William Wise and Sons, Inc. has been in continuous operation since 1845, owned and operated by the Wise family, now in its fifth generation.

In 1836, William Wise (left) came to Bucyrus, Ohio from Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. His one desire was to provide the people of Bucyrus and Crawford County with the finest handmade furniture. By 1845, William and his partner, Christopher Howenstein, were designing and crafting handmade cabinets in a small building on East Mansfield Street (below) where the Bucyrus City Fire Department now stands. Residents began requesting handmade coffins made from a variety of woods found in the area. The quality of the coffins prompted families to request more services and soon William Wise was in the undertaking business.

William's five sons: Preston, William, George, Frederick, and Joseph joined him in the furniture and funeral business. Only Joseph had sons, William and James, both of whom continued the family businesses. William was involved in the Wise Furniture Store (below) while James became the funeral director. James' son Edward, the oldest of his three children, worked with his father and later his own son, David, in the funeral business and retired in January, 2008. Ed's son David, the fifth generation of the William Wise family, is now President of Wise Funeral Service.

The building that now houses Wise Funeral Service (below) was a private home built in 1870 at the corner of Warren and Poplar Streets. Purchased from the Picking estate in the fall of 1929, the building has had several updates; the most recent in 2002 when nearly 3600 square feet were added. The 2002 addition includes a new selection room, preparation and dressing rooms, storage, garage, and a beautiful foyer.

Over time, the locations have changed, but the fine service has stood the test of time. Since
making the first burial in historic Oakwood Cemetery, Bucyrus area families have been assured of personalized, compassionate service because of trust -
trust in the Wise name.