Defunct Funeral Parlors of Lackawanna County, Part 1
The former Kapalski Funeral Home, 1226 prospect Ave., Scranton With a history of coal mining, ironworking and railroading dating back to the early decades of the 19th century, the dangerous nature of such professions made Lackawanna County a haven for undertakers and funeral directors, whose business continued to flourish through the 1940s and 1950s due to injuries and illnesses from servicemen returning from WW2 and the Korean War. Factor in factory accidents, natural deaths, and various epidemics (the Scranton Times-Tribune reported over 900 deaths from influenza during the fall of 1918 alone), and it's easy to see why so many undertakers decided to hang their shingles in Lackawanna County. While some of these pioneering undertakers still have descendants in the business to this day, many of these old-time funeral directors and morticians are largely forgotten, along with the establishments they used to operate. However, many of these forgotten funeral parlors are still standin...
