Hopler & Eschbach Funeral Home

10/14/2025

The following comment will create a minefield for us to walk through.....

If you are looking for the BEST holubsti (halupki or any spelling variant you prefer) and pierogi in town, you are in luck -

Saturday October 18the Ukrainian Fall Food Festival is occurring at the First Ukrainian Pentecostal Church (Old St. Christopher's Church) on Castle Creek Rd in Binghamton. 143 Castle Creek Rd.

We have tasted our away across Eastern Europe this summer and have found without exception this food to be the absolute best at any festival we have attended (The minefield - we enjoy the food at all the other festivals, but all of our staff has decided this food ranks #1 - even if just by a whisker. No offense intended to any of the other groups preparing Slavic food dishes.) The prices are great too.

All the Ukrainian babas prepare this food as if preparing for their own family meal - no shortcuts, just good ingredients assembled with love and pride and it is evident in the final product. It is outstanding.

We hope to see you there.

10/14/2025

We are honored to be entrusted with the final care of Thomas Williams, 84, of Binghamton.

He was well a well known and respected baseball coach locally.

Share memories & support the family

10/14/2025

As Halloween approaches we will share some of our favorite ghoulish humor here.

10/14/2025

We often share posts on the topic of preplanning future services for yourself or a loved one.

One common question we often hear asked is "When is a good time to preplan?"

The answer always is in some form or another "No time like the present - now is always good." At the same time, we realize people often have to think and think and think on the topic before they come in to actually plan.

In fact, for many people who we regularly engage with us might take an average of 3-5 occasions where they have told us they need to come in to plan ahead - before they actually come in (some come in after the first contact - and others never come in, no matter how many times they discuss the idea with us).

Well as we are now in the last quarter of the year, we can tell you NOW is in fact a good time to come to preplan and prefund (prepay) your future funeral plans, because prices are going up in January.

We have started to review the price increases on caskets, burial vaults and general service fees at the funeral home, and we know we will be increasing prices in all three categories by the first week of January.

While it may not be a huge amount of money, maybe just a couple of hundred dollars in total, by paying now, it is money you save - and generally most people prefer to save when they can.

The nature of our prepaid agreements is that you receive guaranteed pricing as part of your payment - if you prepay a funeral in full, we guarantee to provide the services in the future for the principle paid plus interest earned, even if the amount received by the funeral home is a lower amount than what is in the prepaid account.

If you are practical minded and wish to save a little bit of money, along with acquiring the peace of mind and security that comes with preplanning your final services, give the Hopler & Eschbach Funeral Home a call and schedule your appointment before the prices change at the end of the year.

Call now: 607 722 4023

10/13/2025

Happy Columbus Day.

A great day to head to downtown Binghamton and celebrate Columbus Day with our local tradition (now in it's 66th year) The Tournament of Bands marching band competition which is part of the annual Columbus Day parade and the local Italian festival.

The celebration of Columbus Day in the United States can be traced back as far as 1792, the 300th Anniversary of his arrival in what became the Americas (Oct 12, 1492). In 1937 Pres. Franklin Roosevelt issued a proclamation declaring Oct. 12 a federal holiday.

The observance finally settled into it's final form a national holiday in 1971, when the holiday was scheduled to be observed each year on the second Monday of October

10/11/2025

Today in history - notable death: American explorer Meriwether Lewis

On October 11, 1809, the famous explorer Meriwether Lewis dies under mysterious circumstances in the early hours of the morning after stopping for the night at Grinder’s Tavern along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee.

Three years earlier, Lewis and his co-commander, William Clark, had completed their exploration of the newly acquired Louisiana Territory and the Pacific Northwest.

Famous and celebrated throughout the nation as a result, Lewis nonetheless found his return to civilized eastern life difficult.

President Thomas Jefferson appointed him as governor of Louisiana Territory, but Lewis soon discovered that the complex politics and power struggles of the territory were earning him more enemies than friends.

At the same time, bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., were questioning the legitimacy of some of the purchases Lewis had made for the expedition in 1803, raising the threat of bankruptcy if he were forced to cover these costs personally.

Finally, some three years after the end of his journey, Lewis still had failed to complete the work necessary to publish the critically important scientific and geographical information he and Clark had gathered in their journals-much to the disappointment of his close friend and mentor, Thomas Jefferson.

