Our History
Fred H. McGrath & Son Funeral Home, Inc.was started by Fred H. McGrath himself in 1918. He had originally owned a tavern called the Olphert Inn located in Bronxville on Pondfield Road West. With Prohibition looming, he decided to sell the Olphert Inn and open up Bronxville’s first and only funeral home.
The original site of the funeral home was on the corner of Park Place and Kraft Avenue (now Starbuck’s). In 1932 he bought the Kraft Family home and moved the funeral home to its present location at the corner of Cedar Street and Kraft Avenue. In 1932, his oldest son Fred O. McGrath joined him in the family business, and they were later joined by his youngest son Robert W. McGrath.
Upon Fred H. McGrath’s death in 1954, his two sons continued to make sure that Fred H. McGrath & Son, Inc. stayed an independent and family owned business.
Fred O. died on 1981 and Robert has been working ever since, making sure the family name and the values that his father had initiated years earlier were never lost. Robert has recently been joined by his youngest son Timothy C. McGrath, who joined the staff in 1999. The McGrath Family has been and remains personally active in the surrounding communities.
Please Click Here for an article written by Bronxville Village Historian Raymond Geselbracht in 2022 on the origins of Fred H. McGrath & Son Funeral Home as well as a history of the McGrath Family and their relationship with the Village of Bronxville as well as the surrounding communities.
Our Facilities
Fred H. McGrath & Son, Inc. is located in the heart of downtown Bronxville; at the corner of Cedar Street and Kraft Avenue. The facility was originally built in the 1800’s as the home of Mr. Frederick W. Kraft, one of Bronxville’s original founding fathers. In 1932 Fred H. McGrath purchased the home directly from the Kraft family and converted it into the funeral home. The original portion of the house has been preserved in its original motif, and offers a real home feel as you enter the building. The wrap around porch is a signature of the era and still serves our families as a pleasant space for them to gather and relax before, during and after viewings.
In 1954 the addition of the building was completed providing three equally large chapel rooms that have the capability to open into each other. Because of this Fred H. McGrath & Son, Inc. has been the funeral home of choice for some of Westchester’s largest funerals.
Parking
Fred H. McGrath & Son, Inc. provides a large parking lot located in the rear of the funeral home accessible from Cedar Street.
Community
The McGrath Family has been and remains personally active in the surrounding communities. Fred H. McGrath was involved in local politics and was very active in the Knights of Columbus, especially in their youth programs. He served as Fire Commissioner for the Town of Eastchester Fire Department, as did his son Fred O., and up until his death was most notably known as the “Unofficial” Mayor of Bronxville.
Bob has served on many various committees in Bronxville and Eastchester, has been the varsity football coach at Bronxville H.S., and has been a member of the Bronxville Rotary Club since its inception. Because of his commitment to the Bronxville Rotary Club, there is now an award in his honor presented to a Bronxville High School Senior for their exemplary career as a student. In 2022, Bob was awarded the Rotary International Lifetime Community Service Award for his dedicated service to the surrounding community by the Bronxville Rotary Club.
Before joining the family business, Tim had been a teacher at St. Joseph’s School, Bronxville, Immaculate Conception School, Eastchester, Annunciation School, Crestwood and Archbishop Stepinac HS, White Plains. He was also the varsity basketball coach at Bronxville H.S. and Stepinac H.S. Following in the family tradition; Tim has become involved in the surrounding communities. He served as past President of the Bronxville Chamber of Commerce. He has also become very involved with the Bereavement Center of Westchester, having served on their Fund Board for many years as well as Gramatan Village and the Bronxville School Foundation. The Tuckahoe-Eastchester Lions Club recognized Tim’s commitment to the surrounding community when they honored him with their 2017 Man of the Year Award. In 2020 Tim was selected as Grand Marshal of the Eastchester St. Patrick’s Day Parade by the Eastchester Irish American Social Club. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic they were not able to walk the Green line until March, 2022.
