Full History
Joseph Vertin & Sons Funeral Home is one of the oldest family businesses in Breckenridge. Joseph Vertin Sr. came to Breckenridge in 1898 as a guest of his brother Math, who was a partner in the Miksche-Vertin Department Store. Joe was associated with Miksche-Vertin until 1906, when he joined Bill Bentley in opening the Bentley-Vertin Grocery Store. After the Miksche-Vertin store was destroyed by fire one year later, Math joined the Bentley-Vertin operation to form Vertin Brothers & Bentley, the new business expanding to include crockery, hardware, dry goods, and furniture. Bentley then bought out the grocery department from the Vertin Brothers, marking 1908 the official beginning of the Vertin Brothers Furniture Store and Funeral Home as a separate entity.
The name of the Vertin Brothers store was eventually changed to Joseph Vertin & Sons Furniture Store and Funeral Home in 1938, when Joe Sr.’s three sons, Norbert (Bud), Joe Jr., and Kenneth, joined their father in the business. In 1952, when Joe Sr. retired, the furniture store and funeral home operations were made separate; Bud and Kenneth took over the furniture store, and Joe Jr. and his wife, Kathleen, assumed responsibility for the funeral home. Joseph Sr. died in 1973.
Thomas Vertin, representing the third generation of Joseph Vertin & Sons, joined the family business in 1969. In 1993, an open house was held at Joseph Vertin & Sons Funeral Home to celebrate a major remodeling project. Tom’s brother, Steve, served as building project coordinator for the renovation of the 31-year-old structure. In 2004, in order to more efficiently serve area families, Vertin-Munson Funeral Home and Joseph Vertin & Sons Funeral Home joined forces in a collaborative partnership.
Joseph Vertin & Sons is proud to have received the prestigious Pursuit of Excellence Award from the National Funeral Directors Association several times. In addition, Joseph Vertin & Sons was one of eight funeral homes nationwide to receive the NFDA’s Best of the Best Award for their Cherish the Child project. Today, the funeral professionals at Joseph Vertin & Sons Funeral Home are proud to continue the legacy of providing superior service to the Breckenridge community and surrounding area.
