During the early years of the 20th century, in the town of Downey, California, long time resident Thomas L. Miller was continuing in his father’s footsteps, and was, himself already a well known and respected builder of fine home furnishings. During this era, in Downey and across the nation, it had become customary for the family of a deceased member, to contact the local furniture maker, and place their order for a custom built casket (most likely referred to as the coffin). The bereaved may have engaged Mr. Miller for the creation of something beautiful and unique, crafted from the finest available redwood or golden oak. Or he may have been asked to build a simple pine box. In addition to building the funeral casket, Mr. Miller would often find himself consulting with and assisting families on funeral arrangements. And as people becoming more mobile, it become less likely for the deceased family member to be placed in the family’s own ’Front Parlor’ for the purpose of ’The Wake" or Visitation. The end result of these changing traditions helped lead to the creation of current day mortuaries, better known then as ’Family Funeral Homes’. In most instances, the owner and operator family did actually live in the funeral home, usually on a second or third floor.

The year was 1908 and at a site not far from old State Route 19 (Lakewood Blvd.) and former State Route 42 (Firestone Blvd.), which at the time was one of the busiest intersections, Thomas L. Miller opened his funeral home naming it The Thomas L. Miller Co. Originally owned and operated solely by Thomas Miller, his wife and their children, Mr. Miller did, in later years, go into partnership with the owner(s) of other local family funeral homes. Norwalk Funeral Home and The John Mies Family Mortuaries are two examples. And later Mr. McComb would become part owner of the Thomas L. Miller Co. For a time we were known as Downey Miller Mortuary and later Miller, Mies and McComb Mortuary. Originally, the mortuary was located on the North/West corner of Crawford (now Downey Ave.) and Third Streets. After damages caused by The Whittier/Narrows Earthquake in 1987, the building was disassembled and, the beautifully carved moldings and unique cabinets and bookshelves were sold by the piece. The business relocated to the South/West corner of Downey Ave. and Third Street, and now encompasses the entire first floor of the Downey Masonic Building.