History (Mortuary)
The Caldwell-Kirk Mortuary was started in Denver, Colorado in 1949 by the late William H. Kirk and his wife Ruby J. Kirk as the Kirk Mortuary. The mortuary was operated out of Trevino Mortuary at Alameda and Logan Street. As this business grew and flourished, it was relocated to its current site in 1960. The building had been a Kingdom Hall for the Jehovah’s Witnesses. In 1974, a major renovation of the mortuary building was undertaken with the guidance of a leading local black architect, Bertram Bruton and a special dedication program was held on Sunday, July 14, 1974.
In 1984, Elvin R. Caldwell, Jr. purchased the mortuary and became President and General Manager. The mortuary was renamed Caldwell- Kirk Mortuary. Elvin enjoyed a 20 year career with Mountain Bell (now known as US West) and AT&T before taking an early retirement and pursuing new career opportunities.
Although Mrs. Ruby J. Kirk-Gray was not active in the day-to-day operation of the mortuary, she continued to provide inspirational support and encouragement to the mortuary until she passed in 2018 at the age of 101. As president and owner of the Caldwell-Kirk Mortuary, Elvin R. Caldwell, Jr. has continued to provide funeral services to families with sympathetic care and understanding. His background in business and law has enabled him to provide extra care and assistance to families in resolving estate matters arising before and after death occurs
The Mortuary offers Advance Planning and special seminars to provide information on pre-planned funeral services and cemetery arrangements. Trust-funded plans and insurance funded plans like the United Heritage Life Insurance Plan and other insurance products have been sold over the years. The Advanced Planning seminars are conducted by the staff and outside consultants. Quarterly Grief Seminars are conducted with the assistance of grief counselors or individuals with backgrounds in ministry, caregiving and grief.
Today, Caldwell-Kirk Mortuary is the oldest black owned mortuary in the City of Denver. It takes pride in having served the community for over 70 years.
In February 2019, Elvin sold the Caldwell-Kirk Mortuary and Colorado Funeral Services to the Archdiocese of Denver Mortuary.
Below is a picture of the Reception Center at the Caldwell-Kirk Mortuary.
History (Crematory)
In 2012 Elvin formed Colorado Funeral Services, LLC a wholly owned subsidiary of Caldwell-Kirk Mortuary to handle the cremations of the mortuary and other mortuaries in the City of Denver. It utilizes a brand new state of the art cremator purchased from Matthews Cremation Division – the Power Pak II Plus.