For all these reasons, most recent historians have concluded that Lewis’ death was a su***de brought on by deep depression and the heavy weight of worries he bore.

According to the account given by Mrs. Grinder, the mistress of the tavern along the Natchez Trace where Lewis died, during his final hours Lewis began to pace in his room and talk aloud to himself “like a lawyer.” She then heard a pistol shot and Lewis exclaiming, “O Lord!” After a second pistol shot, Lewis staggered from his room and called for help, reportedly saying, “O Madam! Give me some water, and heal my wounds.”

Strangely, Mrs. Grinder did nothing to help him; she later said that she was too afraid. The next morning servants went to his room where they reportedly found him “busily engaged in cutting himself from head to foot” with a razor. Fatally wounded in the abdomen, Lewis died shortly after sunrise.

He is buried in the Pioneer Cemetery in Hohenwald, TN.

10/10/2025

Last night our owner, Kurt Eschhbach was presented his commission and apron for his new position (Grand Chaplain) in service to the NYS Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons.

Here is a group photo of those in attendance at an open meeting of Johnson City Unity Lodge #970 and a video of the apron being presented by the Grand Master (MW Steven Adam Rubin) with the assistance of Kurt's family - Preston and his mother.

The Grand Master and Grand officers present also dedicated the new lodge building to the service of Freemasonry.

It was indeed a memorable evening.

10/10/2025

One of the interesting differences in funeral customs we note is discernable in early post mortem photography - the extensive amount of floral displays placed around the casket - which actually inhibits coming close to the body.

Today, it would be rare to flowers displayed in such a manner. Sadly, in some cases we barely see any flowers sent to funerals.

When our owner began his career back in 1987 it was not uncommon to see 15-30 floral arrangements for a typical funeral - sometimes as many as 40-60 for a more well known person. Today we rarely see more than 5-8 floral pieces at most funerals.

Even in black and white you can see how lovely the flowers are and how they envelope the deceased in love.

We support sending flowers as a visual expression of love and friendship.

10/09/2025

As you approach your final days, you might enter into a hospice or palliative care program.

Most of these programs focus on providing physical and emotional comfort to the person who is dying.

One common source of emotional comfort is music, as it provided a context for memories and life experiences, which help soothe both mind and body.

Read on for a story of how to create a palliative playlist of music.

What songs do you want to hear as you live out your dying days?

Music can evoke powerful memories and offers a sense of normality for people dealing with illness or death.

10/08/2025

Today's ask the funeral question from our our friend Harold -

What can you tell us about space scattering of cremated remains?

We likely have all heard that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had his ashes jettisoned into outerspace, but it is not quite as simple as process as it might seem.

The process - A symbolic portion of your loved one’s cremated remains (maybe a teaspoon or so) are placed inside a small capsule, usually crafted from stainless steel or aluminum. Engraved with the deceased's name, the capsule is carried aboard the spacecraft and launched to the destination of your choosing (locations vary by company and price point).

Any portion of cremated remains not packaged for space dispersal may be scattered near the launch site, unless otherwise directed. The actual practice will be determined by the company selected.

There are a number of companies that offer this service, which are usually arranged for through your funeral director.

The cost is expensive - $3,500-15,000 (on top of the costs of the basic cremation and any other attendant services prior to space dispersal).

The amount of cremated remains released is only a symbolic portion (maybe a teaspoon or less), not the entirety and ultimately, the cremated remains burn up upon reentry to the earth's atmosphere unless deposited on the moon or elsewhere in deep space.

The scheduling is limited. There are only a few journeys into space each year that carry payloads of cremated remains. Additional options for greater quantities of cremated remains may be available depending on the company selected and the price point you are willing to pay.

10/07/2025

Today in history- notable deaths: Oct 7, 1849 - Death of Edgar Allan Poe.

Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most important and influential American writers of the 19th century. He was the first author to try to make a professional living as a writer.

Poet

His poetry alone would ensure his spot in the literary canon. Poe's notable verses range from the early masterpiece “To Helen” to the dark, mysterious “Ulalume.” From “The Raven,” which made him world-famous upon its publication in 1845, to “Annabel Lee,” the posthumously published eulogy for a maiden “in a kingdom by the sea.”

