About Us

W.H. May established the funeral and furniture business around 1890, then located on W. Butler St., Fort Recovery, between Meinerdings Restaurant and the former L.H. Wagner Agency. Leo "Hap" Hildbold, who in his later years was an employee of Cy Brockman and was the village's historian, recalled how burial vaults (rough boxes) were displayed on the street curb at that time.

May built the present brick building (now Brockman Furniture), 107 S. Wayne St. about 1896. This building housed both the funeral home and furniture business which was common at that time. The establishment was called May's Undertaking and Furniture Dealer. The first floor was used to display furniture and prepare the deceased. The second floor contained the casket selection room. The basement stored supplies, provided a workshop, and horse drawn hearse with the horse stable located just east of the building. A hand drawn elevator which is still in operation today, connected the three floors.

Funeral customs in the later 1800's and early 1900's included May making (hand crafting) wooden caskets in the workshop of the building. From the 1800's till around the 1950's it was customary to have the funeral visitation in the home.

Donald E. Riffle became a partner of W.H. May about 1937 and Riffle bought out May around 1947. Riffle, who resided at the present funeral home location, added a visitation room and other facilities to his home in the mid 1950's since funeral home visitations were becoming more common. During this period the complete funeral business was moved to its present location.

After being discharged from the US Marine Corps in 1946, Cyril "Cy" Brockman began working for May and Riffle. Cy graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science and bought out Riffle in 1963. The business was renamed Brockman Funeral Home.

Ronald "Ron" Boeckman, a native of Fort Recovery and graduate of the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, began employment at the funeral home and furniture store in 1977. Ron purchased the entire funeral home in 1991. The funeral home was renamed Brockman-Boeckman Funeral Home.

Cy Brockman remained part of the staff on a part time basis until his health no longer permitted him to do so. Cy passed away in January of 2009.

In February of 2021, Ron and Elly Boeckman began thier retirement as their business was transitioned to Eric Fee and Thomas Shaw.