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Four Generations of Service 1909-2009
On September 1, 1909, Arthur
Dufresne opened the Dufresne Funeral Home at the corner of Heart and
Main Street in Cohoes. At a time when most visitations and funerals
were held in the family home, this began a century of “Service to
All” which was Arthur’s motivating principle and has been the
family’s legacy ever since.
In 1925, the funeral home was
moved to 111 Mann Avenue and in 1949 to its present location at 216
Columbia Street. These moves provided much needed space as changing
times saw more services held from the funeral home itself. The
expanding business also gained much needed staff when Arthur’s two
sons, Arthur E. and Ernest Dufresne, joined the company in July
1940, adding the second generation working in the family business.
By 1959, Arthur E. then manager
of the funeral home realized the continuing need for more space and
better facilities. He added a large room that would hold over 175
people, a casket selection room and a state-of-the-art preparation
room. He continued to upgrade the facility and the technology until
his death in 1967.
By this time, the third
generation of Dufresne’s were in the business. Arthur’s son, Arthur
V. Dufresne was the director of the funeral home and remained in
that position until his brother, David E. Dufresne became the
licensed manager in 1972. The business continued to expand and
upgrade under David and his wife Evelyn Benoit Dufresne and added a
large parking lot and a new rear entrance, making the facility
completely handicap accessible.
The fourth generation entered the
business in 1991, when David’s son Mark joined his mother and
father. In 1993 Mark showed his commitment to improving the
business by adding a totally computerized system and helping with
the development of a newly remodeled casket selection room making
casket, vault, urn and clothing selections much easier and more
convenient. David and Mark also began a program of upgrading
company vehicles every three years, making sure families would have
the quality they deserved in a difficult time.
Mark is married to Melissa Lawlor
Dufresne and they have two sons, Matthew and Joshua – possibly the
fifth generation of Dufresne’s preparing to continue the family
business as it enters its second century of service to the families
of Cohoes and surrounding communities.
Customer trust, the backbone of
any family business, has been built slowly but surely by this
community-minded business over the last century. The next century
of service will certainly continue to show the Dufresne’s dedication
to their mission – “Our family serving yours.”
DIRECTORS
David E. Dufresne
Arthur V. Dufresne
Mark D. Dufresne |