WINSLOW -- Funeral homes in Maine typically are found in old houses with small rooms, multiple stories and less than ideal access and parking.

Lawry Brothers Funeral Home's new location in Winslow is a clear exception to that rule.

Opened this month, the building, most recently a restaurant, offers big rooms, ample parking, one-level access and wide doors and corridors that make getting in and out convenient.

The facility, which is called Lawry Brothers Funeral Home -- Winslow Chapel, gives Lawry Brothers three satellite sites to go with its headquarters location on Main Street in Fairfield.

Owner Jeffrey A. Forsythe said the Winslow facility was too attractive to pass up.

"I think today there is a greater need for chapels," he said. "I just feel people like to do everything at one place and this building can accommodate that."

Forsythe said Winslow Chapel can seat up to 350 people, almost 200 in one room alone. The Fairfield funeral home, in contrast, can seat a maximum of 200, Forsythe said.

Lawry Brothers also operates out of a building the company owns in Windsor and leased space in the Performing Arts Center in Unity.

"I feel if we are going to be able to take care of people from different communities, you have to be move on (into other communities)," Forsythe said. "Winslow has been a place we've looked upon for 15 to 20 years."

Lawry Brothers was not first in seeing the potential in the Winslow site, which had been Darts Family Restaurant before the business closed.

The Dionne family of Skowhegan owns the building, which had been home to one of the two Ken's restaurants the family used to run -- the Skowhegan restaurant remains open.

Winslow resident Dana McInnis was in the process of purchasing the facility last year with the intention of turning it into a funeral chapel that he would run -- McInnis had renovated the building extensively.

But Randy Dionne said that deal fell apart.

That created an opportunity for Lawry Brothers.

"About a month ago the deal was completed," Forsythe said, explaining that Lawry Brothers is leasing the building. "They contacted us. If it was not us in there, it would have been somebody else."

Dionne said he was pleased to do business with Lawry Brothers.

"We were fortunate to find such a fine family to take over the location," he said, "and the town will be only be better off with Lawry Brothers in there."

Lawry Brothers' growth has been significant since Forsythe bought the business in 1999. Along with adding sites outside of Fairfield, Forsythe said he has gone from two people to a staff of 10.

Omar Wheeler and Annette Plourde, both Winslow residents, will run Winslow Chapel, he said.

Colin Hickey -- 861-9205

chickey@centralmaine.com