Carolina procars over the years

Kent Dorsey

PCS Member / Funeral Director
1979 Superior Limousine Style - firm unknown, photographed in Northeastern portion of NC during my short procar sales days, 1995-1996.

Closer view of 1979 Superior

1990 Superior Chevrolet Hearse, photographed at Hatteras Island Chapel of Twiford FH. Twifords had several of these Chevrolets over the years. This particular funeral home has a boat dock near the back door...

1978 M-M Olympian and 1992 Superior Statesman at double funeral from ten years ago. Traded the 78 Olympian to Danny Ryder for 1990 Superior Chevrolet. The 1992 is on removal/crematory run duty now.
 

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and more...

Has that Twifords Chevrolet above got a 1990 and a 1988 headlight configuration going on? Maybe my eyes, but it looks like the passenger side headlights are larger... dunno...

Photo 1:
Adam Baynard's 1974 Superior Hearse, not running anymore

Photo 2:
Adam Baynard's 1974 Superior Combination

Photo 3:
Lancaster FH, Louisburg, NC's 1989 Eureka Chevrolet

Photo 4:
The Washburn & Dorsey stable mates circa 1998.
1964 Superior combination, now doing funerals again at Groce FH, Asheville. Is now silver over black...
1973 M-M Classic Limousine... it's here...
1978 M-M Olympian, shown in photo on double funeral, traded
1992 Superior Statesman, still here, has one of best engines of any car here
 

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What where the production number's of the Superior limo style per year from 77 to i guess the early 80's .
 
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Groce FH, Asheville, NC. Dunn & Groce until the early '50's.
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these factory S&S picking up the new car photos were a great PR thing on there part. did you notice that there were no White walls till the 59 modal.
 
Fred Groce is pictured with the '73 S & S... Fred and June Groce with the '76... both cars had green interiors. I was at Groce from 1984 to 1988.. They bought a new fwd '85 S & S Victoria and sold the '73 to a firm that lost theirs in a fire. The '76 went to McKinney-Landreth in Cliffside later and then went to Georgia. I was gone, but I think they replaced the '76 with a '89 fwd S & S with the higher top...
The '85 was so small inside and had a reputation for tearing casket sprays all to pieces, that Fred put out the word, "unless we need two hearses out at the same time I want to see that '76 in action..."
Thanks to Ted for these photos, as I hadn't seen most of them.
 
Time for more...

*1972 Superior, former Washington FH, Great Falls, SC, my first procar, sold in 1997. (Hangin out with the '73 M-M)
*1990 Superior Crown, McMahan's FH of Rutherfordton. Was traded for:
*1997 Eureka Lincoln, still at McMahan's FH, though doing removal and 2nd hearse duty. Stablemate is a 2008 or so Federal.
*1974 Yankee Coach Suburban. Jeremy posted another photo of this one on the "Carry-alls" thread. Here it is in better days, hanging outside of the apartment at McMahan's. Must have been Christmas or something for me to have it out of the district and be on call...
 

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A couple of coach ads... Weathers Coach, circa 1996

The only car I can identify on this sheet is the 1989 Superior Cadillac, which spent a number of years at Clay-Barnette in Shelby, NC. Gone from there now, it is for sale...
Interesting 1986 Collins Buick... I have seen a couple of Collins Cadillacs I think with that back window configuration, but don't remember seeing any Buicks...
 

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Weathers Coach Ad 2, circa 1996...

I drove the 1991 Eureka Cadillac all over eastern NC over a couple of days... don't remember any of the others...
 

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*1972 Superior, former Washington FH, Great Falls, SC, my first procar, sold in 1997. (Hangin out with the '73 M-M)
I really want to see this one. My uncle lives next to this funeral home. This is the reason I got into hearses. My uncle, brother, and myself walked up the road to see a monument and I saw the funeral home and said "When I start driving, I want a hearse". I was 12 at the time. It only took another 12 years to get my 73 MM.
 
I'm not sure if mine was from NC originally but I did find out it was last registered there. It is a 73 superior cadillac hearse. I don't have any old photos of it though.
 
Groce, and others

As an addendum to the Groce posts, in the ’30’s there was Brownell-Dunn FH & Lewis FH (among others). Brownell dropped out, and Dunn & Groce was created. In the early ’50’s, Groce became independent, located in West Asheville. Dunn & Williams (brothers Roy & Earl) went into business in East Asheville. As the years passed, their sign became “DUNN & WILLIAMS”, and finally "Williams Funeral Service." Mr. Lewis’ business faded, and in the ’70’s he sold his ’41(?) Miller hearse & ’49 Caddy family car (his only rolling stock) to Williams. About ten years ago Groce built another facility in South Asheville. Williams sold to SCI (at which point the cars disappear) and business declined. This year Groce bought Williams. Talk about a circuitous route!

There’ve been many comments about “gross” funeral home, but there was also Berryman FH! He sold to Penland in the ’60’s, which continued as the only funeral home providing EMS until the ’90’s. Mr. Penland accidentally kicked an oxygen tank down the basement steps, causing an explosion. He was severely burned and the structure was destroyed. They relocated east of Asheville.
 
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