Master of Macabre

Most famously, Poe completely transformed the genre of the horror story with his masterful tales of psychological depth and insight not envisioned in the genre before his time and scarcely seen in it since. Stories like “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” reveal Poe’s talent at its height.

Pioneer of Science Fiction

He was an early pioneer in the genre of science fiction. Poe was fascinated by the science of his time, and he often wrote stories about new inventions.

Father of the Detective Story

Poe is credited with inventing the modern detective story with “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” His concept of deductive reasoning, which he called "ratiocination" inspired countless authors, most famous among them Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most important and influential American writers of the 19th century. He was the first author to try to make a professional living as a writer.

In June 1849 Poe embarked on a speaking tour to raise funds for a literary magazine he hoped to publish. On September 27, 1849, Poe was supposed to board a ferry from Richmond, Virginia, to Baltimore, Maryland, and then on to New York. The night before the ferry trip he visited a doctor in Richmond for a fever. About the next few days, very little is known for certain.

Poe arrived in Baltimore on September 28, but he didn’t go on to New York. He turned up in a tavern in Baltimore on October 3. He was in bad shape, nearly unresponsive in what onlookers assumed was an alcoholic stupor. A note was sent to a local doctor, and Poe was soon admitted to a hospital.

In the hospital, Poe continued to drift in and out of consciousness, hallucinating and speaking nonsense when he was awake. On October 7 he died.

A Baltimore newspaper reported enigmatically that the cause had been “congestion of the brain.” A number of diseases have been proposed as possible causes of Poe’s death, including diabetes, heart disease, epilepsy, and tuberculosis.

He is buried in the Westminster Cemetery in Baltimore. When Poe was originally buried in 1849, he was placed in an unmarked grave. Over the years, the site became overgrown with weeds. Eventually, George W. Spence (the Sexton), placed there a small block of sandstone, bearing a carved number “80”.

Later a proper monument was erected by community fundraising efforts in which everyone from schoolchildren to society elite provided donations.

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10/07/2025

Today's ask the funeral director question:

This past week one of our Facebook friends asked for details about burial at sea.

Burials at sea of intact human bodies or cremated remains are governed by the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), which establishes the following rules and practices for body burial at sea.

Preparation for burial at sea

Human remains shall be prepared for burial at sea and buried in accordance with accepted practices and requirements as may be deemed appropriate and desirable by the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard or civil authority charged with the responsibility for making such arrangements. In addition, state and/or local requirements may apply to the transportation of human remains on land, for example, to locations other than cemeteries.

If using a casket, plastic materials should be removed from the casket before burial at sea because plastic materials do not degrade and may create unacceptable marine debris. (You will note from the photographs this seems to be practice commonly ignored).

If no casket is used, the EPA recommends wrapping a natural fiber shroud around the body and adding additional weight, such as a steel chain, to aid in rapid sinking of the body.

The EPA requires:

• a minimum of twenty 2-inch (5 cm) holes be drilled into the casket to facilitate rapid flooding and venting of air. The holes should be evenly spaced on the top (8 holes), bottom (8 holes) and head and foot ends (2 holes each) of the casket.

• to aid rapid sinking, additional weight, such as sand or concrete (but not lead), be added to the casket to achieve a total weight of at least 300 pounds (136 kg) to offset the buoyancy of both the body and the casket. Weighing the foot end of the casket facilitates feet-first sinking; and

• the casket should be banded with at least six durable stainless steel bands, chains or natural fiber ropes in order to ensure rapid and permanent sinking of the intact casket. One band should be placed over each of the two lengthwise axes of the casket (top-to-bottom and head-to-foot), as well as four bands at evenly spaced intervals along the narrow axis of the casket.

The MPRSA general permit authorizes burial at sea of non-cremated human remains at locations at least three nautical miles from land and in ocean waters at least 600 feet deep. In certain areas, specifically east central Florida, the Dry Tortugas, Florida and west of Pensacola, Florida to the Mississippi River Delta, such at sea burials are only authorized in ocean waters at least 1,800 feet deep.

You must notify the EPA of the burial at sea within 30 days following the event. All burials at sea conducted under the MPRSA general permit must be reported to the EPA Region from which the vessel carrying the remains departed. The MPRSA general permit for burial at sea does not require an application or prior notice to EPA.

Based on the number of permits issued annually there seems to be an average of about 900-950 body burials at sea off the coast of the United States of America.