Our Story

Our Earliest Richmond Roots

Old storefront with sign for T.B. Wessendorff, dealer in lumber, shingles, and undertaker’s supplies

Garmany & Carden Funeral Directors, Inc., has roots in our community tracing back to 1865. In that year, a Richmond businessman who owned the local lumber yard and other business interests, Mr. Anton Wessendorff, established the first funeral home in historic Richmond, Texas, located along the Brazos River in Fort Bend County. Anton Wessendorff's son, T. B. Wessendorff, operated the Richmond funeral home until it was sold in June, 1945, to the Geo. H. Lewis Family.


Meanwhile, the Rosenberg, Texas, funeral home facility was opened in 1926 by A. W. Clark. In 1928, A. E. Foerster purchased the Rosenberg chapel, and in 1930, Fred Klauke joined the funeral home as a partner. In 1946, John H. Garmany became a partner in the Rosenberg funeral home.

In September 1946, John H. Garmany purchased the Wessendorff family's interest in the Richmond chapel from the Geo. H. Lewis family, joining the two funeral home operations into one group. Mr. Garmany, who had been licensed as a Funeral Director by the State of Texas in May of 1925, joined with Roland Hartfield in 1951 to purchase the Foerster - Klauke interests and changed the name of the funeral homes to Garmany - Hartfield Funeral Home.

Original Hand-Built Horsedrawn Hearse

Vintage wooden wagon with large spoked wheels displayed indoors in a museum-like setting

The original hand-built hearse crafted by Mr. Anton Wessendorff before 1900. This hearse is believed to have been the first horse-drawn hearse operated in Fort Bend County, Texas. It was drawn by a matched team of horses.

Our Earliest Rosenberg Years

Vintage black car parked outside a retro motel with awnings and a covered driveway.

In 1926, the Rosenberg, Texas, funeral home facility was opened by A. W. Clark. In 1928, A. E. Foerster purchased the Rosenberg chapel, and in 1930, Fred Klauke joined the funeral home as a partner. In 1946, John H. Garmany became a partner in the Rosenberg funeral home.


In September 1946, John H. Garmany purchased the Wessendorff family's interest in the Richmond chapel from the Geo. H. Lewis family, joining the two funeral home operations into one group. Mr. Garmany, who had been licensed as a Funeral Director by the State of Texas in May of 1925, joined with Roland Hartfield in 1951 to purchase the Foerster - Klauke interests and changed the name of the funeral homes to Garmany - Hartfield Funeral Home. Part of the funeral home's service to the community was its operation of a round-the-clock ambulance service for Fort Bend County.

The Garmany-Janca Years

Portrait of a man in a dark suit, white shirt, and tie against a plain background.

In 1956, John Garmany partnered with Mr. John Janca, Mayor of Rosenberg, Texas, who had purchased the Hartfield interest. The Richmond and Rosenberg funeral home names were changed to Garmany - Janca. 


In 1960, Howard Carrico and Clyde Littlepage bought the Janca interest and V.O. Carden Sr., bought one-half of the Garmany interest. The partnership of Carden, Garmany, Carrico, and Littlepage changed the name of the funeral homes to Garmany & Company. 


The Garmany & Company partnership operated the Richmond and Rosenberg funeral homes, as well as the Needville, Texas, funeral chapel (which had been built in 1927), for the next ten years.

The Carden Family Era

Older couple posing indoors; woman seated in blue chair, man standing beside her in a suit.

In 1963, V.O. Carden, Sr., and John Garmany purchased the Garmany & Company interests of Littlepage and Carrico. 


Mr. Garmany and Mr. Carden continued to operate all three funeral home facilities until 1970. In 1970, Mr. Carden purchased the remaining interest of John Garmany and in 1972, Mr. Carden was joined in the growing business by his son, Don L. Carden, a graduate of Sam Houston State University and a licensed Funeral Director.


Don worked closely with his father until Don's untimely death in 1985. In 1978, the funeral home name was changed to Garmany & Carden Funeral Directors, Inc.

Mr. Carden's daughter, Jan Carden Culver, graduated from Baylor University in 1972 and joined the funeral home in early 1973 as Business Manager and Chief Financial Officer, where she serves today.


Today, Mr. Carden's grandson Thomas R. Culver, IV, is actively involved on the staff of Garmany & Carden Funeral Directors, Inc., bringing yet another generation of Carden Family into the funeral profession.


The main business office and corporate headquarters of Garmany & Carden Funeral Directors, Inc., is located at the Rosenberg facility. The Needville Chapel is available for use by families wanting funeral chapel services in the west Fort Bend County area.


Today, more than ever, Garmany & Carden Funeral Directors, Inc., understands the concerns of each family are unique. By offering professional, caring, and affordable service to those families, whether for:

  • Traditional Funeral Services,
  • Cremation Memorial Services,
  • The Making of Pre-Planned Funeral Arrangements,
  • The Selection of Granite or Bronze Markers, or
  • The Use of this Website

We believe you will find our "Family" is without equal in meeting your families' needs.

Southwest Monument Co., Inc. & Pre-Need Arrangements

Gravestone with pink flowers and a reflective black granite surface in a cemetery

In the early 1970's, Mr. Carden recognized the desire of many families who wanted to make all their, or their loved one's, funeral or cremation arrangements prior to death using "Pre-Need Funeral Arrangements". 


With the incorporation of Southwest Pre-Need Funerals, Inc., in 1975, Garmany & Carden Funeral Directors, Inc., became one of the first funeral homes in this area to offer pre-need arrangements as a valuable option to the families it serves.

In 1976, Southwest Monument Co., Inc., was incorporated, providing numerous options for cemetery graves and cremation memorials. Monuments sold through Southwest Monument Co., Inc., can be found in all major cemeteries in Fort Bend County, Texas, as well as several major cemeteries in Houston and Harris County.


With the availability of reasonably priced granite, bronze, and marble statuary, and with the professional services provided through Garmany & Carden Funeral Directors, Inc., truly ALL funeral, cremation, and burial services are available to families in one place - Garmany & Carden Funeral Directors, Inc.

Modern Days

Mr. Thomas R. Culver, IV, joined Garmany & Carden Funeral Directors, Inc., in 2005. Thomas is a 2004 graduate of Baylor University with a BBA Degree in Real Estate and Finance. He received his Associate of Applied Science Degree in Funeral Service - with Honors - from Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service in December 2007 and received his Certificate as a Licensed Funeral Director from the State of Texas in February 2008.


He is pleased to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, V. O. Carden, Sr., as the third generation of the Carden Family to enter the funeral profession in Fort Bend County. Thomas and his wife, Chelsea, reside in Katy, Texas. With compassion and tenderness, he is able to assist each family with the difficult decisions that are necessary upon the death of a loved one, whether at the time of death or Pre-Need.


Mrs. Chelsea Culver joined Garmany & Carden Funeral Directors, Inc., in 2024. Chelsea is from Mesa, Arizona. Chelsea serves as the office manager and also helps working funerals. As a licensed aesthetician, she is able to assist with final touches before a loved one is seen by their family. Chelsea and Tommy are involved in their church, Parkway Fellowship, in Katy.