Hearse top ornament

Martin Harvey

PCS Member
Hello folks! We installed a nice exhibition at the funeral home for our 60th year of service this weekend. We borrowed some stuff from local collectors like 1880's embalming kits and 1930's decoration stuff and a friend owned a particulat hearse ornament used until 1961-62 here.



First, Ill give you the link of the historical pictures I found at the archive center, on the majority of the pre-1960 hearses you can thee this kind of ornament on the top:

http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/di...c=3129&pid=160935962&mid=5299929&locale=fr-CA

and here is a close-up picture of a survivor:



If you know where I can get one, let me know!
 
now that would be a nice car to see more of. that ornament is nothing compared to the top of most European cars of that age. the cross is at least vary dignified. I guessing they had other designs for other religions? same as the crucifix in the side glass. I see that it's removable also.
 
Is that held on with....SUCTION CUPS?........ :D

Very neat tho. First I've ever seen. What kind of hearse is that pictured? Is that a Packard?

BTW...i couldn't understand a word of that website! :yankchain: Congrats on your 60 years Martin!! :smileflagcan:
 
Congrats on the 60th anniversary,some of those pictures on the link were amazing,some odd looking flower cars,you must have a large Catholic population,makes your place some where I will have to visit.Thank you.
 
Thanks for the 60'th! ... not mine, 60 years of the funeral home!

North here are the last part of Quebec still 98% catholic and 100% french speaking. To give an example, my father can only understand in english yes, no, and toaster. About the car, what I understood it was something like a Pontiac locally modified but by the tail lights it seems to be another car, I have several other pictures of the Pontiac and it looks like a Barnette. Maybe a Hudson?

Here is a close up on another one funeral the same year:




Will ask to Mr Berube maybe he knows

Those crucifixes in the windows are removable and I don't know why but they were common in every S&S I saw until 1970's.

About this famous crown-cross it was fixed in place by 2 things, the rubber suction cups (3), and a screw held by the interior. Those ornaments were fixed on combinations just where the federal beacon light go and they used the hole. I saw a picture of another one, bigger and the crown was placed around the beacon. From what I heard it was sold by Girard &Godin and Montreal caskets until 1962 when probably the Vatican II council modified some parts of the Catholic funeral procession.
 
Fascinating car! This is a conversion, and a pretty good one at that, of a 1951-1952 Chrysler Crown Imperial long-wheelbase sedan or limousine. These were considered members of Chrysler's C-53 Series and, over the two year span, only 360 were produced. I haven't the slightest idea who did the conversion but, as I said, it appears to have been first rate. Thanks for posting images of this extreme rarity.
 
Prevost buses used to do some conversions back in the 1940's. Could be, or Montreal auto body shop... Will ask to the old pallbearers here ;)
 
American Funeral cars and Ambulances by Tom McPherson,shows on page #238 a 1950 Meteor flower car made by John Little of Ingersoll Ont. with the cross on top.noted a popular addition to many vehicles made for Quebec.
 
Extremely unlikely that this was a John Little conversion. I'n betting that it was carried out somewhere in Quebec and, again, it's obvious that it was based on a 1951-1952 Crown Imperial long wheelbase sedan or limousine.
 
Beautiful Hearse - it's a Demers = If you blow up the photo then use a magnifying glass you can make it out just above the Imperial nameplate on the front fender
 
I dont think it was built by Demers. They started selling their conversions around 1967.. some of the pictures are dated from 1953 and 1959, The car is a 1952 Crown Imperial, It's the word Crown on top of the word imperial! Keith, I will check with my boss maybe he remembers this car, after checking on the web it seems it was a John Little conversion... But the cross on top is from Girard & Godin funeral products.
 
Interesting discussion about a "mystery" car. Even though this was originally posted in the "Wanted" forum, I have moved it to the discussion forum, since there is a lot of discussion about the vehicles themselves. I wonder if Martin has any updates to the discussion of 8 years ago. Paul Steinberg
 
I created a facebook page on Quebec vintage hearses where I allow members and funeral directors to scan their old pictures. Yet not find any pictures of that perticular hearse, there is a lot more pictures that show up of others, from different era.
The page is used more like a database than an enthusiasts page to keep the infos. We found new coaches that we beleived were gone but still intact with this page. The car will probably appear one day in a news ad or something

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1758271944434358
 
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