After volunteering for military service, Ben served in the South Pacific. He was able to send money home, which his father set aside to buy the land on which Anthony Funeral Chapel was to be built.

Upon his return, Ben completed his apprenticeship, took his state examination and became licensed. With the money he saved, he bought the first two parcels of land for his funeral chapel. Job opportunities for licensed funeral directors were scarce, so he joined his brother George in their father's sand and gravel business. George (now deceased) joined Ben in the funeral service business in 1954.

The sand and gravel business gave Ben the connections to barter some of the labor and, in 1948, a fledgling savings and loan association - Columbia - agreed to finance the rest of the amount needed when commercial banks were not interested in entrepreneurial companies. The funeral chapel was completed in 1952.

In the 1950's, a funeral chapel in Brighton was a big gamble, Ben Anthony recalls. All funeral services for Brighton residents were conducted at downtown Rochester locations. Brighton business activity ended at Westfall Road. The building of a new high school was an indication of Brighton's growth, reinforcing Ben's confidence that families would choose a Brighton funeral chapel. His foresight proved to be correct.

The Next Generation

In 1975, George Anthony's son, Mark, joined the business. Ben's son, Scott, joined the business in 1982, and son Benton (Chip), Jr. in 1990. Mark and Scott completed the purchase in 1984 when Ben retired. Ben died in March of 2004 after a brief illness.

The next year, Mark and Scott purchased the Smith & Lotze funeral home in Webster, where they carry on an 80-year tradition under the Anthony Funeral Chapel name. In 1995, they moved the Webster facility from the village to a new location at 1031 Ridge Road. The Webster office is managed by Scott Anthony with special assistance from Diane Erwin.

Work on the Brighton expansion began in 1998 and continued on a fast track all season. The Brighton chapel is staffed by Mark, Chip, Scott, Nancy, Lauren and Bonnie Anthony, Christopher Lawrence and Natasha Kurowski.

E-mail us: info@anthonychapels.com