OGDENSBURG– Two Ogdensburg funeral homes are merging operations.

Ryan Frary, owner of the Frary Funeral Home, 515 Caroline St, announced the expansion of their family-run firm by merging with LaRue & Pitcher Funeral Home in Ogdensburg. The merger includes the funeral directors and location at 324 New York Avenue.

“Being family-owned has been very important to the people and the communities that we serve. As part of this united effort, we are excited to announce that we will be consolidating our services under one roof at 515 Caroline St., the current location of Frary Funeral Home. This move signifies a commitment to a central, easily accessible location for Ogdensburg families,” stated Frary.

Frary added that the funeral industry has undergone significant transformations, necessitating change to contend with industry giants, akin to our competitor who operates under the shadow of larger corporations like Service Corporation International, which often presents itself using local last names or Dignity Memorial.

“Despite the vast reach of conglomerates like Dignity Memorial, it's apparent that the economies of scale do not translate into consumer benefits but rather benefiting only stockholders. This merger effort allows us to remain competitive against the "Walmarts" of our industry,” Frary continued. “Ensuring that we are the most competitively priced and pass those savings on to the consumers, not the shareholders. We enthusiastically invite clients who prefer to keep their funeral arrangements within the local community to reach out to us.”

Christopher C. Pitcher and Nicole M. LaRue, both Ogdensburg natives, bought the former Allen-Nichols Funeral Home in 2016 and that funeral home has served the community since 1938, providing unparalleled comfort during life’s difficult moments.

“Their funeral home is known for their compassionate and trustworthy care. And, as the former owner, this will not change, we will be better equipped to serve the community with more staff to serve at both funeral homes in our hometown community,” LaRue said.

“We promise to maintain the same high level of care for which the LaRue & Pitcher Funeral Home is known for,” Frary remarked. “There will be minimal changes in the day-to-day operations as we will guarantee our pre-paid pricing and maintain all staff in their existing roles for any families we continue to serve. In fact, Christopher will continue serving families full-time as the licensed manager of LaRue & Pitcher Funeral Home and as a funeral director for Frary Funeral Home and Cremation Services.”

“We have great overlap between the families we serve in Ogdensburg and it only made sense to bring them all together so we can serve the community even better,” LaRue said.

Any LaRue & Pitcher pre-paid account holders will receive a letter in the mail to formally notify you of the changes as well as the transition process, assisted by the LaRue & Pitcher Family. Questions regarding pre-arranged funerals or the transfer of ownership can be directed to Ryan Frary, Christopher Pitcher, and Nicole LaRue.