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Our History

Buch Family of Funeral Homes History

Manheim Home Founded 1898
In 1898, Thaddeus S. Beck formed a partnership with David Hummer, founding the original Manheim funeral home at 16-18 East High Street. Operated under the name of Beck and Hummer, the business offered furniture and undertaking services, which was the custom at that time.

In 1912, Mr. Hummer sold his share of the business to Elmer B. Beck and the funeral home changed its name to T.S. Beck and Son. During this time the funeral home was relocated to 9-11 North Main Street in Manheim. When the elder Beck retired in 1923, Elmer’s brother Paul became a partner, forming the Beck Bros. funeral home. After thirty-five years in the business, Elmer Beck retired, and Abraham B. Beck and Rufus B. Weidman became shareholders. John F. Buch began working for the Beck Bros. in 1949.

Two Locations: Manheim & Lititz
In 1953, two new properties were purchased. The first at 21 Market Square in Manheim, where the funeral home is still located today. The second property was located at 216 South Broad Street in Lititz. Both the Manheim and Lititz properties were converted into modern funeral homes. In 1962, Mr. Weidman sold his shares to the other Beck Bros. owners.

Eventually, the holdings of the two locations were separated, with Abraham Beck heading up the Lititz funeral home and Paul Beck in Manheim. In 1969, John Buch purchased the Manheim location and changed the name to the Buch Funeral Home. In 1984, Theodore J. “Ted” Beck, a seventh-generation funeral director from New Holland, received his funeral director license and joined John Buch to help run the Manheim location.

Mount Joy Location Merger
In 1988, John Buch expanded the Buch Family of Funeral Homes with a second location, when he formalized a years-long cooperative relationship and merged with the Heilig Funeral Home in Mount Joy. Jim Heilig had founded the Mount Joy funeral home in 1949.

On January 1, 1992, Ted Beck purchased the Buch Funeral Home Corporation from John Buch. The corporate holdings included the Manheim and Mount Joy funeral home locations. Eventually, the facility at 21 West Main Street in Mount Joy was renamed to join the Buch Family of Funeral Homes.

In 2002, licensed funeral director, Aaron S. Abbott, joined the Buch Family of Funeral Homes. Working alongside Ted, he originally served as the Supervisor of the Mount Joy funeral home.

Lititz Rejoins The Family
Since the 1947, the Lititz funeral home at 216 South Broad Street was being run by the third Beck brother, Abram. He had started as an assistant at the Beck Brothers’ and took over ownership of the location until 1973. That year, Richard Heisey became the owner and licensed supervisor of the Lititz location.

In 2016, the funeral home in Lititz, PA became the third location of the Buch Family of Funeral Homes, when Ted Beck and Aaron Abbott acquired the funeral home from Richard Heisey. Ted and Aaron reunited the Lititz and Manheim locations, along with Mount Joy.

The New Generation Begins
The Abbott family began their own multi-generation tradition of funeral service in 2019 when Aaron’s daughter, Allissa joined the Buch Family of Funeral Homes. After graduating with her mortuary degree, she began interning at Buch, working along with her father. She earned her funeral director licensed in 2019.

After nearly twenty years of working side-by-side, Aaron Abbott join Ted Beck as a shareholder in the Buch Family of Funeral Homes in January 2021. Aaron serves as Chief Executive Officer and Supervisor for the Manheim location. As Chief Operating Officer, Ted manages the day-to-day operations of the three funeral home locations. He also continues in his role as Supervisor of the Lititz location.

“You only get one chance to do it right,” explained Ted. “I want to make sure that everything is perfect each and every time for the families that we serve. It was important that the succession plan for the Buch Family of Funeral Homes provided for continuity of the excellence that we have provided since 1898.”