Candle Light Funeral Home Opens at Former Candle Light Inn

What was once a sprawling estate and restaurant on Frederick Road is now a funeral home owned by a man whose family has been providing services for families for over 100 years.

The Candle Light Funeral Home recently held a ribbon-cutting to celebrate its grand opening at 1835 Frederick Road in Catonsville.

Craig Witzke, a licensed funeral director for more than 25 years, said he opened Candle Light Funeral Home to carry on his family's tradition of helping those who have lost loved ones.

German immigrant Harry H. Witzke opened the first Witzke Funeral Home in 1912 on Ramsey Street in Baltimore City. The parlor moved several times until 1969, when it set up shop at 1630 Edmondson Avenue in Catonsville. In 1980, another branch opened on Twin Knolls Road in Columbia. In 1996, a publicly traded company based out of Houston acquired the two locations, which operate under the Witzke name.

More than 100 years after his great grandfather established the first Witzke Funeral Home, Craig Witzke said he opened the Candle Light Funeral Home to carry on the tradition of a family-centered business.

“There’s a huge demand in the Baltimore area for family owned and operated funeral homes—that’s something that’s missing," Witzke told the Baltimore Business Journal.

Previously, Witzke offered funeral services on Newburg Avenue in Catonsville but said there wasn't enough room for large gatherings, according to The Baltimore Sun.

The Candle Light location came with a liquor license, and Witzke told The Sun he plans to offer catering services so families will be able to have receptions there.

The house on Frederick Road was built in the mid 1800s, surrounded by rolling farmland called "Five Oaks Estate" for the five trees that framed the house.

With the dawn of motor travel, about a dozen cottages were built behind the house to accommodate those driving between Baltimore and Washington, and the Five Oaks Estate became the Candle Light Lodge.

In the 1920s, the owners began serving afternoon tea and light fare in the parlors and on the wraparound porch. 

The building changed hands several times until the Lombardini family purchased it in 1979 and served fine food at the Candle Light Inn restaurant until January, according to a statement from Candle Light Funeral Home.

Witzke purchased the property on Jan. 10 and after installing new furniture and repainting the place, opened the new funeral home on Feb. 21, The Baltimore Sun reported.