PITTSFIELD -- Glenn Nichols has spent most of his life looking for ways to help people in a time of need.

It is that drive that makes Nichols, whose family recently completed the purchase of the Donald H. Shorey Funeral Chapel on Hartland Avenue, confident he can build on the reputation earned by the funeral home's namesake.

"Mr. Shorey died in 1970," Nichols said. "People still come in and talk about him with great fondness. I'd like to carry on his mantle."

Nichols, who operates the business with his wife Rachel, will even keep Shorey's name attached to the home, which is now called the Shorey-Nichols Funeral Home.

"(Donald Shorey) was so well thought of I felt it very important to keep his name," Nichols said. "He was very kind, compassionate. He just cared about families in the community."

That is precisely the reputation Nichols hopes his family will develop.

"Really, it's a lifelong dream for me," Nichols said. "There's always been something in me that drives me to care for folks in difficult times. That is my passion."

That passion has taken Nichols, 39, in a variety of directions over the years, from ordained minister for 10 years to a full-time member of an ambulance crew.

Nichols graduated from Massachusetts Funeral Institute of the Northeast in 2002 and, following an apprenticeship in Kennebunk, served as the funeral director at the Shorey funeral home while it was under the ownership of Texas-based Service Corporation International.

The Shorey funeral home has not been family-owned since 1999, Nichols said.

"That's the big news, really," he said. "The big news is it's no longer corporately owned. It is run by myself and my family."

That family connection is vital to the community, Nichols believes. His family will live on site, so he will be available any time, day or night. Even the couple's 9-year-old daughter will lend a hand during visiting hours.

"We were literally drawn here," Nichols said. "It's a great family-orientated community."

The funeral home itself also was a draw, Nichols said. Unlike other funeral homes that are converted from Victorian-era houses, Shorey built in the chapel in 1960 as a funeral home. As a funeral director, Shorey knew what was important to have in a building.

The funeral home part of the building was renovated last year.

"This was planned and was a state-of-the-art funeral home," Nichols said. "It's always been a well-known establishment."

The Nicholses will personalize each funeral or cremation service to help families best remember their loved ones, Nichols said. While providing services standard at any funeral home, the Shorey-Nichols Funeral Home will provide some modern options, such as 42-inch plasma televisions on which memorial tributes can be viewed during visiting hours.

"It's about the person," Nichols said. "It's about their life."

Living in the community will help make those tributes even more meaningful, Nichols said.

"It's the same person you will see next week and next year," Nichols said. "it's about the same person and living in your community so you know the people you are serving."

Craig Crosby -- 861-9253

ccrosby@centralmaine.com