MOREHEAD, Ky. — Morehead funeral directors John and Denny Northcutt of Northcutt & Son Home for Funerals recently traveled to Cincinnati to attend the Professional Car Society's 50th Anniversary Celebration, marking a special milestone for both the organization and the Northcutt family.
The trip carried deep personal significance for Denny Northcutt, whose career in funeral service began in 1959. At that time, funeral homes commonly provided ambulance service throughout the community, transporting patients to local physicians or, when necessary, making the long trip to Lexington years before Interstate 64 or St. Claire Regional Medical Center existed.
According to John, his father began by washing ambulances at the former Lane Funeral Home on Main Street before eventually becoming an ambulance driver, serving families throughout Rowan County. Growing up in the funeral home, John said those early experiences riding on ambulance calls, accompanying his father on death calls, and helping with funerals helped shape the person he is today.
The family's passion for professional cars continued into the 1970s. In 1975, as Northcutt & Son was constructing its current funeral home, Denny purchased a beautifully restored 1935 Packard-Henney hearse in Bradenton, Florida. John accompanied his father and family friend Bert Russ on the trip to Florida, and together they drove the classic hearse back to Morehead—a memorable journey in a vehicle that cruised comfortably at about 50 to 55 miles per hour.
The following year, the pair drove that same Packard to Cincinnati for a Professional Car Society meet, creating memories that John says have stayed with him ever since.
Over the decades, Denny's collection has continued to grow and now includes additional antique funeral vehicles, including a 1960 Buick Flxible Combination Hearse/Ambulance and several horse-drawn funeral coaches dating back to the 1890s.
Returning to Cincinnati for the Professional Car Society's 50th anniversary celebration provided a full-circle moment. Despite driving through heavy rain, the weather cleared just as they arrived, allowing Denny to enjoy the event and reunite with friends who had displayed their professional cars alongside him at that very same meet 50 years earlier.
For John, watching his father reconnect with lifelong friends and relive cherished memories made every mile of the trip worthwhile.
"It was truly a homecoming," John reflected, adding that seeing the smile on his father's face made the special day one they will both treasure for years to come.