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March 28, 2024 7:32 pm
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A New Day For MV Mortuary

By VERNON ROBISON

Moapa Valley Progress

Moapa Valley Mortuary owner Brian Rebman (left) has passed the day-to-day management role of the business to his son Ben (right).

A new generation is taking over management at the Moapa Valley Mortuary in Logandale.

Brian Rebman, who has been funeral director in Moapa Valley for nearly 30 years now, moved to Mesquite earlier this summer. There he will continue to own the business and manage his Mesquite funeral home facility. But now, managing the flagship Moapa Valley funeral home going forward will be Brian’s son, Ben Rebman.

“There are a lot of reasons my wife and I decided to make the move,” Brian said in a recent interview. “But I think the number 1 reason was to further Ben’s career. Plus we really wanted to give him the opportunity to raise his family here in this valley. We wanted for his kids to be Pirates and have the same experiences that he, and our other kids, had growing up.”

Ben Rebman said that he and his wife Missy were excited to move to the community where he grew up. The couple have two young children ages 4 and 2, and are expecting a new addition to the family in December.

“We are just excited,” Ben said. “I’m looking forward to be able to continue the level of service to the community that I have watched my dad provide all of these years.”

Ben started working at the mortuary for his dad back when he was only 11 years old.
“I remember going along with my dad, doing removals and working funerals at a very young age,” Ben said. “I have watched him all my life.”

Ben graduated from Moapa Valley High School in 2011. He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Antofagasta, Chile. He returned in 2013 and started college at Southern Utah University in Cedar City.

Later he attended Arapahoe Community College in Denver, Colorado to earn a degree in Mortuary Science.

In 2015, he moved his family to Mesquite and began working in the Mesquite funeral home, also owned and operated by his dad.

Brian admits that it is hard for him to begin loosening up on his role as funeral director to his beloved Moapa Valley community, where he also grew up.
“What a joy it has been to live here and raise a family here,” he said. “It has been such a privilege to serve this community and develop the relationships and the trust that we have among our dear friends here. What a great experience it has been and it is hard letting go of that.”

Brian also graduated from MVHS in 1986 and went off to college.
Only fresh out of school, Brian began working as the Moapa Valley funeral director when Metcalf Mortuary purchased the Logandale facility in 1991. Brian learned the funeral services business under the tutelage of business owner Ron Metcalf. He said that he made a gentleman’s agreement with Ron back then that at some point he would be able to purchase the business from them and run it as his own.

“It is really a credit to his integrity that Ron went ahead and followed through on those agreements and made good on them,” Brian said. “I will always be grateful to him for teaching me the business and giving me these opportunities.”

Brian eventually bought the mortuary property from Metcalf in 2004. But Metcalf kept an ownership in the business for a time. Brian immediately went to work improving the property though. The old building underwent a major renovation for some needed structural repairs as well as getting a full interior remodel and re-decoration.

Then tragedy struck. In May of 2007, an electrical problem in the attic caused a major fire to break out in the building. Brian and his family watched as the newly renovated building was burned to the ground.

“To see the building burn was devastating,” Brian remembers. “It was definitely one of the hardest things that we have gone through. It was a huge setback, but we weathered it and we are okay now.”

With a thriving business, and services needed in the community, there was no time for mourning the loss. Brian went to work immediately to get two mobile structures placed on the property. These became the temporary offices for the business and funeral services went on uninterrupted.

Meanwhile a brand new mortuary building was rising from the ashes; far better than the first. The current building was built within two years and was occupied in the summer of 2009. This beautiful facility has served the community well ever since.

Brian finally purchased the Moapa Valley Mortuary business from Metcalf in 2012.
Brian said that he is pleased to be able to begin a new era of the business, passing on the day-to-day management to Ben.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” Brian said. “Ben is so sensitive and thoughtful and caring. The business is in good hands and the community is in great hands with him.”

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1 thought on “A New Day For MV Mortuary”

  1. Oh my gosh, this made me cry. Si proud of you Ben and an amazing and loving dad you have. It has been my honor to have been in your life, if even only for a little while.
    Grandma Sherry

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