"It's not a place that you want to be, but it's a necessity," said Lisa Hall, co-owner of the new M.L. Ford & Sons funeral home in Lake Wylie.

Brian Hall, a fourth-generation owner of the company that began in 1890 in Clover, broke ground in September on the second M.L Ford location at 4820 Charlotte Hwy., which will open Sunday. The Clover site on North Main Street was converted from a home into a funeral home in 1949.

"It's really just convenience for the families," Lisa Hall said of the new 4,000-square-foot site, which includes an open gathering area, a family room, a small kitchen, a chapel that seats 100 and a room for making final arrangements.

"There's no reason to be afraid of a funeral home," Lisa Hall said. "The pain and the suffering is already over once the body arrives here. At this point, the healing process has already started."

Brian Hall continues the family business that started more than a century ago, and Lisa Hall comes from a family of funeral home operators in North Carolina. They met when Lisa's brother attended mortuary school with Brian.

Ed Stewart, funeral director for M.L. Ford, brings extensive community knowledge. He has been a member of the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce for 13 years, serving as a board member for nine and as chairman for the past four.

"It's such a wonderful, caring community, and I hope to be able to give back some of what's been given to me," Stewart said.

The Halls plan to host an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday to invite the community in. "They can come in under a happy situation instead of a sad situation," Brian Hall said.

M.L. Ford plans to keep five staff members at its Clover location, with another staff member in Lake Wylie. Tentative hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; appointments may be made by phone 24 hours a day at (803) 831-1909.