Cemeteries under new ownership and management

Mitchell and Mamie Kester (left) recently took over ownership of three cemeteries in the Sikeston and Morley areas: Sikeston Memorial Park, Sikeston Garden of Memories, and Forest Hills Memorial Gardens in Morley from the previous owners Teresa and Dale Birk (right).

SIKESTON -- Three cemeteries in the Sikeston and Morley areas are under new ownership and management: Sikeston Memorial Park, Sikeston Garden of Memories, and Forest Hills Memorial Gardens in Morley.

The cemeteries, previously owned and managed by Teresa and Dale Birk of Birk Enterprises of Missouri, LLC, are now owned and managed by Mamie and Mitchell Kester of Joshua One Nine, LLC. The Kesters live in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The transaction was facilitated by Murphy Business of Cape Girardeau, a business brokerage firm serving Southeast Missouri at murphybusinessofcape.com

The Birks took over the properties in late 2007 after they were abandoned by a previous owner. They have spent the last eight years rebuilding the pre-need trust accounts so that they are now fully funded, and assuring the community that their investments in burial services made over the years will be honored. Now that the cemeteries are stable and thriving again, they felt it was the right time to let another family take over. Teresa Birk said "Dale and I have done what we set out to do. These cemeteries are an important part of the community and we wanted to make sure they were stable and secure before we passed the torch. The employees, who will all stay in place, are top-notch and the Kesters are the perfect family to serve as owners and managers going forward."

The Kesters are employed in the Cape Girardeau/Jackson area, and have also been looking for a business to buy that truly helps the community. They were attracted to the business because it provides such a valuable service to families in their time of greatest need and sorrow. Mitchell Kester said "Mamie and I didn't set out to own cemeteries -- we set out to buy a business that was close to home, provided a valuable service, had a strong staff already in place, and made sense financially. The cemeteries happened to fit that profile. We couldn't be more pleased to continue the great work of the Birk family for many years to come."