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LARKSVILLE — Dressed in suspenders, a white shirt and suit pants, funeral director Patrick Lehman maintains an old-school air.
He sits behind a big desk in a small office of the Andrew Strish Funeral Home, on Wilson Street in Larksville.
The Andrew Strish Funeral Home became part of the Lehman Family Funeral Services in April after the 2014 death of Andrew “Skip” Strish caused Rosemarie Strish-Lipski to sell off her brother’s business. Lehman, who has been licensed for 29 years, now is the president of Lehman-named funeral homes on Hazle Street in Wilkes-Barre and Berwick Street in White Haven, the Rosenberg Funeral Chapel on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, and the Lehman Monument Co., also on Hazle Street in Wilkes-Barre.
“My job is my hobby,” Lehman admits with a smile.
For Strish-Lipski, the transition from family to Lehman was “very, very easy.” The pair clicked instantly, they both agree. It made a hard decision for Strish-Lipski much easier. The pair concurs that they “hit the ground running from the first minute.”
“He reminds me so much of my brother,” Strish-Lipski said. “I’m his aunt, not really, but I am.”
“It’s a good fit,” Lehman said. “(Getting the Strish Funeral Home) opened the West Side.”
The Lehman Family Funeral Services has licensed and unlicensed workers at all the funeral homes. Though he has supervisors — Mike Galaida at the Strish Funeral Home — at each of the four funeral homes, Lehman tries to be at every family funeral planning. He wants to understand and get to know the families that he serves.
“A funeral is for the living,” Lehman maintains. “We want to provide them (families) with comfort.”
Strish-Lipski says Lehman is “like family.” Lehman doesn’t have plans to change the name of the funeral home, like other potential buyers did.
“We’re flattered that we were entrusted with it,” Lehman said. “It’s more than dollars and cents.”
Even though Lehman owns the building now, Strish-Lipski comes to the funeral home often. The inside of the funeral home will stay the same, including a memorial that Strish-Lipski keeps to honor her father, Andrew, mother, Lottie, and brother, Andrew.
“Rose Marie always keeps a little memoriam here,” Lehman said, mentioning he’ll keep the memorial around.
Standing out
Among his regular hearses and limos, Lehman has two very special hearses.
A Harley-Davidson, custom-built Victorian-style hearse has been with him for a few years. Within the past few weeks, Lehman added a custom-built Prinzing, with an eight cylinder engine, to his fleet. Lehman ordered the car in honor of his father, Leo, and had it made by a dealer in Alabama.
“It’s nice to see smiles,” Lehman said of a time when things can be sad. A family’s hug and thank you is his reward for the uniqueness the two hearses offer.
The motorcycle hearse is a replica of a horse drawn hearse. A museum in Arizona was his muse. The trike is in place of the horse.
For the new hearse, a corvette motor was added “so we’re not late getting to church,” Lehman said with a laugh.
The Prinzing gets people stopping to look and take photos when it’s displayed at the different funeral homes.
“I was driving over the Carey Avenue bridge,” Lehman said, “Somebody followed me and turned into the (Strish Funeral Home) lot and said ‘what is that thing?’”
Family (and friends) funeral service
Coincidentally, both the Strish and Lehman businesses were founded in 1928. Lehman is a third-generation family funeral director.
“It is a family thing because (being a funeral director) is so different,” Lehman said.
The funeral home in White Haven was his Uncle Joe’s funeral home, which, according to Lehman was also a very smooth transition of power.
He came into owning the Rosenberg Funeral Home from his mentor, Sam Rosenberg.
“We’ve made friends in the community,” Lehman said.
Without his family, Lehman couldn’t do the job. They are accepting and understand of his job.
“We all work together,” Lehman said.
His wife, Jacqueline Koprowski Lehman, runs the monument company.
He and his wife have two children, Patrick, 19, and MaryTheresa, 17.
