Personalized memorials and life celebrations

Boardman-Smith Funeral Home has operated from its landmark location on South Grand Avenue West since 1958. Though many things have changed since our founding, our dedication to the families of Springfield has never wavered.

After the Butler family purchased Boardman-Smith Funeral Home in 2015, the funeral home was beautifully updated inside and out to give today's families the accessibility, technology and conveniences they need and expect. Warm and welcoming, our space is perfect for candle-lighting ceremonies, intimate visitations, large receptions and other gatherings. Our associates treat every family like their own.

At Boardman-Smith Funeral Home, we believe that every service should be as unique as the life lived. We capture the essence of your loved one to create an event that honors your special person and gives friends and family a chance to come together and remember. The team includes several certified celebrants specially trained to design unique tributes that deeply reflect loved ones’ lives.

Whether you want to arrange a traditional funeral or modern celebration of life, a cremation or a green burial, we will work with you one-on-one to ensure your needs and budget are met. From casket or urn selection, to floral arrangements, music selections, decor, mementos and more, we guide you through your choices with care.

Cremation in Springfield

Families have the opportunity to be involved in a cremation farewell at Boardman-Smith Funeral Home. Affiliated with the Butler Funeral Homes and Cremation Tribute Center group, we use the state-of-the-art crematory on South Seventh Street. It was designed for families to gather together before or after a cremation. It also allows families to be present for the start of a loved one’s cremation, if they wish.

More and more people are choosing cremation over traditional burial, but most aren’t familiar with all the choices:

• a cremation without a funeral or memorial service of any kind.
• a funeral with your loved one present, followed by cremation.
• a cremation followed by a scattering, cemetery memorialization or celebration of life—or all three.

There are many cremation providers from which to choose. Here’s what you can expect when you choose Boardman-Smith Funeral Home for your loved one’s cremation:

• Custody of care guaranteed. Our custody-of-care program helps safeguard the identification of your loved one from the time we bring them into our care until the time we return them to your family. We check, cross-check and check again, every step of the way.
• Exclusive custody of your loved one. We own and operate our own crematory. Once your loved one is brought into our care, we or one of our trusted partners has custody.
• Licensed, certified, conscientious staff. All Dignity Memorial® crematory operators in Illinois are licensed and certified by the Cremation Association of North America, or CANA. Unless there are special circumstances and the family has requested otherwise, only one person at a time is cremated. Additionally, the cremation chamber is thoroughly cleaned before the next person is cremated.

Celebrations at Prairie View Reception Center

Also affiliated with the Butler Funeral Homes and Cremation Tribute Center group, Prairie View Reception Center has been helping the Central Illinois community celebrate life’s moments since 2003. It’s located just across South Grand Avenue from Butler Funeral Home & Cremation Tribute Center - Chatham.

Their team plans, coordinates and executes events from wedding receptions and anniversary parties to business luncheons, baby showers, proms, memorials and more. No matter what you’re planning, the comprehensive event options ensure you’ll have everything you need:

• Elegant interior
• Spacious reception room
• Design services
• Catering services, including staff
• Tables and chairs
• Linens and decor
• Permanent wooden dance floor
• Special lighting capabilities
• Plenty of parking
• Complimentary Wi-Fi

Come to us with an idea—or just an event—and we’ll help bring it to life in a very special way.

Veterans funerals and burials

We deeply appreciate those who have sacrificed for our freedoms and feel privileged to honor veterans and their families in need of funeral and cremation services. We can arrange for an honor guard and the playing of Taps. A horse-drawn hearse is also a popular choice for veterans funerals. Our experienced funeral directors are dedicated to ensuring that every veteran is honored in a manner befitting their service and giving their families the support they need.

We believe that every military hero deserves to be buried with military honors. That’s why we take part in the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program. We also have a special relationship with our local honor guard, the Interveterans Burial Detail of Sangamon County. Many honor guards lack the funds and resources necessary for a proper military farewell, and we’re proud to help support this cause.

Farewell ride

A motorcycle hearse is an offering that speaks to those who love the feeling of the open road and the rumble of a well-tuned engine. Our motorcycle hearse can be deployed for a loved one’s journey from the funeral home or place of worship to the cemetery—but it can also be part of a final ride with friends and family. We can give everyone a last chance to saddle up and cruise through the countryside, drive along a favorite route and maybe stop at a favorite location for a round of farewell drinks.

Roselawn Memorial Park

Boardman-Smith Funeral Home works with all Central Illinois cemeteries. However, we are closely affiliated with Roselawn Memorial Park. Located on South Camp Butler Road in Springfield, just southwest of Camp Butler National Cemetery, Roselawn Memorial Park offers a wide range of options for traditional burial and cremation, including green burials. In fact, the Butler Funeral Homes and Cremation Tribute Center group and Roselawn Memorial Park are the only funeral homes and cemetery in Central Illinois certified by the nonprofit Green Burial Council.

Grief support and aftercare

The loss of a loved one can be devastating, and many people don’t know where to turn or how to cope. We’re here to help you during difficult times—you aren’t alone. Though the experience of grief can be very isolating, the articles in our grief library can make a difference in your day-to-day life, and families who plan services with us get access to our 24-hour Compassion Helpline® (services provided by Charles Nechtem Associates) for up to 13 months after a service.

