Our Heritage

About The Vincent Funeral Homes

Where compassiona and caring has been a tradition for over a Century.

In 1902 Charles Henry Vincent started his business. He stored his equipment in a barn located on Plank Hill Road along with his horse and carriage. When a family was in need of his service he traveled to their home and did the preparation work at the family home and the person was "laid out" in the parlor. Many of the old homes in the valley have "casket doors" located off the living room in which the casket was brought into the home.

Charles H. Vincent was a state senator for the sixth district and served several terms in the state legislature. In 1942 he purchased an existing funeral home on Maple Avenue in Canton and opened the Vincent Funeral Home of Canton. In 1950 he purchased the beautiful Wilcox mansion, located in the center of Simsbury on Hopmeadow Street, where the business remains today.

Sons, Charles W. Vincent, Henry T. Vincent and Elmer Vincent became licensed funeral directors and embalmers and joined their father in the family business along with daughter, Catherine Vincent who assisted them in running the office as secretary and bookkeeper.

In 1960 his sons purchased land on Albany Turnpike in Canton and built the new, spacious and tastefully decorated, Vincent Funeral Home in honor of their father, Charles Henry Vincent.

Grandson, Eugene T. Vincent joined the family business as a licensed funeral director and embalmer in 1962 retiring in the early 1980s in order to pursue another career.

Grandson, Richard J. Vincent worked with his grandfather and uncles, washing cars and mowing lawns. He graduated from New England Institute in Boston and joined the firm as a licensed funeral director and embalmer in 1969. In 1997, Dick founded the Farmington Valley Crematory, located in the Canton Funeral Home. He was proud to offer the families he served the peace of mind that their loved one was always in the care of the Vincent family. He retired from the funeral home in 2008 but continued managing the crematory to stay "semi" retired (and out of trouble). Dick's wife Mary O'Keefe Vincent joined the family business as a secretary in the 70's and in the 80's, received her license to become the family's first female licensed funeral director and embalmer. With Dick's partial retirement, she took over as President and Owner of the funeral home. In 2018, they both fully retired, Dick with over 60 years of service and Mary with over 40 years of service.

Great-grandson and fourth generation, Richard J. Vincent, Jr. grew up in Simsbury and had helped his father in the same tradition of the prior generations, washing cars, mowing lawns and various tasks around the funeral homes. After graduation from Simsbury High School, he attended the New England Institute and joined the family business as a licensed funeral director and embalmer in 1987. When his father retired from the funeral home, he took on the role of Vice President and in 2018, Richard became the President and Owner of the Vincent Funeral Homes and the Farmington Valley Crematory. Richard still holds the value taught to him by his father and uncles and can be seen tending to and mowing the lawns (sometimes having a little too much fun speeding along) on Sundays and plowing the parking lots and shoveling after storms. As the father of three boys, he is currently working with the fifth generation, preparing them for the future of the family business.