Our History
The Bellich Family
Alfieri Funeral Home circa early 1960's after the recent move from State Street.
Former funeral home on State St. before it was moved to its present location on Marguerite Ave.
Mr Alfieri receiving his 50 years of service plaque as a funeral director at the LeMont in Pittsburgh.
Present are his wife, Betty and 4 children.
Around 1935 when, Jim Alfieri was 15 years old, he befriended a teenager his own age, by the name of Tom Scott. Tom's brother, Charles Scott, was the owner of Scott's Funeral Home in Wilmerding, PA. At that time, we didn't have the traditional funeral home that we have today. People were viewed in their homes and the Funeral Director and his staff brought all the necessary equipment to the home of the deceased. My dad worked for the Scott family for 19 years.
After serving in the United States Navy during WWII, my dad attended the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. He received his Funeral Directors License in 1951. He opened his Funeral Home in the home of his parents, Pietro and Rosina Alfieri, in 1954.
My dad foresaw that the redevelopment in making plans for the new bridge would be taking the building which housed his Funeral Home and his parents' residence and with the help of his parents, he purchased the First Presbyterian Church of Wilmerding. In 1966, after ten years of refurbishing, the Funeral Home was relocated from State St. to Marguerite Ave. Much of the work in the present Funeral Home was done by my dad himself.
Since her marriage to my dad, my mom has been dedicated to the funeral business and has also worked very hard. I received my Funeral Directors License in 1979. My nephew, Nicholas Bellich received his Funeral Directors License in 2009. The funeral business has been a way of life for the Alfieri family. After 55 years and three generations, Alfieri Funeral Home continues to strive for excellence in serving families of the surrounding communities. - Article by Rose Castagnola
After 10 years of hard work Mr. Alfieri converted a vacant church into his funeral home.
James Alfieri
Betty Alfieri
