Learn the Legacy
Learn our story, from the beginning and into the future. Our family owned business has a vested interest in serving the community where we live and work. We believe in families and neighbors serving neighbors.
144 Years of Service
The business that is now Trimble Inc. was started on March 13, 1874, as "E. B. Knox, Picture Framing and Undertaking." Our founder, Edwin B. Knox, a pioneer undertaker and early mayor of Moline, began his business on Third Avenue (now Moline's River Drive) at about 18th Street, near the current site of the old post office building. He soon moved across the railroad tracks into a new building located on the site of the parking lot on the west side of 15th Street between Fourth and Fifth Avenues. He was reported to be the first businessman to move away from the "downtown business center" which was then located on Third Avenue.
In 1908, after Edwin Knox's son, Luther, had joined his father in business, they closed the picture framing and art supply portion of their business, relocated to a new building they built on Fifth Avenue and 18th Street across from today's Daily Dispatch building, and renamed the business E. B. Knox and Son. A final move to the funeral home's long-time location on Sixth Avenue and 21st Street occurred in 1923, with the purchase of the former Barber residence and its conversion into a funeral home, which they renamed Knox Funeral Home. That building was one of the earliest examples of the then-new 'funeral home' concept in the midwest -- a dedicated home for funerals, rather than a store-front building.
E. B. Knox died in 1926, and Luther continued to operate the funeral home until selling to Dorothy and Riley Trimble on July 1, 1945. The firm operated as Knox-Trimble Funeral Home until 1960, when it was renamed Trimble Funeral Home. Eric Trimble joined his parents in business in 1969, and became president of the firm upon his father's death in 1983. The firm has continued to expand, with the construction of the Coal Valley funeral home in 1977, and the acquisition of the Aledo funeral home in 1981. The Aledo funeral home was sold to long-time manager Annette Speer in 2003.
For the first time since 1906, the firm diversified into retail in 1985 when it acquired Julius Staack and Sons Florist, Moline's oldest floral shop, founded in 1877. In 1990, the shop, now Staack Florist and Event Planners, relocated to a new building near the Moline funeral home. The flower shop was sold to long-time manager Louise Lorimer in 2010.
In 1985, Wilson House Stationers was started in Moline's oldest house. The Trimble Family completed restoration of three 1870's buildings in the Historic Block on John Deere Commons in the Fall of 1999, and opened WaterMark Corners, a diversified retail store offering gifts, jewelry, antiques, children's books and toys, gourmet foods, bath products, and much more. Wilson House Stationers was relocated to WaterMark Corners in 2004, and is now known as WaterMark Stationers.
The Future
The State of Illinois acquired the firm's main location in downtown Moline for a new I-74 Mississippi River bridge, forcing the family to relocate in 2014. Committed to staying in the center of the Quad City area, the Trimble Family purchased the former Irving School property at 701 12th Street, and built Trimble Pointe, a multi-facited development which includes the Trimble Funeral Home and Crematory, Veterans Funeral Care, Trimble Funeral Planning, and CityView Celebrations, an upscale reception center for funeral luncheons and community events.
Ever since we opened our doors we have approached life (and death) differently. While some just see the end of a loved one’s life as a time for grief and mourning, we prefer to think of it as a time for reflection, appreciation and even celebration. This is evident in everything we do, from the way we conduct our services to the amenities we choose to offer. We are not just a funeral home. We are a close-knit community dedicated to honoring, sharing and celebrating the amazing and inspirational stories that are life.
Why Us?
In a nutshell? Experience, professionalism, compassion, and empathy.
We've learned a lot over many years. Like how to present options without overwhelming. And how to meet the needs of many caring parties. People come to us in difficult times, and we respond kindness, calmness and expertise. Our goal is to create a beautiful occasion and make you feel welcome, always. We spend our days planning with families. We stay up to date with industry developments. And we make hard times a little easier.
The Trimble Family
Barbara and Eric Trimble are the proud parents of Amy, Corporate Secretary and manager of WaterMark Corners, and Reid, Corporate Treasurer and funeral home manager. Reid and his wife, Jennifer, who teaches at Rock Island High School, have four children, Tucker, Claire, Graham, and Owen.
