ABOUT US

Our History

About Us

Serving Families in Kingston, Port Ewen and surrounding communities

Rich traditions, proud history

Families have been placing their trust in us for generations. We have always made exceeding the needs of our clients the #1 priority and we are honored to serve you.

Keyser Funeral and Cremation Service

We have a long tradition of excellence in serving our neighbors with caring and compassion: Our roots trace back to 1914, when William K. Kukuk, (great-great-grandfather of Luke) became a funeral director. After his passing, Williams' son Kenneth Kukuk then operated the family business until 1948.

After returning from World War II, in 1949, Eric’s father William S. (Sherrill) Keyser took over the family business and renamed it Keyser Funeral Service. Eric, a fourth-generation funeral director with over fifty years of experience, joined his father in the business in 1974. Eric’s son Luke, who joined the family business in 2008, became the fifth generation of Keyser’s to serve the Kingston and Port Ewen/Town of Esopus area communities.

A. Carr & Son Funeral Home

The A. Carr & Son Funeral Home was founded in 1889 by Albert Carr and was continuously operated by his family until 1976 when Robert (Bob) J. McConekey and Susan Fries McConekey purchased the funeral home from the Carr family and became the owners of A. Carr & Son Funeral Home. The Carr’s and the McConekey’s faithfully served the community for generations. 

Colleagues for decades, we began working with Bob & Sue in 2009. Prior to Bob’s retirement, knowing his family’s business would be in caring and capable hands, in 2011 he assuredly merged with Keyser Funeral and Cremation Service. We then became know as Keyser & Carr Funeral & Cremation Service. 

Simpson Hammerl

In 1953, Frank H. Simpson and Julia Guido Simpson opened the Frank H. Simpson Funeral Home. Their vision was to provide excellent funeral services to the families of Kingston and to establish a strong bond with the community through dedication and compassion.

In the early 1980’s, the Simpsons sold the business to Robert J. Gaus and his parents Robert Gaus and Catherine Gaus. For years, they operated the business together and were known as the Simpson Gaus Funeral Home, diligently carrying on the Simpsons’ legacy.

In November of 2011, Paul Hammerl purchased the funeral home from Robert Gaus, making it the Simpson-Hammerl Funeral Home.  Paul dutifully served the families of Kingston and surrounding areas before selling the funeral home to his colleagues Luke and Eric Keyser at Keyser & Carr Funeral & Cremation Service.  The transition in ownership was a natural one, especially as Keyser’s was also located on Albany Avenue just one block away. 

Today...

We pride ourselves for the care, quality, and detail of service we offer to families. While our name may have changed, we remain committed to serving, never wavering in our passion for taking care of families. We are proud to continue operating as a multigenerational family-owned business and building on the dreams of our predecessors. 

It is our honor to continue to provide exceptional funeral services and cremation services to the families of Kingston, Woodstock, Ulster, Esopus, Hurley, Rosendale, Stone Ridge, and other surrounding communities.

The Keyser Funeral and Cremation Services, the A. Carr & Son Funeral Home, the Simpson Funeral Home, the Simpson - Gaus Funeral Home, the Simpson-Hammerl Funeral Home, are now Keyser Carr Simpson Hammerl Funeral & Cremation Service.

With compassion, understanding, and pride, Luke, Eric and the staff at Keyser Carr Simpson Hammerl Funeral and Cremation Service at 326 Albany Avenue in Kingston and 216 Broadway in Port Ewen, are there to guide you in honoring your loved one, and to care for you in your loss.