Bruce funeral homes to stay in family
Apr 17, 2018Jack? Bruce, 66, retired in December as the owner of two funeral homes that have stood the test of time: Hart & Bruce Funeral Home, 117 N. Massey St., and Bruce Funeral Home, 131 Maple St., Black River. But the funeral homes still will be in hands he trusts.His 39-year-old daughter, Jill C. Bruce-Wiley, bought the funeral homes from her father in December after working by his side since 1994. Ms. Bruce-Wiley, who grew up living in the Watertown funeral home, said she had wanted to continue the family business since she was a young girl.?Serving someone who?s lost a family member is the most important service you can render,? she said. ?I?m honored to have the tradition continue and to continue serving the families that my father?s served for the last 40 years. My family?s business will hopefully be open for the next 30 years.?The funeral homes are long-standing fixtures in the community. In 1938, Francis P. Hart and John J. Scherer partnered to open Hart & Scherer Funeral Home at the site of the former Samuel J. Payne Funeral Home on Benedict Street, now Sherman Street. Mr. Hart became the sole owner of the funeral home in 1950, when it moved to its current spot on North Massey Street. In 1973, the home was sold by the Hart family to Wesley Johnston, becoming the Hart & Johnston Funeral Home.Mr. Bruce entered the picture in 1978, when he purchased the Watertown funeral home from the Johnston family. He graduated in 1966 from Simmons Funeral Institute in Syracuse and had spent the early part of his career as a director for Cleveland Funeral Home in Watertown and Singleton Funeral Home in Glens Falls.Choosing to carve his own career path, Mr. Bruce in 1972 launched Bruce Funeral Home in Black River with his wife, Karen E., whom he met in Watertown.Daughter Jill was actively involved in the family business as a youngster, Mr. Bruce said. When she earned a mortuary science degree from SUNY Canton in 1994, he knew she?d eventually take over the business.?It?s nice to keep it in the family because you need to have someone who wants to be in the f... (WatertownDailyTimes.com)
