Hopler & Eschbach Funeral Home

01/26/2026

We are all cleaned out and ready for service again.

Regrettably these big storms require us to bring in some oversize equipment to do the job properly.

We thank your friends at Binghamton Precast and Supply for their excellent work.

01/26/2026

We are honored to be entrusted with the final care of Peter Metritikas, 94, of Vestal.

He was well known around the area for the many diners he established and operated.



Which of his diners was your favorite?

View Peter Metritikas's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

01/24/2026

We are honored to have been entrusted with the final care of Thomas Hriciga, 74, formerly of Binghamton.

View Thomas Hriciga's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

01/24/2026

On a cold day like today, I can't help but recall an old poem my father used to take pleasure in reciting.

THE CREMATION OF SAM McGEE - A poem by Robert Service.

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen q***r sights,
But the q***rest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows.
Why he left his home in the South to roam 'round the Pole, God only knows.
He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell;
Though he'd often say in his homely way that "he'd sooner live in hell."
On a Christmas Day we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail.
Talk of your cold! through the parka's fold it stabbed like a driven nail.
If our eyes we'd close, then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn't see;

It wasn't much fun, but the only one to whimper was Sam McGee.
And that very night, as we lay packed tight in our robes beneath the snow,
And the dogs were fed, and the stars o'erhead were dancing heel and toe,
He turned to me, and "Cap," says he, "I'll cash in this trip, I guess;
And if I do, I'm asking that you won't refuse my last request."
Well, he seemed so low that I couldn't say no; then he says with a sort of moan:
"It's the cursèd cold, and it's got right hold, till I'm chilled clean through to the bone.
Yet 'tain't being dead — it's my awful dread of the icy grave that pains;
So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you'll cremate my last remains."
A pal's last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail;
And we started on at the streak of dawn; but God! he looked ghastly pale.
He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee;
And before nightfall a co**se was all that was left of Sam McGee.
There wasn't a breath in that land of death, and I hurried, horror-driven,
With a co**se half hid that I couldn't get rid, because of a promise given;
It was lashed to the sleigh, and it seemed to say: "You may tax your brawn and brains,
But you promised true, and it's up to you, to cremate those last remains."
Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code.
In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load.
In the long, long night, by the lone firelight, while the huskies, round in a ring,
Howled out their woes to the homeless snows — Oh God! how I loathed the thing.
And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavy and heavier grow;
And on I went, though the dogs were spent and the grub was getting low;
The trail was bad, and I felt half mad, but I swore I would not give in;
And I'd often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin.
Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, and a derelict there lay;
It was jammed in the ice, but I saw in a trice it was called the "Alice May."
And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum;
Then "Here," said I, with a sudden cry, "is my cre-ma-tor-eum."
Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire;
Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher;
The flames just soared, and the furnace roared — such a blaze you seldom see;
And I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee.
Then I made a hike, for I didn't like to hear him sizzle so;
And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow.
It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks, and I don't know why;
And the greasy smoke in an inky cloak went streaking down the sky.
I do not know how long in the snow I wrestled with grisly fear;
But the stars came out and they danced about ere again I ventured near;
I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: "I'll just take a peep inside.
I guess he's cooked, and it's time I looked"; ... then the door I opened wide.
And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;
And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and said: "Please close that door.
It's fine in here, but I greatly fear, you'll let in the cold and storm —
Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it's the first time I've been warm."

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;

The Northern Lights have seen q***r sights,
But the q***rest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

01/24/2026

This weekend's cold brings to mind an option some people consider at the time of their death (or as their belief/hope is NOT death, but some sort of state between life and death - according to the words at the Cryonic Clinic - "declared dead with the objective of future revival")

What do you think? We tend towards this as a process offering false hope and would be better suited for a new episode of "The Twilight Zone".

CI’s primary service is Cryogenic Preservation (vitrification) of a person’s body at the time they have been declared legally dead, with the objective of future revival. It is important to understand that we consider legal death distinct from absolute final death, which can be best defined by th...

01/23/2026

We are honored to be entrusted with the final care of Theodore Schmits, 56, of Port Dickinson.

View Theodore R. Schmits's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

01/23/2026

We knew our friends at NY Pizzeria were going to find an appropriate location to relocate their restaurant.

They have been a long time asset drawing people to the Northside.

We often grab lunch or dinner there, particularly when we are busy and don't have time to prepare our own meals.

