T he Isburg Funeral Chapel was established as the Dotson Funeral Parlors in 1895 by I. M. Dotson. I.M. Dotson was a field man for the Manhattan Oil Company of Lima, Ohio. He was sent out to South Dakota to dispose of land that was owned by the Company in the Pierre area. Dotson liked the town of Pierre and decided to move his family out here doing so in 1895. After moving here he decided the town needed a mortician and so he went to Springfield College of Embalming. He returned with a hearse and merchandise and opened the Dotson Funeral Parlors.
The Funeral Home moved to Pierre Street in 1962 and was run by Ivan S. Dotson. Ivan ran the Funeral Home until 1968 when he sold it to Gordon and Pauline Thompson. The Thompson’s added their name to the business calling it the Dotson-Thompson Funeral Home. In 1969 Gordon and Pauline built a new Funeral Home at 439 S. Pierre Street where the Funeral Chapel is today.

In February of 1971 Gordon and Pauline sold the Funeral Home to Daryl Isburg. Daryl owned and operated the Isburg-Thompson Funeral Home until January of 1984 when he sold the Funeral Home to Lauren and Maxine Hofmeister of Presho, South Dakota. At the time Lauren and Maxine owned and operated the Hofmeister Funeral Chapels in Presho and Murdo. When purchasing the Funeral Home they combined the Pierre Funeral Home with the Funeral Homes in Presho and Murdo changing the name of the Funeral Home to Hofmeister Funeral Chapels, Inc.

In 2001, Daryl and Sally Isburg had the opportunity to buy back Daryl’s old funeral home along with the funeral chapels in Presho and Murdo doing so on January 1st. The Isburg Funeral Chapels are now managed and Co-owned by his son D. Scott Isburg, a second generation funeral director.