Our History
Halley Olsen Murphy’s started when the late Ron Olsen founded the Olsen Funeral Chapel in Lancaster in 1960 …during one of the major growth spurts Lancaster and the Antelope Valley has experienced over many decades.
On June 6, 1966 Mr. Olsen hired young LeeRoy Halley, then age 23, who had just graduated from the California College of Mortuary Science. LeeRoy, although shy in nature and demeanor was driven by humbleness and genuineness to provide service to others, not only in funeral service, but also with religious, community leadership and volunteerism in countless ways. LeeRoy founded or joined and became a Board Member and usually became President of countless organizations within the Antelope Valley as well as the Los Angeles and Kern Counties Funeral Directors Associations and years of committee and Board Leadership in the California Funeral Directors Association. Also of note, LeeRoy was the AV Grand Marshall in 2014 and served 16 years in the BOD of the California Fair Board, appointed by 4 Governors, two Republicans and two Democrats. The firm and associates continue to remember and mourn LeeRoy’s passing June 9, 2019. Over the years with Mr Olsen LeeRoy bought incremental shares in Halley Olsen until the full ownership changed from Mr. Olsen to the Halley Family.
In May 2014 the firm ownership was transferred to William Hawkins, a dear friend and professional colleague of LeeRoy. Hawkins founded what became the Angeleno Mortuary Group in the San Fernando Valley with two scratch start up mortuaries 7 years a part and then becoming the successor of choice for collegiate colleagues and competitors within the greater Los Angeles metroplex who respected him and his personal passion for funeral service. Hawkins will always be grateful for the brotherly friendship of LeeRoy Halley, who for decades had been a great mentor and from whom he received such great guidance from LeeRoy, not only throughout those those early years, but especially over the last 5 and a half years of LeeRoy’s life.
In 1996 Murphy Mortuary also of Lancaster joined Halley Olsen and Murphy’s name was added. Although keen competitors LeeRoy and the late Jack Murphy were also friends and personal supporters of each other. Jack Murphy was also Mayor of Lancaster.
Today Halley Olsen Murphy’s day to day leadership is with Mark Stanfield, a native of Lancaster who started his career with the firm in an entry position and has had different assignments of increasing responsibilities along the way before being called to provided the leadership of Halley Olsen Murphy …since just days before LeeRoy’s 2019 death.
Almost every year since inception, Halley Olsen Murphy has been honored to be voted by the AV communities and been the recipient as voted by the community of the Antelope Valley Press readership as the BEST Mortuary in the entire AV.