Roy W. Mansfield was born in Chicago, IL on August 13, 1892. Roy’s father was an engineer on the Great Western Railroad and the family lived in Chicago, Il, Des Moines, IA, and St. Joseph, MO. Roy graduated from the National School of Embalming in St. Louis on May 1, 1914. For a short period of time, Roy worked as an undertaker in Kansas City and St. Joseph, MO. In 1916, Roy moved to Malvern, Iowa to work for L.R. Comer in the furniture store and undertaking business. In 1917, Roy joined the U.S. Army and served until the end of WWI. He then returned to Malvern where Roy met and married Bessie L. Bayley of Gibbon, NE on December 28, 1918. Bessie had come to Malvern to teach in the high school. Roy and Bessie had two children, Lenore Ellen and Roy Dean "Butch" Mansfield.
James McKown joined Roy in purchasing the furniture and undertaking business from L.R. Comer in 1918. Mansfield and McKown continued as partners until 1931 when Roy purchased McKown's interest. The business became known as Mansfield's Furniture Store and Funeral Home.
Roy was active in the furniture store and funeral home until his death on July 17, 1967. Bessie passed away on May 3, 1969.
In The Beginning…
Years ago funeral services were held in the home or church of the deceased. The embalming was done in the home using portable equipment. The caskets were housed above the main floor of the furniture store where families would make their selection. The casket would then be transported to the home of the deceased where the cosmetic work, dressing, and casketing of the body would take place.
Pioneers in Funeral Service
Roy Mansfield was a pioneer leader in the funeral home profession. He established a "modern" embalming room above the furniture store and gradually families accepted the idea of having the body removed from the home to be prepared for burial. Funeral services were held in churches and homes until 1933.
Roy and Bessie Mansfield purchased a large home on the corner of Marion Avenue and East 4th Street in Malvern. They slowly added an office and casket selection room on the main floor. Large rooms were converted to a spacious chapel and a five car garage and record storage area were added. A room on the main floor was remodeled for an embalming room and another for a private family room.
On December 28, 1933, the first funeral was held at Mansfield’s Funeral Home. The deceased was 12-year-old Martha Evans who died on Christmas Eve as a result of a fire in her parent’s home. While many funerals continued to be conducted from churches and homes, a new trend had been started with more and more services being held at the funeral home. Roy Mansfield had established the first "Funeral Home" in Mills County.
Years before the first funeral was held in the funeral home, Roy Mansfield had purchased Mills County’s first "Auto Hearse." Again, families were reluctant to use the auto hearse and Mansfield offered the family a choice of either the traditional horse drawn hearse or the auto hearse. The horse drawn hearse is displayed today on the showroom floor of the Mansfield-Hertz Monument Sales Company on Main Street in Malvern.
Clayton Leon "Bud" Hertz was born in Malvern, IA on December 22, 1921 to Karl Edward and Edith Dice Hertz. Bud attended the Malvern Schools and graduated from Malvern High in 1939. The family moved to San Dimas, CA in 1940. Bud graduated from Chaffey Junior College in Ontario, CA in 1942. He then completed pilot training and served as a captain in the Thirteenth Air Force in the South Pacific. On April 24, 1943, he married Lenore Ellen Mansfield of Malvern.
In 1948, Bud graduated from the California College of Mortuary Science in Los Angeles, CA, and then moved to Malvern to join his father-in-law Roy Mansfield at the funeral home. Bud and Lenore had three sons Clayton Hertz Jr., Karl Mansfield Hertz, and Kevin Lynn Hertz. In 1960, Bud was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. He and Lenore continued to manage the funeral home until 1968 when their son Karl Mansfield Hertz joined the firm.
Bud died on September 1, 1979 and Lenore died on February 9, 1991.
In 1968, Karl Mansfield Hertz graduated from the California College of Mortuary Science in Los Angeles, CA. He then returned home to Malvern where he joined his parents at the funeral home. On January 10, 1970, Karl was married to Teresa Laray Jones, one of six children of Orlo and Lola (Knop) Jones of Malvern. Karl and Terry have three sons, Karl Edward Hertz, Keith Eugene Hertz, and Kent Eric Hertz. In 1975, Karl became president of Mansfield-Hertz Funeral Home.
The McKee Funeral Home was established in Carson, IA in 1945 by Lloyd (Mac) McKee. Lloyd operated the funeral home for 41 years. On October 1, 1986, Karl and Terry Hertz purchased the McKee Funeral Home. The funeral home was remodeled and preparations made to expand the business. In 1994, property was purchased north of Highway 92 in Carson and plans were made for the construction of a new funeral home. On April 1, 1997, the first equipment rolled onto the property and construction began on the new Hertz Funeral Home.
On May 14, 1994, Karl Edward (K.E.) Hertz graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, MO with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Relations. He then worked as a District Executive for the Boy Scouts of America in the Maryville area. On May 19, 1995, Karl was married to Teresa Louise Wiseman, daughter of Mary and John Wiseman, of Malvern. They were married at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Glenwood, IA. K.E. and Teresa continued to live in Maryville while Teresa finished her degree in Molecular Biology. In March of 1996, K.E. and Teresa moved to Cincinnati, OH where K.E. attended the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. After graduating in March of 1997, K.E. and Teresa returned to Malvern where K.E. joined his parents at the funeral home. Teresa began working at Glenwood Family Dentistry as a Dental Assistant for Dr. Gray. K.E. and Teresa have two children Jakob Karl and Megan Louise.
While construction was underway on the new funeral home in Carson, a new chapel and offices were being constructed at the Malvern Funeral Home. In addition to the new rooms, the original structure was completely remodeled. This fully restored building is an exquisite representation of the family's past spirit and ambitious future.
On October 1, 2001, the Hertz family purchased the Hardiman-Raynor Funeral Home in Glenwood, Iowa. This purchase brought together the two oldest funeral homes in Mills County, Iowa and allowed the Hertz family to better serve families from the western portion of the county.
After extensive renovations the Hertz Funeral Home in Glenwood was opened. The building's renovations allow the Hertz's to accomodate large numbers of people at one time, and greet families with warm, comforting decor.
| Click photo below to enlarge | ||||
 Roy Mansfield |  Bessie Mansfield |  Mansfield Funeral Home |  Mansfield Funeral Home |  Horse Drawn Hearse |
 Bud and Lenore Hertz |  Bud Hertz |  Karl M Hertz |  Karl and Terry Wedding |  Mansfield-Hertz Funeral Home |
 Hertz and McKee |  McKee Funeral Home |  K.E. Hertz |  Raynor Funeral Home |  Hertz Funeral Home |
 K.E. Hertz Family | ||||