Funeral planning in advance

In addition to assisting with an immediate need, Boardman-Smith Funeral Home specializes in working with families to make final arrangements in advance. When you plan ahead, you relieve your family from financial and emotional burdens while ensuring your wishes are fulfilled. We offer in-person and virtual consultations, as well as a free Personal Planning Guide.

Butler Pet Services

We know pets can be important members of the family. Wishing to give families with beloved companion animals an option for saying goodbye with the utmost dignity and respect, Butler opened a separate division dedicated exclusively to pets in 2000. It offers cremation services, burial at Roselawn Pet Cemetery, as well as pet caskets, urns, keepsakes and grave memorials.

Lean on us

The caring and dedicated team at Boardman-Smith Funeral Home provides exceptional, compassionate service at one of life’s most difficult times. We honor the opportunity to serve you and your family. We consider it a great responsibility when families entrust to us the care of their loved ones.

We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please reach out, day or night, if we may assist with funeral or cremation arrangements in Springfield, or if you would simply like a tour of Boardman-Smith Funeral Home or Roselawn Memorial Park. Contact us.

History

The oldest funeral home in Springfield, Boardman-Smith, was founded in 1848 as part of the Hutchinson Undertaking Company.

Just after the end of the Civil War, Thomas C. Smith, an employee of Hutchinson, purchased the business and changed the name to Thomas C. Smith & Sons. After passing through two generations of the Smith Family (Thomas C. Smith and his son, William Smith), the funeral home was purchased by William Smith’s stepsons, Julian and Robert Boardman, who changed the name to Boardman-Smith Funeral Chapel.

The firm operated from two locations in downtown Springfield (323-325 S. Fifth St. and 620 E. Edwards St.) until it moved to the present location of 800 S. Grand Ave. W. in 1958.

After the death of Julian in 1970, Robert Boardman was the sole owner, until 1976, when Robert’s son-in-law, William “Bill” Parr, purchased the funeral home. Bill operated the business until 2006, when Greg J. Schou, an employee since 1980, purchased it. He managed the funeral home through the end of 2014, when Chris Butler, the owner of the second-oldest funeral home in Springfield and president of the Butler Family of Organizations, purchased the business.

In January 2015, Boardman-Smith Funeral Home officially became part of the Butler Family of Organizations, which became part of the Dignity Memorial network in 2023.

The Lincoln family funeral home

Boardman-Smith has an incredibly rich history that includes significant connections to many members of the Lincoln family, including President Abraham Lincoln. Known services provided to the Lincoln family include:

• May 1865: Thomas C. Smith was called upon to assist in the preparation, movement and burial of President Lincoln.
• December 1865: Smith was called upon again to assist in moving President Lincoln and son, Willie, to a temporary vault while construction of Lincoln’s Tomb continued at Oak Ridge Cemetery.
• September 1871: Smith was responsible for helping to move President Lincoln and son, Willie, to the permanent tomb and placing Lincoln’s coffin in the marble sarcophagus.
• July 1882: Seventeen years after President Lincoln’s death, Boardman-Smith was called upon again to provide funeral and burial services for Mary Todd Lincoln.
• May 1913: The funeral home, then under the direction of Thomas C. Smith’s sons, Thomas Jr. and William, was responsible for disinterring President Lincoln’s grandson, Abraham Lincoln II, from the tomb and preparing his bronze casket for transport to Arlington National Cemetery where his father, Robert T. Lincoln, would be buried upon his death.
• May 1930: Boardman-Smith disinterred Mary Todd Lincoln and three of her sons (Eddie, Willie and Tad), so their tomb could be reconstructed after water damage.

Day book for Mary Todd Lincoln’s funeral

In 2008, Springfield funeral director and historian Virgil Davis discovered the day ledger book of Abraham Lincoln’s funeral home, today known as Boardman-Smith Funeral Home. In that same archive, funeral home owner Chris Butler uncovered a ledger containing Mary Todd Lincoln’s funeral arrangement from July 16, 1882.

This marvelous bit of American history shows what Mary Todd Lincoln and family requested for her funeral—which includes her clothing, a hearse drawn by four horses, 16 carriages (limousines) for family members, and personal items to be placed in her casket.

Authentic replica of the Lincoln coffin

The research and development team at Batesville Casket Company began an effort to create a replica of Lincoln’s coffin as early as 1984. The project was in response to a request from an Illinois museum to manufacture the coffin for an exhibit. After 1993, when the state funeral association revealed the exact dimensions and materials of the original coffin, Batesville made replicas.

Authentic down to the smallest details (except for the lead lining and silver plate), Batesville’s replica is 6 feet 6 inches long, made of solid walnut and covered in black broadcloth. It has a white satin interior. The outside is adorned with silver-colored handles and silver tacks extending the entire length of the coffin’s sides. Lincoln’s actual casket included a silver plate in the center of the lid inscribed with the president's birth and death dates.

In 2019, Boardman-Smith Funeral Home was selected as one of only five funeral homes in the United States to take ownership of one of the replicas. We are honored to be able to display this coffin, Mary Todd's funeral arrangements and other historical Lincoln family funeral items for public viewing.