moorhead business news
Funeral directors Adam (left) and Bailey Nordin purchased Wright Funeral Home at the end of 2021. The brothers are natives of Thief River Falls. (Photo/Nancy Hanson)
Nancy Edmonds Hanson
The Moorhead funeral home that was owned and operated by four generations of the Wright family has new owners, but the 141-year-old business’s name and tradition of service will carry on.
Funeral directors Adam and Bailey Nordin took over ownership of Wright Funeral Home and Cremation Service in January 2022. The brothers, who grew up in Thief River Falls, purchased the venerable firm from Steve Wright. Started by his great-grandfather A.J. Wright, the company has been a mainstay of Moorhead since 1881.
“We’re proud to represent that heritage,” Bailey observes. “Steve has entrusted us with carrying on a long, long family tradition.”
Adam, the elder of the two brothers, joined Wright’s in 2006, two years after completing his mortuary science degree at the University of Minnesota. Bailey came on board in 2014. “Because Steve Wright has such deep roots here, he wanted to be sure we continued to serve people with the same commitment his family had for so long,” he says. “The years we spent working together were an opportunity to build trust between all of us.”
After completing his degree in mortuary science at the University of Minnesota, Adam developed his respect for family-owned business during two years with a family-owned funeral service in St. Paul. “I knew I wanted to stay with an independent firm,” he reports. While many in the industry have gone to corporate ownership, he learned family operations offer a broader experience – to comfort and assist families throughout the process, rather than specializing in just one aspect of the services they provide.
“When this came up, I knew it was a good fit. Steve and Leann have the kind of commitment to serving their neighbors that I was looking for,” he adds. Moorhead, too, was closer to the brothers’ home town, Thief River Falls.
His interest in the profession began in high school, Adam says, when an aptitude test opened his eyes to a career he hadn’t previously considered. He shadowed funeral director Gordy Peterson of Green Funeral Home on the job to find out more. “I didn’t know what to expect. How does a funeral director spend his day? I learned it was all about helping people – that you spend 90% of your time with families, the rest with embalming and restoration. I knew I wanted to help families through a difficult time. Now my brother and I get to do it all.”
The funeral industry wasn’t on Bailey’s radar, he says, until Adam brought him in. Wright’s was looking for another funeral director, and the younger Nordin – who graduated from the University of North Dakota with a degree in communications – was intrigued. He completed his studies in mortuary science in Mesa, Arizona, where he lived at the time, and moved to Moorhead soon after.
Taking the reins of the business has spurred the Nordins to spend more time behind the scenes on the business side, but the transition has been basically seamless. “We have been so invested in serving families,” Bailey says. “We’ve been here long enough so that we’ve come to know so many people in the area.”
Adam continues that thought. “Families come to Wright Funeral Home because of our reputation and because of their family’s past experience. Choosing a funeral service is not something people generally talk about. Then, when something happens, they turn to their relatives and friends. What brings them here is word of mouth.”
The Wright facility at 605 Second Ave. S., built in 1960, was expanded in 2013 to include space for funeral services and the reception that follows – an alternative to the traditional service in the family church followed by lunch in its basement. The firm has its own certified celebrant who can conduct services for those without formal church affiliation or a pastor.
“People move around more now. That trend inspired the addition,” Adam explains. “This space can make life easier at a difficult time.”
Another way to ease the experience, he says, is for families to talk about Mom and Dad’s wishes long before the need arises. “If you have kids, have the conversation,” he urges. “Open the door. Let them know your wishes.”
Often the elders tell their offspring, “Don’t make a fuss.” He respectfully disagrees.
“Survivors have needs, too,” the funeral director notes. “If you don’t take the time for some kind of gathering, you’re going to miss a lot of support that friends really want to offer your family. When there’s a loss, you really need people to lean on.”
