Keahey Funeral Home is expanding to Lockhart.

The site, which is located on Ala. Hwy. 55 across from Mike’s General Store, will be the company’s fourth location. It’s a concept has been in the works for several years, Kym Keahey said Monday.

“We’ve been working with Lockhart Mayor Eugene Birge for more than five years about building a new funeral home down there,” Keahey said. “This will be our fourth location – we’ve got the one in Andalusia, of course; one in our hometown of Clio and another in Brundidge.

“We love the small rural towns, and Lockhart is the right fit,” she said. “We’re not going in down there projecting to do all the (funeral) services or even half, but as with any small towns, there is a large trade area. Many people live in the rural routes and all the way to Crestview (Fla.). I feel confident putting a business there that will be there for years to come.”

She said she and her husband began looking at expanding to south end of the county at the request of their customers.

“Many families have asked us for years to come down there,” Keahey said. “There’s such a driving distance between Florala and Andalusia, that it is hard on people. This new facility will fix that.”

Keahey said the nearly 5,000 square-foot full service funeral home will feature a traditional southern architectural-look with a brick exterior. Inside, there will be two viewing rooms, a 200-person capacity chapel, morgue and coffee room.

Site prep began last week, and the Keahey family – which also includes daughter Lexi and her new husband Christopher Fowler, who are in mortuary school – hope to hold a groundbreaking ceremony at the site Wednesday.

The family will also staff the facility once it’s completed.

“We’ll probably hire someone from the area to assist us as we build the business up,” Keahey said. “It’s a lot of work. We kept pushing forward, and (the project) is finally happening. It’s so very exciting.”

Keahey said construction should take four months, putting the opening in March.