Our History

We stand behind our reputation and will continue to serve our community with the values instilled by our funeral directors.

Our firm began with the son of a local onion farming family who decided that helping people was something that he did best.  Theodore S. "Teddy" Purta graduated from Warwick Valley Central High School in 1958 and at the age of 18, he left the family farm to attend the McAllister School of Embalming in New York City.  After graduating from McAllister, Ted came home to do his residency with the Lazear Funeral Home in Warwick, NY.  Ted felt that he needed to run his own funeral home in his "hometown" of Pine Island.  There he started to construct his first location and in the fall of 1961 opened the doors to the T.S. Purta Funeral Home, which is still in its original location over 50 years later. 

After getting married to Joyce A. Coates, Ted and his wife bought the then existing Smokowski Funeral Home in Florida, NY in the fall of 1970.  Mr. Anthony J. Smokowski founded the Smokowski Funeral Home in the early 1930's and ran it until his death in 1970.   With encouragement and support from her husband Ted, Joyce a registered nurse, decided to pursue a second career as a funeral director.  In 1970 she attended the American Academy of McAllister Institute in New York City.  Upon graduation, Joyce worked with her husband Ted, running the 2 establishments. 

In 1973, Ted and Joyce completed the "new viewing room addition" to the now T.S. Purta Funeral Home, Florida, NY.  From that time on, Joyce and Ted worked side-by-side running the funeral homes, while raising their two sons, Todd and Timothy Scott. 

In May of 1994, Todd S. Purta graduated from Hudson Valley Community College, Troy, NY and received his associates in applied science degree.  After passing the National Board Examination of Funeral Service, Todd worked as a funeral director resident for a period of one year.  Upon completion of his residency, he passed the New York State Law Exam for funeral service and received his New York State Funeral Directors License and joined the family business.  Todd also started T.S. Purta Monuments at that time.

Anthony J. Smokowski
1907 - 1970

Theodore S. "Teddy" Purta
1940-1999

In 1998, Timothy Scott Purta graduated from Hudson Valley Community College, Troy, NY and received his associates in applied science degree.  After passing the National Board Examination of Funeral Service, Timothy worked as a funeral director resident for a period of one year at Cornelius, Dodd & Connell Funeral Home, Inc., in Middletown, NY. 

In May of 1999, Theodore S. "Teddy" Purta suddenly passed away.  Not only did we loose our founder, but the community lost a great supporter and friend. Joyce continued to run the family business with her two sons.

In 2002, Joyce and her sons decided to proceed with the renovation and expansion plans to the Florida Funeral Home that she and Ted had planned on doing.  A second viewing room was added with the help of family and friends, to accommodate the growing community.  This renovation was well received within our community. Many people have expressed their support and gratitude for providing a comfortable "family orientated" atmosphere in a spacious facility.

Timothy Scott took a full time position in the family business in the spring of 2003, when Joyce decided to slow down a bit, which allowed Todd and Timothy to take over the day-to-day operations. They could now work together and continue what their parents had started.

In the summer of 2008, Todd & Timothy renovated the original "founding location" of T.S. Purta Funeral Home in Pine Island, NY.  The overall reception area was increased and has been well received by the community. They received the "Pride of Pine Island" award by the Pine Island Chamber of Commerce, for beautifying the overall landscape of Pine Island as well as maintaining a professional atmosphere for those they serve.

Today, more than ever, Todd and Tim realize the importance of maintaining the "Family" atmosphere for those they serve. Our goal is to maintain our high quality of service to the community we serve with the Respect, Honesty and Compassion you should expect from our family operated business.

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