Learn our story, from the beginning and into the future.
Ever since we opened our gates we have approached life (and death) differently. While some just see the end of a loved one’s life as a time for grief and mourning, we prefer to think of it as a time for reflection, appreciation and even celebration. This is evident in everything we do, from the way we conduct our services to the amenities we choose to offer. We are not a burial ground. We are a close knit community dedicated to honoring, sharing and preserving the amazing and inspirational stories that are life.
Why Us?
In a nutshell? Experience, professionalism, compassion, and empathy.
We've learned a lot over many years. Like how to present options without overwhelming. And how to meet the needs of many caring parties. People come to us in difficult times, and we respond kindness, calmness and expertise. Our goal is to create a beautiful occasion and make you feel welcome, always. We spend our days planning with families. We stay up to date with industry developments. And we make hard times a little easier.
Learn the legacy.
On October 1, 1927, Frank L. DeMark, bought
the existing funeral business of Thomas Dwyer and operated the funeral home out
of a residence located at 27 West Highland Avenue for five years. In 1932,
construction began on the present facility at the corner of Highland Avenue and
Holly Drive. A dedication of the building was held on April 23, 1933. DeMark
Memorial Chapel was named in memory of Mr. DeMark’s son who died the year
before. In 1935, Mr. DeMark's daughter, Evelyn obtained her embalmer's license
and in 1937 she and Bruce M. Hotchkiss were married.
In 1945, the Hotchkiss’ purchased the
funeral home from Mr. DeMark and operated it as Hotchkiss Mortuary. Their son,
Bruce J. Hotchkiss joined the firm in 1966 after obtaining his embalmer's
license. He soon became the manager and in 1968 added 3500 square feet to the
original building.
In 1997, Mr. Hotchkiss sold the
mortuary to Service Corporation International (SCI). Naomi Campbell was an area
manager for SCI and Hotchkiss Mortuary fell under her oversight. In 2001, Ms.
Campbell and Marion Hallock purchased Hotchkiss Mortuary from SCI, returning it to a family owned and operated business. In 2006,
Ms. Campbell purchased Ms. Hallock’s half of the business. Ms. Campbell trained
her husband, Louis, and together they have served and cared for the community
for the last thirteen years.
In March of 2019, Jared and Bethanny
Murray purchased Hotchkiss Mortuary and are operating as
Tracy Memorial Chapel. Mr. and Ms. Murray take pride in being able to guide
people through some of their most difficult days and are devoted to serving their communities with loving care, compassion, and dignity.
Who We Are
Meet our staff. Members of the local community make everything that happens possible. Together, we make this place amazing.
As in many family owned businesses, the younger members of the family get involved in helping take care of the needs of the business. Jared Murray is no exception. As a young man, he assisted his father, Albert Murray with the funeral trade business. In addition, he worked for several funeral homes in the greater Sacramento and Seattle areas were he learned, not only the social skills required to run a funeral home, but also the technical skills needed. It was a special opportunity for him to work with people while providing them a valuable service.
With a passion to serve, Jared joined the US Air Force in May of 2000. While permanently stationed at Travis AFB, he was deployed overseas to Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan, and Oman. After completing four years in the Air Force, he went on to serve the communities of Sierra County as a Deputy Sheriff and the City of Dixon as a Police Officer. After ten years in law enforcement, Jared decided it was time to move into a safer career and began working for Covered California as a Labor Relations Manager. Throughout his eighteen year career in government, he still found time to assist at the family's funeral homes.
In October 2018, Jared's oldest daughter, Kendall unexpectedly and tragically passed away. Using the experience of losing a child and with a desire to continue having the opportunity to become part of and to develop relationships with members of the community through service, Jared decided to purchase Hotchkiss Mortuary, which he operates as Tracy Memorial Chapel. "Although challenging, the funeral service profession provides a great opportunity to serve others in their time of need. It's our goal to always be there for the community when they need our services."
Jared is married to Bethanny Murray, and they have four daughters: Kendall (2000-2018), Olivia, Scarlett, and Violet.
Jared has a BA in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Public Administration and three professional certificates in Human Resources, Labor Relations, and Conflict Resolution from UC Davis. Jared is a licensed funeral director in the State of California and is also licensed to offer funeral pre-arrangement plans.
