Thon Funeral Home

Thon Funeral Home was the first funeral home in the city.  It can be traced back to 1857, when  J.F.W. Thon, a carpenter, began making caskets. 

In 1865 his son, Henry, became more involved in the business after his father purchased a store at Sycamore and Biddle.  The father and son team made the caskets in a factory at Chestnut and Van Alstyne. City council held their meetings at the store building until 1880, when City Hall was erected. 

Management has changed through the years, but the Thon name has always remained.  After the father, John F. W., died, Henry's brother, Christian, took his place and the name became H. and C. Thon.  Henry continued to use the name even after Christian's death until 1917 when Harry L. Graunstadt and Archie P. Stiles became his partners.  The funeral home became Henry F. Thon and Company.  Archie P. Stiles was a son-in-law of Henry Thon. 

In 1935, the Sycamore and Biddle store moved to its present location at Chestnut and Biddle Avenues.  No current member of the Thon family remains in the business.  After the death of Archie Stiles in 1947, Henry Graunstadt took over. In 1937, Trevor Herrick becam associated with the firm.  William Keller also joins.  In 1950 Donald Burd became an employee.  After the death of Mr. Herrick in 1977 and the retirement of Mr. Keller several years later, Donald Burd became the sole owner of both H.F.Thon and R.J. Nixon Funeral Homes.  His daughters, Linda Burd-Berman, Christine Burd and Veronica Burd-Hale continue with a sense of tradition and a sensitive awareness for current funeral service trends.

Chestnut Room

This room is appropriate for a more intimate gathering.  Most of the seating is made up of couches and arm chairs.  Folding chairs are usually added as it becomes necessary.  An organ is also available.  This chapel is part of the original building.

Biddle Room

This large room features plenty of seating and lots of natural light. The room can be divided if need be.  A CD sound system and an organ are also available. This room is perfect for a family that requires ample space.

Main Entrance

This is the main entrance to the Thon Funeral Home off of Biddle Avenue. Guests are greeted by our staff here and it provides a lovely area to congregate before entering our visitation areas. This area also includes our main level office where a funeral home attendant is always available to answer questions or provide help.

Showroom

The merchandise area of the Thon Funeral Home is conveniently located on the second level, adjacent to the funeral conference room. It has been recently remodeled to reflect our new philosophy of making the casket, vault, and marker selection area much more inviting to our clients. The colors are bright and cheery, and the options are greater than was offered in the past. We hope that this new approach makes the selections of funeral options a much easier task for the families that we serve.