About Us

In 1904, the Wikoff family opened their first funeral home in Decatur, IL, locating it in the downtown area at 300 West Main formally known as the Linn House. The Linn House was owned by a prominant family that had a business in the community known as Linn & Scruggs. For a period of time, Charles Wikoff and the Moran family operated the funeral home as Wikoff-Moran. In 1910, Charles' son Forest G. Wikoff, joining the family business and becoming the second generation of the Wikoff family. In 1920, Charles retired and his son Forest and his family took over the business with a gentleman named Roy Dawson. The funeral home name was changed at that time to Dawson & Wikoff Funeral Home.

In 1929, Forest and Roy purchased land and built the present location at 515 West Wood Street. The funeral home was built in an English Tudor style design with a formal chapel seating 200 people, two visitation rooms, a full selection room, a basement that had a smoking lounge and a garage to hold seven automobiles. In 1950, Roy Dawson retired and Forest Wikoff became the sole proprietor. Forest and his family continued to operate the funeral home until the late 1960's. It was at that time that Forest's son, Forest G. Wikoff, Jr., a third generation of the family, took over operations of the funeral home.

In the mid 1970's and early 1980's, Forest Wikoff, Jr. expanded the business by purchasing funeral homes in the surrounding communities. Forest and the staff at Dawson & Wikoff built their reputation on giving complete services at an affordable price.

In 1985, Forest built a second location on the north side of Decatur. In 2005, Dawson & Wikoff built new funeral homes in Blue Mound and Macon. Our funeral home on West Wood Street and our Mt. Zion location were renovated. These improvements show our desire to better serve our families and the community. Dawson & Wikoff Funeral Homes continue the fine tradition of service that has become a trade mark of the Wikoff family for over 100 years. If the staff at Dawson & Wikoff can be of any assistance to you or your family, give us a call at 217-877-4102 or stop by one of our locations.

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