Defunct Funeral Parlors of Lackawanna County, Part 2

127 Church St., Old Forge

 

 

Today we explore ten more Lackawanna County buildings which used to serve as funeral homes. If you missed the previous blog post, click here.

21. Mayurnick's Funeral Home, 127 Church Street, Old Forge (1948-1989)

Joseph Mayurnick received his training from the American Academy of Embalming in 1937 and operated a funeral home on Church Street in Old Forge until his death in 1986.The funeral home which bore his name continued to operate until 1989 and is currently listed as the address for John Kelley Plastering, Stucco and Dryvit.

 

421-423 N. Main St., Taylor

22. William J. Davis & Son Funeral Home, 421-423 North Main Street, Taylor (?-1951)

Born in 1875, William J. Davis succeeded his father, John E. Davis, who founded the family undertaking business in 1872. William conducted a funeral home at the above location for several decades. In the 1920s he was joined by his son, Jacob. In 1951, after William's death, the business moved to a new location at 422 South Main Street, in a restored farmhouse that was once the home of Ira Atheron, whose grandfather was one of Taylor's founding fathers. Upon Jacob's death in 1965, the business was managed by Jacob's widow, with Robert L. Thomas (Jacob's son-in-law) serving as funeral director. In 1972, the Davis Funeral Home celebrated its 100th anniversary and continues to operate to this day. The former funeral home, shown above, is presently a private residence. 

110 Tuttle St., Simpson

 
23. John A. Powell Funeral Home, 110 Tuttle Street, Simpson (1933-1985)

A native of Dunmore, John Allison Powell was born in 1888 and graduated from Eckels College of Mortuary Science in Philadelphia. He operated a funeral home at 110 Tuttle Street until his retirement in January of 1959. He passed away ten months later at the age of 70. After his death, the business passed into the hands of his son, John J. Powell. John, who was also an Eckels graduate, passed away after an extended illness in 1965 at the age of 51. Ownership eventually passed on to Joseph Scotchlas, whose funeral home is presently located at 621 Main Street in Simpson.

828 Oak Street

24. F.W. Foley Funeral Home, 828 Oak Street, Scranton (1917-?)

Born in 1882, Frank W. Foley was one of the first licensed funeral directors in the state. Like many old-time undertakers, Foley was a carpenter by trade who decided to branch into the funeral business. He passed away in 1967 at the age of 85. Although its unclear when he decided to retire as a funeral director, the home in which he lived and worked is now a private residence.  

116 Seventh Ave., Carbondale

 

25. G.A. Hansen Undertaker & Embalmer, 116 7th Ave. Carbondale (1911-1933)

The son of a building contractor, Gustav A. Hansen was a cabinetmaker and funeral director who spent most of his career in the building pictured above, which served as a funeral parlor between 1911 and 1933. In 1934, "Gus", as he was known to his friends and neighbors, relocated to 25 High Street in Carbondale (shown below).

25 High St., Carbondale

Hansen, who had been a football star at Carbondale High School and the University of Scranton, died suddenly from a heart attack in April of 1939 in front of his home.

1315 Pittston Ave.

26. F.A. Musso & Sons Funeral Home, 1311-1315 Pittston Avenue, Scranton (1943-1996)

Born in Borgetto, Sicily, in 1885, Fedele Anthony Musso arrived in the United States as a boy of fourteen and found work in a New York City mortuary. In 1903 he moved to Scranton and became an apprentice to funeral director John F. Durkan (who also served as Scranton mayor from 1922 to 1926). Interestingly, Musso was later appointed to the city sinking fund commission by another mayor, Howard Snowdon, who also had the distinction of being a licensed funeral director.

Fedele Musso also played an important role in building up Scranton's Italian-American community. He was a co-founder of the Lackawanna County Columbus Day Association and longtime member of the Siculo-American League. In addition, he served on the board of directors for the Lackawanna County Undertakers Association. In 1921, he established a funeral home at 1311 Pittston Avenue. He eventually purchased a neighboring property and from 1943 to his death in 1949, he conducted business at 1315 Pittston Avenue, which still stands today. 