We wish them continued success in their relocation and hope that all their existing customer base follows them.

HOT PIZZA NEWS: The owners of New York Pizzeria say they're getting ready to move out of their spot in the Binghamton Plaza after 25 years. They told WNBF News where they plan to set up their new restaurant.

01/23/2026

Those who follow our page regularly will know we often mention our trusted relationships with community partners allied with us in serving our client families.

We take these relationships seriously and work hard to find local partners who share our values and vision when it comes to serving our client families.

Necessarily, even if we don't like it, changing circumstances require us to end existing relationship and develop new ones.

This week brings to close our relationship with Killawog Burial Vault Company as they discontinue business operations January 31.

In 2019, when our main vault supplier - Binghamton Burial Vault - owned by the Abbey family - sold their operations to an out of town concern in Schuylerville, NY (which still services our area) we felt it important to find another locally owned and operated burial vault manufacturer to fill the void.

Thus began our relationship with Killawog Burial Vault. We valued our relationships with both owners, James and Ashley Black and their staff, all of which became trusted partners and friends.

With their closure, we had the option again of using the same manufacturer in Schuylerville, but still preferred to source a new supplier with local ties. (We value supporting local manufacturers and operators as part of building a stronger local economy).

We contacted Butts Precast Concrete Co in Masonville, NY (Delaware County - just East of Afton and Southeast of Bainbridge) and opted to start building our new relationship with them.

We have had a few interactions with the company over the years (always positive) and now look forward to having Butts Precast and Concrete being the primary provider of our concrete burial vaults.

Like any new relationship, it will take time to build trust and friendship, but we have no doubt that we will come to build a trusted friendship with the Butts family as we did with the Black family and the Abbey family as our previous suppliers.

Ever onward to the future.

01/22/2026

Today in history - January 22, 1973, the death of former President Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Born in Stonewall, Texas, Lyndon Baines Johnson was the oldest child of Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr. and Rebekah Baines Johnson's five children. The Johnson family, known for farming and ranching, had settled in Texas before the Civil War, and were founders of the nearby town of Johnson City.

Johnson struggled in school but managed to graduate from Johnson City High School in 1924. He enrolled at Southwest Texas State Teachers College and participated in debates and campus politics. After graduating in 1930, he briefly taught, but his political ambitions had already taken shape. In 1931, Johnson won an appointment as legislative secretary to Texas Democratic Congressman Richard M. Kleberg and relocated to Washington, D.C.

In 1934, Johnson met Claudia Alta Taylor, known to her friends as "Lady Bird." Taylor soon became Johnson's top aide. She used a modest inheritance to bankroll his 1937 run for Congress and ran his office for several years. She later bought a radio station and then a television station, which made the Johnsons wealthy. The couple had two daughters, Lynda Bird Johnson Robb and Luci Baines Johnson Turpin.

In a close election, Johnson was elected a Texas senator in 1948. He advanced quickly and, with his connections, became the youngest minority leader in Senate history in 1953. Democrats won control of the Senate the following year, and Johnson was elected majority leader.

Johnson had set his sights on the White House in 1960. However, he was overwhelmed by a senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy, who was nominated for president on the first ballot at the Democratic Convention. Kennedy realized that he could not be elected without the support of traditional Southern Democrats, most of whom had backed Johnson, so he offered the Texas senator the role of vice president. The JFK/LBJ ticket won the election against Republican candidate Richard Nixon by a narrow margin.

As vice president, Johnson headed the space program, oversaw negotiations on the nuclear test ban treaty and worked to push through equal opportunity legislation for minorities. He also strongly supported Kennedy's decision to send American military advisors to South Vietnam to help fight off a communist insurgency.

On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, while traveling in a motorcade. Johnson was only two cars behind Kennedy when the shots rang out. Just a few hours later, Johnson was sworn in as the 36th president aboard Air Force One on its return to Washington, D.C. Over the next year, he endorsed the late president's programs and pushed a few of his own through Congress.

In 1964, Johnson ran for the presidency against Republican Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona.

Responding to national racial unrest, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the first effective civil rights law since Reconstruction.

In 1965, Johnson pushed an ambitious, sweeping legislative agenda coined the term "Great Society." Scores of bills were passed that championed urban renewal, education, the arts and environmental conservation. Great Society legislation included: Medicare, Medicaid, the Voting Rights Act and the establishment of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (Public television and radio). To this day they remain some of the costliest entitlements created by Congress.

