Our History
Ours is a long history, stretching over 120 years. The business began in 1887 with Henry Rutherford, and was operated from a location just blocks away from our current location. Around 1928, the business was purchased by Earl Hollingsead, and he moved the business to our current location just two years later.
Some forty years after purchasing the funeral home, Mr. Hollingsead sold the business to his employee, John C. Sudak.
In 1974 John Sudak's son-in-law, David Danaher, began working in the business. In 1995, the name of the business was changed from the John C. Sudak Funeral Home to the Sudak-Danaher Funeral Home, to reflect David’s major role in the day-to-day operations of the funeral home.
Dennis Spilker joined John Sudak and David Danaher in October of 1994, and after 16 years of working at the funeral home he purchased the business from David and Margaret Danaher on December 29, 2010. This decision was not made lightly, and Dennis takes great pride in taking this step, and has a vision for the future of caring for the families of Cape May.
“I wish to create an environment that is friendly, caring and sincere. I believe in talking less, and listening more, to the families that place their confidence in us. I know from personal experience that sometimes it is just nice to have someone, including your trusted funeral director, listen to your story. It needs to be told, and I’m here to listen closely, and be the friend whom you trust with caring for your loved one.”