Troy funeral home changes with the times
Bryce family still running the business
TROY, N.Y. >> For the past 100 years Bryce Funeral Home has been located in the Collar City with the same family operating it.
The Bryce Funeral Home was founded in 1917 at 2188 Fifth Avenue in the living quarters of the late Lowell H. and Evelyn Merrick Bryce.
In 1936, Lowell purchased 1820 Fifth Avenue in downtown Troy, an authentic brownstone with iron fenced courtyard, providing his growing clientele a large mahogany paneled parlor and one of the first casket display rooms in Troy.
A second brownstone at 1818 afforded an additional parlor when L. Merrick Bryce, Lowell’s son, joined the firm in 1947. In the 60’s when urban renewal changed the face of Troy, the Bryce Funeral Home, Inc. relocated to its present Austrian-styled manor house at the corner of Pawling and Maple Avenues on the East Side.
Helen H. Bryce and son L. Craig Bryce joined the firm in the 70s, as “How we do our work matters” continues to be the trademark for three generations of Bryce Family caring professionalism and service.
“We have kept the class and trust in the funeral profession,” said Craig Bryce. “The most important thing we have done is ‘change’. As required, we have always updated how the services are performed and each generation has been allowed to make the changes so that we keep current for the next generation. Each generation has been involve and active in the community.”
Bryce went on to say that L. Merrick Bryce passed away on June 3, 2006 and Helen H. Bryce, passed away on July 20, 2015.
“In 2007, our fourth generation was added to the staff when David Merrick Cluett became licensed,” said Bryce.
Bryce said that not only has his family business changed locations a couple times over the past 100 years, but that the family business has also changed in some ways.
“When my grandfather went into business and for many years a ‘ traditional’ service was visiting hours one day in the families home and funeral service at church followed by a burial service,” explained Bryce. “All things required for the funeral were brought to the home. Today every service is custom. Some services include visiting hours and funeral service, burial or cremation, memorial services or no service at all. We are not here to talk people into services, but offer suggestions. Also, the electronic age has changed so much of what we do. My father used to walk over the handwritten obituary and an original photograph to the Record building to publish. Today we email the obituary and photo, and social media has become so important. We provide a complete website with video trib-
utes, condolence pages, directions to services, flower ordering, as well as, prear- ranged funeral documents.”
Bryce said that they do have some goals moving forward and that they hope to continue to be successful with the family business for many more years.
“[Our goal is] to keep changing and serving the community,” said Bryce. “While so many funeral homes have merged with others, we have not. We have kept our own identity and that will not change for many years to come.”