May 2019

Page A24 MAY 2019 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A Send Us Your News! PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Fax 1-800-321-9040 info@nomispublications.com Avoca Funeral Home Bill Bishop and Steven DeSanto Bill Bishop and Chuck Johnson 8500 people, the Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc is one of the three existing funeral homes. When they purchased the property it was extensively remodeled to meet the needs of the families that Bill and Chuck would have the honor of serving. In 1986 an ad- dition was completed that expanded the facilities to in- clude a large entrance hall and viewing room. Additional neighboring properties were eventually purchased to pro- vide convenient off-street parking. After the untimely and unexpected death of Chuck John- son at the age of 34 onMay 6, 1991 (the 12th anniversary of the opening of the Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc.), Bill Bishop continued the operation of the funeral home until 1997 when Steven DeSanto, a Hornell native and li- censed funeral director became associated with the business. Also, in 1997 Bill Bishop purchased the former Bond-Da- vis Funeral Home in Avoca, NY and renamed it after sev- eral years of ownership to the Avoca Funeral Home. Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home Celebrates 40th Anniversary Continued from Front Page Both Bill and Steve were born and raised in Hornell and graduated from Hor- nell High School. Bill also attended Alfred State Col- lege and majored in Busi- ness Administration be- fore graduating from the former Simmons School of Embalming and Mortuary Science in Syracuse, NY in 1974. Steve received an as- sociate’s degree from the former Simmons Institute of Mortuary Science in 1995. They are both members of the National Funeral Di- rectors Association, Interna- tional Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, Steuben County Funeral Directors Association and the Finger Lakes Funeral Directors Association. Throughout the years they have been very honored to serve many veterans and their families; to show their appreciation they sponsor a balloon launch every Memorial Day to hon- or any veterans that have passed away the previous year. This takes place at the annual Memorial Day service sponsored by the Hornell American Legion Post. Family members are given the opportunity to release either a red, white or blue balloon and receive a small keepsake in memory of their loved one. Also, on Veterans Day they pay tribute to each veteran that they have been honored to serve the previous years by having flags flown in their memory at the Field of Honor sponsored by St. Ann’s Academy in Hornell. For the past 40 years they have had a personal interest in each and every family they serve; their concern for them is genuine and their support is sincere. When families call upon them they are not calling on strangers, they are call- ing on friendly, caring professionals. Their philosophy has always been to provide service with sincerity while showing compassion, professional- ism and expertise. They feel that is why they have been so successful and are able to celebrated 40 years of service to Hornell and Avoca area families. For more information about either the Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc or the Avoca Funer- al Home and to see pictures of their facilities, visit www.bishopandjohnsonfuneralhome.com or Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc on Facebook.