Funeral coaches are the vehicle most people dislike seeing much less talking about, but a true classic owned by Jeff Beverage of Beverage-Lyons Funeral Home in Rochelle could easily ramp up the conversation, especially among auto enthusiasts, quite a bit.  
It’s a vintage 1953 Packard with body structures altered by the now-extinct Henney Motor Company of Freeport.  Founded in 1868, the company remained an industry leader for over 80 years until it ceased operations in 1954.  
Beverage, a Sandwich native, has owned the vehicle for several years after having discovered it on an auto trader website.  It was housed undriven in Tonica for years before its purchase and has distinct features that set it apart from other, similar service vehicles.  
While virtually every automotive body style converted easily into an ambulance, hearse, flower car or other service vehicle, the Packard set a styling pace truly remarkable and even luxurious for its time.  Beverage says the vehicle is not used for funeral service but makes a stunning attraction parked outside the facility on North Sixth Street, where the original proprietor, Merle Cluts, began his funeral home in the early 1960s.  It’s a beautifully curious vehicle of automotive body design and alteration and local history.