About G. Burns
Funeral Vehicle Parts & Accessories Since 1976
G. Burns is a family-owned Ohio business specializing in parts and accessories for hearses, funeral home vehicles, first call vans, memorial transport vehicles, and custom funeral vehicle conversions.
Since 1976, our business has been connected to the vehicles funeral professionals depend on, from casket loading and securement equipment to removable landau bars, funeral vehicle nameplates, and other practical solutions designed to help funeral homes care for and outfit their vehicles.
Through several generations of ownership, one thing has remained at the center of G. Burns: real people helping other people solve real problems.
Today, we continue that tradition as a small family business focused on knowledgeable service, practical products, and relationships with funeral professionals across North America and around the world.
Our Story
The G. Burns story began with automobiles.
Jack R. “Dick” Hardesty built an extensive automotive career in northwest Ohio, operating dealerships and automotive businesses in Spencerville, Lima, and the surrounding Allen County area. His interests eventually expanded into specialty vehicles, professional cars, and funeral vehicle parts through The Barron Corporation.
In late 1993, the funeral-vehicle parts and accessories side of the business passed from Jack and Margaret Hardesty to their friends and neighbors, Don and Nancy McClintock. Under Don and Nancy, the company became G. Burns and grew increasingly focused on serving funeral professionals.
Years later, another friendship carried the business forward. Don's longtime supplier and friend Mike Bales and his wife, Sheryl, stepped in to continue G. Burns in 2019. Their son, Keith, became the next generation to lead the family business in 2024.
In 2026, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the roots that became G. Burns. The milestone gave us an opportunity to look back at the people, friendships, products, and funeral professionals who made that journey possible.
Automotive Roots in Lima and Allen County
Before funeral vehicles became part of the story, Jack Hardesty had already spent decades building businesses around automobiles.
Jack and his father operated Hardesty Chevrolet in Spencerville, and Jack later operated Jack Hardesty Inc. in Lima. Period newspaper advertising documents his involvement in Chevrolet, imported automobiles, sports cars, and Toyota. Jack and Margaret Hardesty also operated successful Ziebart rustproofing businesses.
His automotive interests went well beyond selling cars. Hardesty was involved in racing, vehicle accessories, modifications, and specialty automotive projects throughout his career.
That background ultimately helped lead him into the highly specialized world of professional and funeral
Period Lima-area advertising traces Jack Hardesty's automotive career from Chevrolet and imported cars to Toyota and other automotive businesses.
The Barron Corporation and Specialty Vehicles
By the 1970s, Hardesty's automotive experience had expanded into The Barron Corporation, the business at the root of today's G. Burns.
Barron's work was broader than funeral vehicles alone. Period advertising shows the company offering automotive accessories, specialty vehicle products, truck accessories, and vehicle modifications to customers in the Lima and Allen County area.
At the same time, Barron developed an important specialty in professional and funeral vehicles, supplying parts and accessories used in hearses and vehicle conversions.
Products associated with that side of the business included the kinds of components still familiar to funeral vehicle builders today: casket rollers, bier pins and plates, skid bars, loading hardware, trim, and related equipment used to build and outfit casket decks.
That combination of automotive experience and practical vehicle components established the foundation that would eventually become G. Burns.
A Connection to Miller-Meteor and Professional-Car History
Barron's place in professional-car history became particularly interesting after the original Miller-Meteor operation ceased production around the end of the 1970s.
Barron acquired rights to the Miller-Meteor name, and Jack Hardesty pursued efforts to carry that celebrated professional-car name forward into the 1980s.
Among the most unusual projects were Cadillac Eldorado-based funeral coach prototypes. Lima coachbuilder Bud Bayliff supported Hardesty's vision and assisted with the development of the first Eldorado coach.
In late 1984, Hardesty sold the Miller-Meteor name rights and related Eldorado tooling to Collins Industries.
Hardesty's work with specialty and professional vehicles did not end there. Through Barron and the related Lima Coach operation, he remained involved in vehicle conversions, including professional vehicles based on Dodge minivans.
