Mrs. Fannie Meek's Mortuary (1937-1955)

Perhaps an unintentional ode to its former owner, the bright pink facade of 1707 E 18th St can be recognized as the first home of Mrs. Fannie Meek’s Mortuary in Kansas City. Mrs. Meek was a prominent figure in local culture and was noted as the “only Licensed Lady Embalmer in Greater Kansas City” when she opened her business in 1937. She went on to participate in many local civic and church events, even sponsoring an American Legion Junior Baseball team for boys 12-18 years old. After losing her building in the 18th & Vine district in 1955 due to redevelopment efforts, Mrs. Meek moved her mortuary to 19th and Park. Abandoning the tradition of dark, drab colors typically used in mortuary design, Mrs. Meek embraced a woodrose color scheme with her new building. The exterior of the building, the cars, and coaches driven around town were all bursting with the warmth of a pink design. The color pink around Kansas City soon became a trademark of Mrs. Meek’s mortuary. Mrs. Meek passed away on July 30, 1979 at the age of 81.

Fannie L. Meek was born in Waverly Hill, Georgia to Frank and Emma Lowe. Before her time in Kansas City, Meek studied botany under Dr. George Washington Carver at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. It is here that she first met Edward (E.W) Meek, an instructor in the printing department at Tuskegee. Mrs. Meek then went on to teach industrial arts at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and at Virginia State College in Petersburg, Virginia. During this time, in Virginia, Fannie renewed her acquaintance with Edward and they wed in July of 1923. The Meeks moved to Kansas City, Missouri where Edward opened the Quality Printing Company at 1710 E 18th St. Once in Kansas City, Fannie enrolled in the William’s Institute of Embalming in Kansas City, Kansas, becoming the first woman to graduate from the program in 1935. Just a year or two later, she opened Mrs. Meek’s Mortuary at 1707 E 18th St, across the street from her husband’s printing shop. The Meeks owned all three stories of the building. The first floor was used for the operation of the mortuary, with the second and third floors used as office and living space for the family. Edward Meek passed away on February 22, 1948.

By the 1950s, the Parade Park housing developments were well on the way to transforming the 18th & Vine district. Mrs. Meek’s property was acquired by the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority. Rather than let the building be torn down, Mrs Meek had it moved to a vacant lot on the northwest corner of 19th and Park. She then converted the building into a residence and constructed a new building for her mortuary practice. The new ‘Mrs. Meek’s Mortuary’ emphasized bright pink hues for its decor in the form of wedgewood rose throughout the building and bright pink cars and hearses driven around town. In a 1949 interview with the KC Call, in which she was named “Woman of the Week”, Meek remarked that she “trie[s] to use the warmest and most lifelike color possible.” She believed that “women can do so much more around a funeral home… They have a natural instinct for creating a homelike atmosphere, which is a definite asset.”.

Beyond her career as a mortician, Fannie Meek was involved in many regional and national civic and church duties. She was a lifelong member of the National Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association. She was active with the Kansas City Urban League, the NAACP, the National Business League, the National Council of Negro Women, the YMCA, the United Negro College Fund, the National Conference of Christian and Jews, and the Calanthe Court of the Eastern Star. She was a longtime worker and fundraiser for the Wheatley-Provident hospital. Fannie Meek was the first woman president of the Local Funeral Directors Association and, in 1954, became the president of the Missouri State Funeral Directors Embalming Association. In the 1960s, Meek sponsored an American Legion summer baseball team, the Sparklers. Adorned with ‘Mrs Meek’s Mortuary’ across their jerseys, the team enabled many young men to gain scholarships for a college education and further their careers in baseball. In 1965, Meek was awarded the annual Sammie Dubin Nite of Sports Citizenship award for her efforts.

Mrs. Meek’s illustrious life ended peacefully on July 30, 1979. She was 81 years old. She had one daughter, Yolanda. She is remembered as being a full-of-life figure in Kansas City history.

Boe, Paul. "Her Interest Helps Boys to College." The Kansas City Times (Kansas City) July 10th, 1968. .10A.

"Fannie Meek Was A Pillar In The Community." KC Call (Kansas City) September 11th, 1997. , 29.

"Name Mrs. Fannie L. Meek, Mortician, Woman of the Week." KC Call (Kansas City) May 13th, 1949. .7.