Punta Gorda funeral home supports community during Milton

Two years ago, Hurricane Ian came and turned the Johnson Funeral Home in Punta Gorda into rubble. It was a nightmare that cost the owners around six times what their insurance would cover.

After knowing what it’s like to lose everything, Eric Johnson, the owner of the Life Celebration Center, used his new building called the Life Celebration Center as an opportunity to help their community.

“I reached out on Facebook to a bunch of different groups, of which we were members, and said, ‘Hey, if you would like to save your car, our parking lot is high and dry,” recalled Johnson. “I can’t guarantee it will be completely dry, but it’ll be drier than it would be if it’s at your house and gets flooded,’ so we ended up having 72 cars parked in our parking lot, and we saved every single one.”

Johnson said several people were in tears, having lost everything again but grateful that their cars were safe.

Lindsey Arnt was one of them.

“Just the fact that you could offer a parking spot to save a vehicle is amazing,” said Arnt. “A ton of bricks off your back to know that it is one less thing you don’t have to worry about.”

The funeral home was destroyed after Ian, but Johnson and his wife didn’t give up. Despite the challenges, they rebuilt a whole new building, this time with a different vision.

“It’s almost 12,000 square feet of just a beautiful facility for weddings, birthdays, quinceañeras, baby showers, and of course, we still can do funerals and celebrations of life as well,” said Johnson.

Johnson said the biggest challenge now is changing the perception.

“There’s nothing scary about this place. Nothing creepy and sad,” said Johnson.

The family will host a grand re-opening event on Nov. 8 from 4 to 7 p.m.