The escalating Vietnam War soon consumed Johnson's presidency. Critics in the media blasted his administration's handling of the conflict, and anti-war protests were springing up on college campuses and in major cities. As the next election campaign geared up, Democrats were split into four factions, underscoring Johnson's diminished control over the party. His approval rating plummeted to 36 percent. On March 31, 1968, Johnson shocked the nation by announcing that he would not seek re-election.

Johnson died on January 22, 1973, after suffering a heart attack at his Texas ranch. The day before his death, he had learned that peace was at hand in Vietnam.

Johnson was much loved and greatly hated -- not just liked and disliked but adored by some and despised by others. Some people remember him as kind, generous, compassionate, considerate, decent, and devoted to advancing the well-being of the least advantaged among us. Others describe him as cruel, dictatorial, grandiose, and even vicious. (Much like the current occupant of the White House - history is rarely without precedent).

He is buried in the Johnson Family Cemetery in Stonewall, Texas.

01/21/2026

We are honored to have been entrusted with the final care of Charles "Chuck" Fernald, 86, of the Town of Chenango

He was well known and respected in the local automobile repair and sales community, especially for his love of street rods and Model A's.

View Charles A. Fernald's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

01/21/2026

Another "Ask the funeral director" question:

How is a person declared dead if their body cannot be found?

Interestingly enough, we have never been directly involved with this process - because if there is no body, there is no need for a funeral director.

We did however peripherally encounter this after the 9/11 Attack, when we personally knew people who had to go through this process with their attorney and we provided a memorial service for their unfound loved one.

Declaring someone legally dead in New York, despite their body not being found, is a complex process that involves filing a petition with the Surrogate Court and presenting evidence to support the presumption of death.

In New York, a person can be declared legally dead if they've been missing for three or more years. This time period may be shortened in certain cases, such as when the missing person is over 70 years old or if they disappeared during a catastrophic event like a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

It may also apply if a person goes missing while doing something dangerous or life-threatening such as mountain climbing, skydiving, or being on a boat that's lost at sea. In these cases, the court may consider the specific circumstances around the disappearance and the chances of survival given the danger involved.

When a person vanishes under suspicious or dangerous circumstances, such as being the victim of a crime or being near a confirmed fatal accident, the court may declare them legally dead based on the evidence available. For example, if someone goes missing and there's strong evidence suggesting they were the victim of a homicide, the court may presume death even without a body. Similarly, if a person disappears after a confirmed fatal event, like a building collapse or a plane crash, and their remains aren't found, the court may declare them legally dead based on the circumstances around their disappearance.

To initiate the process of declaring someone legally dead in New York, the person filing the petition (Which should be an interested party like a family member) must file a petition with the Surrogate's Court in the county where the missing person last lived. Along with the petition, they must submit evidence supporting the presumption of death. This evidence may include:

Affidavits from people who know about the circumstances around the disappearance
Police reports or missing person reports filed with law enforcement
Results of any searches or investigations done to find the missing person
Proof of efforts made to contact the missing person, such as letters, emails, or phone records
Media reports or news articles about the disappearance
In cases involving exposure to dangerous situations or suspicious circumstances, relevant evidence such as witness statements, accident reports, or criminal investigation records

The person filing the petition must also provide proof that they've searched diligently for the missing person. This may involve contacting friends, family, employers, and other relevant parties, as well as searching public records and databases. The court will conduct a hearing and review the evidence to determine if it's enough to support a presumption of death.

After considering all the evidence, the court will decide whether to grant the petition and issue an order declaring the missing person legally dead. If the petition is granted, the court will issue a "Presumption of Death Order," which establishes the legal date of death. If the court finds the evidence insufficient, the petition may be denied, and the missing person's legal status will remain unchanged.

Once the court issues a Presumption of Death Order, the missing person is legally considered deceased. The person who filed the petition can then obtain a death certificate from the local department of health by presenting the Presumption of Death Order. The death certificate will list the date of death as determined by the court, which is usually the date the person was last seen.

Once the missing person has a death certificate, a petition for probate or administration can be filed so the missing person's estate can be distributed. The heirs or beneficiaries can then receive their share of the estate's assets, depending on whether the missing person died with or without a will.

If the missing person was married at the time of their disappearance, their spouse is also able to remarry once the presumption of death order has been issued.

01/20/2026

We are honored to be entrusted with the final care of Jeana Proper,54, of Conklin.

View Jeana M Proper's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.