The Mitchell-Auxter Funeral Home began as J.R. Beard Funeral Home in 1911, as a storefront operation on West Buckeye Street under the direction of Jesse Beard. B.V. “Jim” Mitchell, a basketball stand-out from Bellevue, got his embalmers and funeral director’s license from the Columbus Embalming School after graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University. He then came to Clyde and began working at the J.R. Beard Funeral Home. After Jesse Beard’s death in 1931, Jim Mitchell purchased the funeral home and it was renamed, Mitchell Funeral Home.
After WWII, Walter Auxter served his apprenticeship with Jim Mitchell and then attended the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. Walter returned to Clyde and worked with Mr. Mitchell after he graduated from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. In 1961 Walter bought the funeral home from Jim Mitchell and it became Mitchell-Auxter Funeral Home. Walter’s son, Dean, graduated from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, and returned to Clyde to work with his father in 1977. Dean and Melinda (Huston) were married in 1980 and expanded the business to include monuments, working with Maumee Valley Memorials.
In 1984, Melinda obtained her funeral director’s license. Dean and Melinda purchased the funeral home from Walter in 1989. In 1999, after seeing the need for a family owned and operated funeral home in Bellevue, the second Auxter Funeral Home location was opened.
Jim and Lisa (Ling) Recker joined the Auxter family in October of 2023. Jim attended St. Meinrad College and graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in 1997. He is a licensed funeral director and embalmer. Lisa graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1995 and obtained her funeral director’s license in 2003. Jim and Lisa officially took over operations of the funeral home in December of 2024 and purchased the funeral homes from Dean and Melinda Auxter in January of 2025, following their retirement.
The funeral homes now operate as Auxter-Recker Funeral Homes and are proud to remain family owned and operated.
