Who We Are

Our professional staff has years of experience caring for families from all walks of life. We are leaders in our profession, with dedication to service and professional integrity.

• When we sit down with a family, our shared goal is to create a fitting, memorable and affordable service for their loved one. We offer them a wide variety of services and products, as well as a wealth of creative ideas and suggestions. Together, we'll design a memorial or funeral service that suits their needs now, and in the future. Families who come to us know that years from now, they will have deep peace-of-mind because in coming to us, they've done their best to honor their loved one.

• About Us

  Lyons Funeral Home takes great pride in its reputation of being the leading funeral service provider in our community. Our family and staff are dedicated to ensuring that each funeral reflects the unique life of the deceased and, at the same time, is meaningful and supportive for those left behind. We offer creative ideas and options to help tailor your arrangements to suit you and your family, and we take care of all the complex details for you.

  We care about you and your family. Our staff of professional funeral directors have years of experience compassionately caring for families at the most difficult time of their lives. Our goal is to assist the family in their selection of a fitting tribute to their loved one. We offer families the choice of earth burial, cremation, aboveground entombment and other memorial options that meet the family's needs. We have designed our web site to answer many of the funeral service questions that people typically have. Please call or e-mail us if you have any additional questions or comments about our firm or any aspect of funeral service.

Our History

The Lyons Funeral Home was founded by William H. Lyons, known locally as “Billy”, a respected businessman in Thomaston since the age of 14 when he started the Lyons Tea company. He sold tea, coffee, spices, extracts, baking soda and cocoa house to house out of a horse drawn wagon in Thomaston and the surrounding communities.

 In 1901 he went into partnership with Thomas H. Brown. Their business included the sale of tea, coffee and ice cream. Brown was also a mortician and Lyons joined him in that too and this started his career in the funeral business.

 In 1902 Brown was ready to retire so William H. joined forces with his brother, Timothy J. Lyons and the two bought out Browns business. The two brothers were in partnership for ten years together.

 A partial list of the scope and variety of business’s that William H. was involved in over the years includes, salesman of tea and coffee, mortician, jitney service, operator, dry goods merchant, taxi service, bus line operator, livery stable operator, automobile dealer and appliance dealer. In 1928 he had acquired the dealer’s franchise for Pontiac. At first he sold cars from the buildings formerly used for livery at his home on Bristol St. He was selling so many cars that in 1948 he decided to build a new showroom at the junction of Elm and East Main Streets.  

 As busy as he was in his business endeavors he still found the time for home life and active community involvement. He was the father of four boys, John, Daniel, Paul (Paul made the supreme sacrifice for his country during World War II, following a battle with Japanese forces on Leyte in the Philippines, he volunteered to bring back his fellow wounded soldiers and never came back) and William and one daughter, Rosemary (Martin). John and Dan joined their father in the funeral business, which was incorporated in 1948 as W.H. Lyons and Sons.

 In 1985, John J. Lyons, Sr., (son of the founder) wishing to retire, sold the funeral business to his Irish cousin from Waterbury, William J. “Bill” Bergin. The Bergin family had been operating the Bergin Funeral Home in Waterbury since 1873. In 1997 Bill Bergin became an affiliate of Carriage Services of Houston, Texas. 

The Lyons Funeral Home is now locally managed by D. Scott Griffith of Watertown, a second generation funeral director, whose family has been serving the communities of the greater Waterbury area for over 79 years.