The Cloyd Funeral Home opened Oct. 1, 1961, to serve central Montana. The building, built in the early 1950s, was the former home of the Georgian Theatre, owned by the Weidman Brothers. In the mid-1950s, it became the Fergus Theatre until its closing in 1960.
Jerry Cloyd then purchased the building and began the remodeling project, transforming a theatre into a funeral home. On Oct. 1, 1961, Cloyd Funeral Home opened; Jerry and his Uncle Wesley Cloyd operated the business with chapels in Stanford and Denton.
Jerry graduated from the California College of Mortuary Science in Los Angeles in 1947. Wesley graduated from Worsham College of Embalming in Chicago in 1935. They operated the business with part-time help until Wesley retired in 1973. Jerry’s mother, Nell, helped in the business for several years, then Jerry’s son Rick began as office manager.
In 1976, R.J. (Dick) Brown graduated from the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science and returned to work with Jerry. In 1990, Dick purchased the business from Jerry. In 2021, Dick sold the business to Steve Kirkegard and Maggie Gist, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati graduates, respectively. Our current staff working with Steve and Maggie are Dick Brown, James Jensen, Paul Kaufman, Bob Long, Scott Lutz, Todd Olsen, and Fiona Rice. “We are a full-service funeral home, offering pre-need arrangements and trusts, complete funeral and cremation services and monuments.”
We celebrate over 59 years of service to Central Montana; Dick has been working with families for over 40 years. Cloyd Funeral Home was started to offer the people of Central Montana a choice with “Service Personal and Distinctive.” We continue to offer that same choice and service. We are very proud of the longevity of our staff, allowing people to become familiar with them. When customers come in, they work with people they know and trust. In over 60 years of operation, only three ownership groups (Jerry, Dick, and Steve & Maggie) have owned and worked with the families we serve.
We are proud to be a part of the central Montana family and will continue to be a part of the future of central Montana.
