Buying a house is rarely a straightforward experience, but for Ashley Berken and her wife Beth, it became something far more unexpected.

What started as a typical home search in Wisconsin for their family of six quickly turned into a strange and surprising journey.

And while some might have walked away when things took an eerie turn, Ashley leaned in—embracing every haunting detail with a mix of curiosity, courage, and resilience.



The home in question was a 4,500-square-foot Victorian with five bedrooms, old-world craftsmanship, and a price tag of just $305,000.

From the outside, it looked like a picture-perfect family home, full of vintage charm and space to grow.

But during their first walk-through, Ashley noticed something strange—ramps in the garage leading both upstairs and down to the basement. “We figured those might have been used to move bodies,” she recalled.

Curious and slightly suspicious, Ashley took to Facebook and began combing through local history pages and forums, hoping to learn more.


It didn’t take long before she found the confirmation she didn’t know she was looking for: the house had once operated as a funeral home.

Dozens, if not hundreds, of deceased individuals had passed through its rooms, and the signs were still there if you looked closely.

“Afterwards, I dug around on a local historical Facebook page, found old photos and stories, and that confirmed it for me.”

Rather than being frightened, Ashley was immediately intrigued—and oddly thrilled—by the home’s eerie past.



A longtime fan of the 1991 film My Girl, she felt a strange connection to the storyline, which followed a young girl growing up in a funeral home.

“Honestly, it made me want it even more—it gave me all the My Girl vibes and really fit my spooky-loving heart,” she said.

That cinematic nostalgia sealed the deal, and the family closed on the home in October 2024. Ashley admitted she was a little worried about telling her children, who were between the ages of nine and thirteen at the time.

But much to her surprise, the kids weren’t phased at all by the house’s history—and were instead excited about all the extra space.



“They were just thrilled that we quadrupled our living space,” she laughed. The fact that the home had once hosted funerals didn’t seem to register as a negative for them at all.

Although the home no longer functions as a funeral business, many of its former features remain completely intact.

There’s a dedicated casket showroom, an embalming room that still has the original slop sink, and a massive built-in pier mirror in the foyer.

“There’s also this stunning 10-foot built-in pier mirror that some people swear is a portal to the spirit world,” Ashley shared. “I just think it’s a one-of-a-kind piece.”



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There are also subtle architectural details that speak to the home’s age and quality, from intricate parquet flooring to brass light fixture statues in the foyer.

“The grand foyer has brass light fixture statues, and there are around half a dozen unique hardwood floor patterns throughout the house, with intricate parquet designs you just don't see anymore,” she said.

“It's like every room has its own story.” Ashley says these vintage flourishes make the home feel alive with history.

Despite its dark history, Ashley isn’t interested in erasing the home’s past or starting over with a total renovation.



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Instead, she plans to restore gently, update thoughtfully, and preserve what makes the space unique. “I don’t want to change too much—more just updates, deep cleans, and giving it some love,” she explained.

“I feel like spending Zen time honoring the space with new life is, quite honestly, the best way to clean up the space.”

The embalming room, for example, will soon serve a more peaceful purpose—housing a collection of plants and becoming a quiet, meditative potting space.

Ashley sees the transformation as symbolic, a way to replace death with growth in a literal and emotional sense. She isn’t trying to make the home forget what it once was—she’s finding new ways to live in it fully.



She never expected so many people to relate to the idea of living in a funeral home, but quickly discovered she wasn’t alone.

“I quickly realized there are so many millennials who also dreamed of living in a funeral home,” she said. “It’s been amazing to celebrate this kind of weird little win with people who never thought it could happen either.”

While the house hasn’t shown obvious signs of being haunted, the family has had one minor mystery that’s yet to be solved. “Though, now that you ask, we have had a giant wooden mancala board disappear since Christmas, and I’m beginning to think it actually vanished into thin air,” Ashley joked.

Whether it’s ghosts or simple misplacement, she’s learned to expect the unexpected. And she’s perfectly fine with that—quirks and all.

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Would you move into a former funeral home if it meant owning your dream house? Do the remnants of its past fascinate you—or make you think twice? Tell us in the comments: could you fall in love with a home like Ashley’s, or would its history be a dealbreaker? We’d love to hear your thoughts, stories, and haunted house experiences—drop them below and join the conversation.