About Us

The Kalas Story

Since the late 19th century, five generations of the Mattingly/Kalas family have served their communities with dignity and compassion. In 1889, William “Clement” Mattingly opened the W.C. Mattingly Funeral Home in Leonardtown, MD, serving as owner and funeral director for 42 years. Clement's son, Robert, followed in his father's footsteps and, in 1945, branched out to open the Robert A. Mattingly Funeral Home in southeast Washington, DC. He operated the DC location for almost three decades with his wife, Sue, their daughter, Jean and her husband, George P. Kalas, Sr. In 1973, the family relocated the funeral home to Oxon Hill, MD where, after Robert Mattingly's death, George and Jean Kalas took ownership and changed the name to the George P. Kalas Funeral Home.

The business grew rapidly under George and Jean's leadership and, as their sons, George Jr. and Robert, joined them over the next decade, their reputation for quality and compassion flourished. Once George Jr.'s son, George III, joined the business in the 1990s, the family expanded to a second location in 1997 outside of Annapolis in Edgewater, MD. A crematory was added in 2003 and remains the only on-site crematory in the Annapolis area. In 2019, Robert's son, Zachary, joined his father, earning his license as a crematory operator and pursuing classes toward a degree in mortuary science. Crossing three centuries and five generations, the Kalas Funeral Home and Crematory continues its proud tradition of celebrating life's journey.