photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

The building at 1820 W. Sixth Street is pictured on Sept. 3, 2026.

For years, a longtime Lawrence family has been helping Topeka-area residents during some of their greatest times of need. Soon, it will start doing the same for Lawrence residents with the opening of a new funeral home and chapel.

Peaceful Rest Funeral Chapels & Cremations has finalized a deal to open its first location with a new facility in a long vacant building at 1820 W. Sixth Street. While Peaceful Rest is a Topeka-based funeral home, it is owned and operated by a Lawrence family.

“We are deeply rooted in Lawrence,” Cieara Williams, vice president of innovation and a member of the family that owns Peaceful Rest.

Cieara’s father, Tycke Williams, is the founder of the company, which has operated in Topeka for the last 14 years. Cieara’s brother Tyson Williams is the CEO and president of the funeral home. All continue to live in Lawrence, Cieara said.

“We’ve been asked by the community if we would ever have a location in Lawrence,” Cieara said.

For the longest time, Tycke has wanted to say yes, but has waited for the right opportunity. Tycke Williams and his wife, Dylyn, both were born and raised in Lawrence, Cieara said.

“My father has been wanting to do this for a very, very long time,” Cieara said.

She said after family discussion and by the “blessing of God,” the family decided now was the right time to create the new Lawrence venture.

A highly visible Sixth Street building that was vacant and available helped in the decision. The funeral chapel is set to locate in the building that basically is across the street from the Dollar General Store on Sixth Street. It previously housed the Lawrence offices of a regional civil engineering firm, but has been vacant for several years.

Cieara said the company has had success in Topeka by taking a very family-oriented approach to the funeral home business, and she said that would be a natural strategy the company intends to use in their hometown.

“One of the things we really pride ourselves on is being a family-owned provider for the community,” she said. “We really seek to understand what families want and meeting them where they are during their most difficult times.

“We always say that once a family comes in, they are our family.”

Cieara said the company has been drawn to the Sixth Street building for quite some time because it was a good candidate to completely remodel and build in the exact style that the business demands.

“From the ground up, we’ve completely remodeled it,” Cieara said.

She said the business is likely to open in the next six to eight weeks.