Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions
A United States funeral-products manufacturer supplying caskets, cremation urns, funeral-home supplies, and related consulting services.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions is a funeral-products business based in Aurora, Indiana, and a subsidiary of Pittsburgh-based Matthews International. The company is principally associated with the manufacture and sale of caskets and funerary urns, serving funeral homes and the wider death-care sector in the United States. Its product range includes both wooden and metal caskets, as well as urns designed to contain cremated remains. In addition to physical merchandise, the company provides supplies and consulting services intended to support funeral-home operations. The business traces its origins to 1890, when John Backman began making wooden caskets by hand in Aurora. The early enterprise was reported to employ approximately 20 people. During the 1920s, Backman's son William Backman and his son-in-law William Barrott joined the company, beginning a period in which the Backman and Barrott families exercised control for several decades. This family ownership shaped the company's identity as it expanded from a small local woodworking operation into a substantial casket manufacturer. The company operated for many years under the Aurora Casket Company name. By the mid-2000s, it was described as one of the largest casket manufacturers in the United States and was reported to account for more than 38 percent of domestic casket sales in 2005. That figure illustrates the scale the business had reached within the American funeral-supply industry, although the available reference material does not provide a current market share. A significant ownership change took place in 2012, when private-equity firm Kohlberg & Co. acquired Aurora Casket Company. By 2014, the company had approximately 850 employees and was identified as one of the larger privately held companies in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. In June 2015, Matthews International acquired the business and renamed it Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions. The transaction placed the established Aurora manufacturing operation within Matthews International's broader memorialization and funeral-products portfolio. As Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions, the business combines the legacy of the Aurora casket operation with Matthews International's corporate structure. Its role is primarily business-to-business: funeral homes and other death-care professionals are the principal customers for its caskets, urns, supplies, and operational support. The available sources establish its historical development, ownership transitions, principal product categories, and United States market presence, but do not provide sufficient information to document current revenue, current employee numbers, individual executives, international sales, or a detailed present-day product catalog.
History
Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions originated in Aurora, Indiana, in 1890, when John Backman began producing wooden caskets by hand. The early operation employed about 20 people. In the 1920s, Backman's son William Backman and his son-in-law William Barrott joined the business. The Backman and Barrott families subsequently controlled the company for decades, during which the local casket maker developed into a major participant in the American funeral-products industry. The enterprise became known as the Aurora Casket Company. Its business centered on casket production, with wooden and metal models forming the core of its offering. It later added funerary urns for cremated remains and supplied funeral homes with other products and consulting support. By 2005, the company was described as selling more than 38 percent of caskets in the United States, making it one of the country's largest casket manufacturers. The available historical material does not provide a complete chronology of product introductions, facilities, or geographic expansion. Ownership changed in 2012, when Kohlberg & Co. purchased Aurora Casket Company. Around 2014, the company had approximately 850 employees and was considered one of the Cincinnati metropolitan area's largest private companies. In June 2015, Matthews International acquired the business. Following the acquisition, the Aurora operation was renamed Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions and became a subsidiary of Matthews International, whose headquarters are in Pittsburgh. Under its current name, the company is positioned as a supplier to funeral homes and other death-care professionals. Its documented activities include manufacturing wooden and metal caskets, producing urns for cremated remains, and offering supplies and consulting services. Publicly available reference material identifies the company as active within the Matthews International group but does not establish current financial performance, current leadership, exact employee count, or a complete list of operating markets.
- 2015
Matthews International acquisition and rebranding
[1]Matthews International acquired Aurora Casket Company in June and renamed it Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions.
- 2014
Reported workforce of approximately 850
[1]Aurora Casket Company was reported to employ about 850 people and to rank among the larger private companies in the Cincinnati metropolitan area.
- 2012
Acquisition by Kohlberg & Co.
[1]Private-equity firm Kohlberg & Co. acquired Aurora Casket Company.
- 2005
Reported leading United States casket position
[1]The company was reported to sell more than 38 percent of United States caskets, reflecting its substantial domestic market position at the time.
- 1920
The Backman and Barrott families join the business
[1]During the 1920s, William Backman and William Barrott joined the company, beginning the documented involvement of the two families that controlled it for many years.
- 1890
John Backman begins casket production
[1]John Backman started making wooden caskets by hand in Aurora, Indiana, establishing the business that later became Aurora Casket Company.
Products and positioning
A large American death-care supplier focused on caskets, cremation urns, and operational support for funeral homes.
Caskets · 1890
Wooden caskets
Wooden caskets are part of the company's historic and continuing product scope. The business began as a hand-made wooden-casket operation in 1890 and later developed this category as one of its principal funeral-home offerings.
Caskets
Metal caskets
Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions manufactures metal caskets for funeral homes and other death-care customers. The available reference material confirms the category but does not specify the metals, construction methods, collections, or current model range.
Cremation products
Funerary urns
The company produces urns intended to hold cremated remains. These products extend its funeral-merchandise offering beyond traditional burial caskets and serve funeral homes handling cremation arrangements.
Professional support
Funeral-home supplies and consulting
In addition to manufactured funeral merchandise, the company provides supplies and consulting services for funeral homes. The cited sources do not identify the individual supply categories or describe the consulting methodology in further detail.
Brand decisions
2015
Matthews International acquisition and rebrandingM&ABackground
Matthews International acquired the established Aurora casket business as part of its funeral and memorialization activities.
Action taken
Matthews International purchased Aurora Casket Company in June 2015 and changed its name to Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions.
Aftermath
The business became a subsidiary of Matthews International while retaining its Aurora, Indiana identity and documented focus on caskets, urns, funeral-home supplies, and consulting.
2012
Aurora Casket Company sale to Kohlberg & Co.M&ABackground
After decades of control by the Backman and Barrott families, Aurora Casket Company changed ownership through a sale to private-equity firm Kohlberg & Co.
Action taken
Kohlberg & Co. acquired the company.
Aftermath
The company continued operating as Aurora Casket Company and remained a significant employer and funeral-products manufacturer before its later sale to Matthews International.
Recent events
- 2015
Matthews International acquires and renames Aurora Casket Company[1]
M&A · Leadership change
Matthews International acquired Aurora Casket Company in June 2015 and renamed it Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions.
- 2012
Kohlberg & Co. acquires Aurora Casket Company[1]
M&A
Private-equity firm Kohlberg & Co. acquired Aurora Casket Company, ending the company's previous family-controlled ownership era.
Sources2 sources
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