For G. Burns, this history matters not because we build funeral coaches today, but because it shows how deeply the company's roots are connected to automobiles, professional vehicles, and the funeral industry.
The period Miller-Meteor advertisement shown above has been digitally restored and upscaled from an archival image. The two vehicle photographs are AI-generated historical illustrations based on period imagery and documented details of the 1984 Miller-Meteor Eldorado Landau associated with Barron Corporation. They are included for historical illustration and are not original photographs.
Don and Nancy McClintock: G. Burns Takes Shape
In late 1993, Jack and Margaret Hardesty's friends and neighbors Don and Nancy McClintock acquired the Barron funeral-vehicle parts and accessories operation.
The transition marked the beginning of the business customers would come to know as G. Burns.
Don and Nancy increasingly focused the company around funeral professionals, expanding its products while building relationships with funeral directors and funeral homes throughout North America.
For nearly three decades, they became the faces and voices behind G. Burns.
Don especially enjoyed talking with customers, learning about their businesses, and helping them find solutions. Many of those relationships grew well beyond individual purchases. Years later, longtime customers still ask about Don and share stories about working with Don and Nancy.
That personal approach became part of the identity of G. Burns and remains something we work hard to preserve today.
Practical Funeral Vehicle Products Built to Solve Real Needs
Don and Nancy didn't simply continue selling the products that came with the Barron business. They continued developing the product line around the changing needs of funeral professionals.
The existing casket loading and securement products remained an important part of the business, including casket rollers, bier pins and plates, skid bars, and other hardware used to outfit hearses and funeral vehicle casket decks.
During the mid-1990s, several additional products emerged that remain at the core of G. Burns today.
Removable Landau Bars
Don worked with longtime supplier Mike Bales of H.B. Products to develop a removable stainless-steel landau bar for funeral vehicles.
The design allowed funeral homes to add the traditional appearance of a funeral coach to SUVs, vans, and other vehicles without permanent body modifications.
More than 3,100 G. Burns landau bars have since been sold to customers across North America and around the world.
Removable Funeral Vehicle Nameplates
Removable nameplates provided funeral homes with another flexible way to identify and personalize hearses, SUVs, vans, and other funeral vehicles without permanently altering the vehicle.
Nameplates remain an important part of G. Burns today, with solutions available for both traditional hearses and modern funeral home vehicles.
Casket Slide Strips
G. Burns' casket slide strips provided an economical alternative to traditional casket rollers when building or converting a vehicle for casket transport.
For decades, slide systems have been used in hearses, first call vans, funeral home vehicle conversions, and memorial transport vehicles, helping make it possible to create a functional casket deck without a traditional roller system.
A Business Passed Between Friends
The relationship between Don McClintock and Mike Bales started through business.
Mike's sheet-metal company, H.B. Products, manufactured the removable landau bars sold by G. Burns. Over the years, the working relationship between Don and Mike grew into a close friendship between the McClintock and Bales families.
When Don battled cancer and the future of G. Burns needed to be considered, the business once again passed between people who already knew and trusted one another.
In 2019, Mike and Sheryl Bales stepped in to continue G. Burns and preserve what their longtime friends had built.
Their son Keith joined them in advancing the company's operations while maintaining the personal service and practical approach that had defined G. Burns under Don and Nancy.
In 2024, Keith became the next generation to lead the family-owned company.
G. Burns Today: Practical Products, Personal Service
The relationship between Don McClintock and Mike Bales started through business.
Mike's sheet-metal company, H.B. Products, manufactured the removable landau bars sold by G. Burns. Over the years, the working relationship between Don and Mike grew into a close friendship between the McClintock and Bales families.
When Don battled cancer and the future of G. Burns needed to be considered, the business once again passed between people who already knew and trusted one another.
In 2019, Mike and Sheryl Bales stepped in to continue G. Burns and preserve what their longtime friends had built.
Their son Keith joined them in advancing the company's operations while maintaining the personal service and practical approach that had defined G. Burns under Don and Nancy.
In 2024, Keith became the next generation to lead the family-owned company.