delray area, mother and son made a heartfelt decision to expand their business into the Downriver area. They purchased the Central Baptist Church, in Southgate, and conducted a year-long renovation, turning it into a state-of-the-art funeral home. September 30, 1971, was a monumental day for the Molnar Family, as it marked the birth of John and Helen Molnar’s daughter, Angela, and began the grand opening weekend of the Southgate Funeral Home. 

The Fourth Generation





In 1993, the fourth generation of the John Molnar Funeral Homes began with the addition of John and Helen's daughter, Angela M. Molnar-Ferguson.

This same year also brought about the opening of the Brownstown Chapel, one of the most modern and spacious facilities in the Downriver area. The construction of this facility was prompted when John, Helen and Angela saw the continued growth within the Downriver area, and the need to be proactive and expand South into the rapidly developing Brownstown Township.

Expanding to Wyandotte




In February 2016, Angela and her family acquired R.J. Nixon and H.F. Thon Funeral Homes from Linda Burd Berman, Christine Burd Spedding, and Veronica Burd-Hale. In March 2017 the H.F. Thon Funeral Home became The Thon Center.

Nixon Chapel prior to renovations.

Nixon chapel after renovations.

The Fifth Generation

As we enter the 5th generation of Molnar Funeral Homes with the addition of Megan and Madelyn, we are excited for what the future holds and look forward to many more years serving the community.


For the second consecutive year, we were voted the best funeral home in the Detroit Free Press Best of the Best Community Choice awards. This distinguished recognition would not have been possible without the support of our community. We express our deepest thanks to everyone who voted for us and acknowledged our commitment to providing compassionate and outstanding funeral services. It is a great honor to care for families during their most difficult times, and our dedicated team strives to exceed expectations and provide comfort and solace.




This incredible achievement would have not been possible without the support and trust of so many families in our community. We extend our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you who voted for us and recognized our commitment to providing compassionate and exceptional funeral services. We are honored to have been entrusted with the care of families during their most difficult times. Our dedicated team works to ensure that every aspect of our services exceeds expectations while providing comfort and solace.



This nomination is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, who all strive to exceed expectations and provide families with the support they need during their most difficult times. Once again we would like to thank Brownstown Township for the support that they have given us through the years so we are able to continue making a positive impact on the lives of the families we serve.





Once again, thanks to the support of our community, we were nominated for Detroit's 2021 Best of the Best.

Again, we wouldn't be where we are today without the support of the community. We are both proud and humbled by our accomplishments, but our core value remains the same —- we are with you every step of the way. 

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