John Herzig was quite pleased with the latest addition to his ever-so-slightly notorious collection. Not that he’s a particular fan of her most recognizable song, “Killing Me Softly” (despite his line of work), but the program from Roberta Flack’s March 2025 funeral fit in quite nicely with the rest of his mementos, keepsakes, and other memorials from famous peoples’ lives — more specifically, from their deaths.
“My favorite thing to do is to hear people’s life stories,” says Herzig, who opened the Famous Endings Museum in his family-owned funeral home in Dover shortly after his plain old autograph collection started to transition into an assemblage of funeral memorabilia in 1996. “The museum keeps their stories alive.”
His passion for those stories is evident in every display, and walking through the museum wing of the Toland-Herzig Funeral Home with Herzig is like a tour through history. He points to a picture of a mustachioed man with a mutt in his arms: “That’s Frank Inn, the animal trainer,” he says. “He spotted that dog at a shelter and named her ‘Higgins.’”
John Herzig says only a fraction of his collection of funeral mementos — including this preserved floral display from President Abraham Lincoln’s service — is on display at any one time at the Famous Endings Museum housed in his family-owned funeral home in Dover.
Higgins later gained fame as the movie mutt, “Benji,” and to Herzig, Inn’s story of a lifetime of rescuing dogs from euthanasia and boarding them until he could find them homes is one that deserves to be remembered. “He supported at least 2,000 animals,” Herzig says. When Higgins eventually died after a long and fulfilling life, Inn gave her funeral, and Herzig has the program.
In fact, Herzig estimates he has more than 2,500 mementos commemorating the ends of people’s stories. But it was an unexpected bonus gift that arrived in 1996 with an autograph he had purchased that paved the way for it all. He had ordered an original signature of boxer Joe Louis, and when it arrived, the mailing tube also held a program from The Brown Bomber’s 1981 funeral.
Herzig says he immediately turned to his wife, Joyce, and said, “I think I have a new hobby.”
Funeral memorabilia are unusual in the first place, but the museum’s location in an actual funeral home makes it unique. Nevertheless, when people suggested he share his finds with the public, Herzig was doubtful anyone would come. Still, he eyed the casket and urn showroom as a potential spot for his hobby showcase. Soon, he contacted George Laurence, owner of Museum Acrylics in New Philadelphia, whose creative vision and expertise transformed that potential into a celebration.
Larger-than-life black-and-white images of notable people are organized into categories, from politicians and actors to civil rights leaders, in a collage of humanity on all four walls. Smaller photographs add to the history and popular culture in a fascinating version of “I Spy.” Lucille Ball, Ronald Reagan, and Jackie Robinson are there, and obvious, but the displays include interpretive descriptions to decipher those who might be a bit less well known.
The cases display more than just programs. There’s a miniature Lamb Chop that was given out at ventriloquist Shari Lewis’s 1998 funeral; a tissue packet given to guests at Leslie Nielsen’s 2010 funeral, emblazoned with “Stop crying!!! This is supposed to be a fun night. Love and laughs, Leslie;” and a (preserved) cookie from Rodney Dangerfield’s funeral with an imprint of the comedian’s face.
The collection includes historic items as well: a lantern from President Lincoln’s hearse, the wooden embalming block used to rest outlaw Jesse James’s head as the body was prepared for burial, a guest list handwritten by Joe DiMaggio as he was planning the funeral of Marilyn Monroe, and the accordion played by Navy musician Graham Jackson at the funeral of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Herzig’s finds come from all over. Comedian Pat Paulsen’s family members came to the museum one time and when they saw their relative’s funeral program already there, offered up that of family friend Tommy Smothers. “One day I get a package from England with the Queen Mother’s funeral program. I think it must have been from a custodian.”
When Paul Newman died in 2008, Herzig sent a condolence card and a donation to Newman’s Hole in the Wall Camp charity with a request for a copy of the funeral program — it landed him an invitation to the actual memorial service at Lincoln Center in New York City. Herzig does not attend many funerals apart from those in Dover, but he turned to his wife and asked, “Joyce, what do you say we get away for a couple of days?”
As Herzig’s collection has grown, only 10% is on display at a given time. But the shelves show that in death, everyone is created equal. Grammy-winning musician Prince’s funeral items are next to those of Arch West, the inventor of the Red Solo Cup. Acclaimed actress Mary Tyler Moore and rock drummer Neil Peart share space with Peter Frates, who started the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise money for ALS.
Some people’s funeral cards, like that of Donald Featherstone, the original creator of pink flamingo lawn art, offer simple missives on living life: “Don’t take life too seriously,” it reads, “you’re not getting out of it alive anyway.”
Famous Endings Museum, 803 N. Wooster Ave., Dover. Free. Open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., or call 330-343-6132 to arrange a group tour.
