It was spring of 1990 and a young man loaded up his
belongings into his red car and drove across Michigan to Metro-Detroit to sell
funeral supplies. Tom Patten knew the
funeral industry well, since his family had been in the monument business all
of his life. After spending a year
selling funeral supplies, Tom started working for Bruce Elder and Hilton
Funeral Supply.
Bruce Elder was a mentor and a friend to Tom. Bruce was a successful entrepreneur who started his own casket company at a very young age. He later guided Tom and his dream of owning Hilton Funeral Supply. Tom learned a lot about hard work and building relationships from Bruce. These values allowed Tom to grow Hilton Funeral Supply into the business that it is today.
The foundation of Hilton Funeral Supply began with Tom traveling the road making calls on funeral homes. His brother Tim began working with him, just a few years later, to further the family affair. Tom covered the Michigan territory while Tim covered the Indiana territory. Over the years they have both made great connections with funeral directors throughout the Midwest.
As Tom made his way, he found funeral stationery lines to carry and added them to the list of products available. Register books, Service Folders, Acknowledgement Cards and Prayer Cards became prominent offerings. As Tom travelled and spoke with funeral directors, he realized there was a need for software that could be used to customize stationery for families. This need is what drove the development of Shared Memories. Shared Memories print software provides funeral homes with an easy-to-use program for creating keepsake candles, prayer cards, and bookmarks. “When I created Shared Memories, I wanted funeral professionals to be able to provide a personalized experience for family members and their loved ones”, says Tom.
Today, Hilton Funeral Supply offers everything from fluids to plastics, printed funeral stationery to blank stock, promotional products to keepsake candles. Most recently, Tom and the Hilton Funeral Supply team have created the Forever Moments line of exclusive designs available in register books, service folders, acknowledgement cards and bookmarks.
Hilton Funeral Supply is an essential source for funeral homes in the U.S. Our products are offered to suit each area of the funeral home. From prep room supplies and PPE to promotional products and stationery, we remain a primary source for funeral homes. Hilton Funeral Supply is proud to support amazing funeral professionals who dedicate their lives to serving families in the most difficult times.
The dream has evolved into a thriving business with an amazing team. Our licensed funeral director, Jason Weir, helps funeral professionals all over Michigan. Suzanne Preuss, the business manager, has worked with Tom since the very beginning of Hilton. Tom’s son Conner has decided to work within the business, making it a second-generation family business. Our customer service representatives Anna and Raquel, our graphic designer Liz, and our accountant, Celeste (Tim and Tom’s niece), work hard to provide unparalleled service to our customers.
