About Us
About Us
Thomas G. Blackstone Sr. moved to Girard from Mercer County in 1900 with his wife, Minnie. They were married for fifteen years before the birth of their son, Thomas G. Blackstone Jr., on November 26, 1902. Thomas Sr. had worked in a steel mill when he first came to Girard, and in a relatively short time after arriving, he was elected to serve as Girard’s third ever mayor. He took office in 1906 and his term continued through 1909. During the mayoral term, he founded the Blackstone Funeral Home in April of 1907. He then served two additional nonconsecutive terms as Mayor of Girard during the years 1912-1915 and 1918-1921. In 1911, Thomas and his family, residing on Market St., moved to 104 E. Liberty Street. Their residence would later be converted to a funeral parlor downstairs and the family moved their residence to the second floor.
Thomas G. Blackstone, Sr. passed away suddenly on May 29, 1924, at the age of 59, leaving behind his wife, Minnie, his son, Thomas G. Jr., and their adopted daughter, Ella. With no licensed funeral director remaining to operate the business, Minnie entered into partnership with Richard Reese of Niles. During the 1920s through the 1950s, the establishment became known as the Blackstone-Reese Funeral Home.
Thomas G. Blackstone, Jr. married Margaret Gibson on June 14, 1928, and together they welcomed their first son, Harry Gordon Blackstone, on June 3, 1929. Known to most as “Gordon,” Thomas Jr. graduated from Cleveland Mortuary College and became a licensed funeral director in 1933. After Harry’s graduation from Cleveland Mortuary College in 1952, the funeral home’s name was restored to Blackstone Funeral Home, with Gordon and Harry serving as licensed directors.
Gordon and Margaret’s second son, Thomas Gibson Blackstone, graduated from Pittsburgh Mortuary Science School in 1962 and became a licensed funeral director and embalmer the following year. That same year, Harry purchased the Davidson Funeral Home at 672 Churchill Road in Girard, expanding the family’s operations to two locations. Gordon and Thomas managed the Liberty Street funeral home, while Harry operated the Churchill Road location, residing there with his family.
In 1977, Thomas purchased the Churchill funeral home from his brother, Harry, who later moved to Florida, where he lived until his passing in 2009. Gordon and Thomas continued operating both Girard funeral homes together until Gordon’s death on November 13, 1984.
In 1988, significant renovations were made to the Churchill location, including an addition to the front chapel to make the building handicap accessible. Around this time, Thomas and his wife, Dianna, moved from their home on Dravis Avenue to the residence above the funeral home.
By 1993, the decision was made to move all visitations and services to the Churchill location. After nearly 80 years, the Liberty Street building was retired from use. In 2004, Tom and his daughter, Kathy, undertook another major renovation at the Churchill Road funeral home, expanding the front chapel, adding a new entranceway, handicap-accessible restroom, and new offices. The selection room was also relocated from Liberty Street to Churchill Road.
In 2011, a new preparation room was added to the Churchill facility. Later that same year, after 100 years of ownership, the Liberty Street property was sold.
Today, five generations of the Blackstone family have proudly served Girard and the surrounding communities for over a century. With 106 years of continued dedication, we remain committed to providing compassionate, professional service to every family we are honored to serve.
