Brief History of Our Company

Carl R. Stephenson, who purchased the stately Goodman home on McEwan Street, established the Stephenson Funeral Home in 1949. Carl and Virginia Stephenson restored this home, built in 1891 by banker and hardware dealer William H. Goodman, to its former elegance. A large chapel was added to the original structure in 1967.

The firm merged in 1968 with the Doherty Funeral Home, a firm established over 75 years before. The name changed to the Stephenson-Doherty Funeral Home.

On September 1, 1975, the Stephenson-Doherty Funeral Home was purchased by Lawrence D. Wyman Sr., and in 1976 became known as the Stephenson-Wyman Funeral Home. Lawrence Jr. joined his father as a licensed mortician in 1979.

Inside the funeral home the foyer is graced with the original 1880's oak staircase with rails and spindles of that period. The front door and many of the inner passage doors with ornate cast bronze hardware are all original to the house, as is the oak trim throughout. Beautiful stained glass windows grace several of the rooms. Antique furnishings of the 1900's are utilized throughout the beautifully decorated rooms. There is an original Hepplewhite Settee with Mother of Pearl inlay. It can be found in the organ room. The main Chapel is furnished with several Marble top tables, Victorian original and reproduction furnishings, and a Flemish Library Table with matching chairs. There is a comfortable Family Lounge area for family members to relax away from the main chapel. A small TV with family friendly videos is located there for young children. At Christmas time the Funeral Home is decorated throughout, with the highlight being the Christmas tree trimmed with Victorian Era Decorations. In 1998 Lawrence Jr. purchased the funeral home from his father. Since that time the Front Porch has been restored to its original Victorian Charm, with the addition of a Handicapped Access Ramp to accommodate the needs of our community.

In the Summer of 2006 the new Stephenson-Wyman Funeral Home, Farwell Chapel was opened in Farwell, Michigan. This completely new facility was built with the comfort and dignity of the families that we will serve in mind.  The Farwell Chapel is a barrier free facility with all parts of the building handicap accessible.  The Farwell Chapel features two beautifully decorated parlors, which if needed can be combined into one larger room.  An all-inclusive merchandise room displays products for both our Burial and Cremation families. A spacious lounge area, including a refrigerator and television help to make your time at the Funeral Home less stressful.  The Funeral Home is situated directly next to the Farwell Village Park, which amongst other things possesses a wonderful playground and covered pavilion.

Staff

Lawrence "Larry" Wyman, Jr. is a second-generation funeral director. He grew up living in a funeral home and was always interested in mortuary science. He graduated in 1975 from Grand Rapids South Christian High School. He attended Grand Rapids Community College, Mid-Michigan Community College, and graduated from Wayne State University in 1979. He joined his parents in the family business after graduation. He married his wife Carey in 1976, and they have two children; Emily and Nicholas. Larry was the Operations Manager for Clare County Emergency Medical Services, where he had served in a part time capacity as an EMT and Paramedic from 1975 until he retired in 1998 to purchase and operate the funeral home following his father's retirement. He enjoys his work, fishing and hunting, wild game and stream habitat management. He and Carey attend the Clare United Methodist Church and are active on several committees and ministries. Larry is a member of the Clare Lions Club and has served as the clubs president, and has been the District Diabetes Awareness Chairman for Lions of Michigan.

Michael "Mike" Fetzer has been employed by the Stephenson-Wyman Funeral Home since 1993. Having started out by washing cars, and mowing the lawn Mike’s interest in Mortuary Science led him to attend the Mid Michigan Community College in Harrison, and the Wayne State University in Detroit. Mike graduated from the Wayne State Department of Mortuary Science in 1996 with a B.S. in Mortuary Science. In 1997 he became a licensed Funeral Director. Mike married Molly Jo in 1995; together they have a daughter Mia Jolynn born in March of 2002. Mike lives in rural Clare County near Lake George. He is active in the St. John's Lutheran Church in Clare, and a Board member of the Clare County Pardee Cancer Treatment Fund. In his free time Mike enjoys Hunting, Fishing, and Woodworking.

Services

Funeral services afford the friends and family of a deceased loved one the opportunity to come together not only to support each other in their loss, but also to celebrate the life of their loved one. We feel that your needs are individual and unique to your own situation. We want to be here to support you at your time of need. We at Stephenson-Wyman are committed to serve you in whatever capacity you may need us to. We will explain with clarity all of your different options for memorializing your loved one. We offer services including visiting at the funeral home, formal services either at our chapel or at a church or other auditorium, earth burial, cremation, or body donation to medical schools. Some prefer to have gatherings either at the funeral home or another venue without the body being present, often followed by a memorial service. Some prefer direct burial or cremation with no formal services at all. Whatever you choose, we want you to know that we’re here to help you when you need us.

Stephenson-Wyman Funeral Home offers a large selection of caskets, burial vaults, cremation urns, urn vaults, and cemetery monuments and markers, all of which can be customized or personalized to fit your individual need.

We can help you pre-plan funeral arrangements for you or a loved one either in our office or if you wish, in the comfort of your own home. Your funds can be placed into a Trust or into Insurance funded Agreements depending on your preference and ability to pay in full or make payments. We also offer a Travel Assurance Plan to those who travel away from home frequently or for extended periods of time.