In business, Fedele was associated with his sons, Dominick (1914-1978), who had a 43-year career as a funeral director, and Anthony (1916-2004), who, at one time, was Pennsylvania's youngest licensed funeral director. Anthony was also a teacher in the Scranton public school system, teaching classes ranging from welding to foreign languages. On occasion, he also taught at his alma mater, the University of Scranton. The Musso Funeral Home ceased operations in 1996 after Anthony's retirement as is currently an insurance office.

301 Dolph St., Jessup

27. Pirhalla Funeral Service, 301 Dolph Street, Jessup (1910?-1976)

Established by Hungarian-born Alexis Martin Pirhalla, the date in which this funeral home on the corner of Dolph Street and Second Avenue opened is unclear, though it appears to be sometime after or around 1910. Records indicate that Alexis and his wife, Katarina, operated a hotel at this address from 1909 to 1910. After Alexis' sudden death at the age of 53 during a fishing trip in the summer of 1928, his obituary in the Scranton Republic stated that he had been an undertaker for over 20 years.

The business continued under the ownership of his son, John Rudolph Pirhalla (1907-1976), who was a graduate of Eckels College of Mortuary Science in Philadelphia. It appears that funerals continued to be arranged at 301 Dolph Street up until 1983, though it is unclear who served as funeral director after John's death.

1324 Prospect Ave.

28. Albert Dworczak Funeral Home, 1324 Prospect Avenue, Scranton (1901-1922)

Born in Poland in 1870, Albert Dworczak settled in Scranton sometime around 1887. In 1901 he established a funeral home on Prospect Avenue and quickly became one of the most sought-after undertakers on the South Side, which had a large population of Polish immigrants. Actively engaged in Polish-American affairs, he was a member of several Polish national, fraternal and religious organizations, and was also a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Woodmen of the World. In the winter of 1922, he developed pneumonia and passed away on December 15 at the age of 52. His son, Joseph, also became a funeral director, conducting business in Dickson City. 

After Albert's death, the property at 1324 Prospect Avenue remained in the family and became the Dworczak Bar and Grill, which operated until 1956. Over the years, the building was the home of several business, such as Walter's Cafe, The Chatterbox Saloon, and, most recently, Molly's Cozy Corner.  

604 Dundaff St.

 

29. Joseph A. Dworczak Funeral Home, 604 Dundaff Street, Dickson City (1945-1963)

Joseph Dworczak was born in 1905 and was associated with his father's undertaking business until the latter's death in 1922. Joseph then worked alongside his sister, Catherine (Dworczak) Weglowski, who was a funeral director in Scranton. Joseph owned his own funeral home in Dickson City for eighteen years, until his death in 1963 at the age of 57. Like his father, Joseph was also highly involved in church, civic and fraternal organizations, and was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Polish National Alliance, Polish Roman Catholic Union, Pennsylvania Catholic Union, and the Lions Club.

After Joseph's death, his wife, Helen, a graduate of the American Academy of Mortuary Science, continued to operate the funeral home until her death in 1975. In addition, she served as a nurse's aide during the Second World War and hosted her own radio show for 15 years, entitled "The Helen Dworczack Polish Radio Program".

110 Grant St., Olyphant

30. Swallow Funeral Home, 110 Grant Street, Olyphant (circa 1914-1991)

The Swallow Funeral Home can trace its roots back to the early 20th century, when it was established on River Street by Peter Swallow, who was just 27 years of age when he died in 1913. Peter's wife, Lubov (Bolinski) Swallow, who was 29 years old at the time, continued to run her husband's funeral parlor on a "widow's license" and conducted business at 110 Grant Street (which had previously been the home of undertaker John Nemetz) until her retirement in 1957, at which time it was taken over by her son, Alexander P. Swallow. 

Alexander, a graduate of the Renuard School of Mortuary Science in New York, owned the business until his death in January of 1981. His mother, Lubov, passed away that May at the age of 98. After Alexander's death, the business continued under the ownership of his wife, Mary (Jubinsky) Swallow, and ceased operations after her death in 1991. Today, the former funeral home is a private residence.