The Silha Funeral Home is located in downtown Glendive, MT. Built in the 1950s, it was originally the Koch Huebel Funeral Home. It was eventually bought by Larry Silvernale and became the Silvernale Funeral Home. Then, in 1980, Lance Silha moved to Glendive and joined the business. The name changes to Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home.
In 1984, Larry’s son, Dane Silvernale, became a full partner in the firm. In 2014, Lances’s nephew, Tyler Silha bought his uncle out and became full owner. Today, Tyler is the Owner, Mortician and Certified Crematory Operator for Silha Funeral Homes.
Tyler grew up in Bowman, ND. When he was in high school, his father was very good friends with the nursing home administrator in his hometown. The administrator told his father that he should be a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) because it paid well — this was in the mid-90s. Tyler pursued his CNA training and became a certified nurse’s aide at the local nursing home.
There weren’t very many young men doing that job, especially then, so Tyler stood out in a good way. The nurses he worked with told him that he should consider becoming a funeral director because of how good he was at dealing with older people and how well he could talk to their families. They couldn’t believe a high school kid could do that with such ease. At the time, Tyler didn’t think much about it.
He went off to college and, after graduating, became a land surveyor. During the winter, land surveying slowed down and left Tyler looking for something to fill his time. He called the funeral director in his hometown and asked if he could job-shadow him to see if it was a career he wanted to pursue.
After helping with some funerals, embalming and removals, Tyler decided that a career in funeral services was the path he was going to take. He finished up a couple more classes that he needed to apply to the mortuary program at Arapahoe Community College. He graduated in the spring of 2006 and immediately started an apprenticeship at Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home.
Once he passed his tests and received all his licenses, he purchased the funeral home and has been serving the community ever since.
The best part of Tyler’s job is the people he gets to meet and visit with. “There are a lot of unique people out there, and seeing the relief on their faces when I show up, knowing that their loved one will be well taken care of, makes me feel needed.” He continued, “The trust that I’ve earned by serving the community has been earned through many sleepless nights. But ultimately, it’s worth it.”
Tyler has been married to his wife, Angie, for 20 years. They have two teenage children — a set of twins — a boy and a girl. He loves spending time in the outdoors, especially in eastern Montana and western North Dakota, hunting, fishing and golfing.
Silha Funeral Homes currently has two locations serving the Glendive and Wibaux, MT, communities and one location serving the Beach, ND, community. To learn more, please visit www.silhafuneralhomes.com.
