Since 1895,and for 4 generations, Wetzler Funeral Service in Bellefonte has been serving the Centre County Area. We began in 1895 as a grocer and general store in Milesburg under the ownership of Frank Wetzler. When a family needed a coffin and a wagon to take their deceased loved one to the cemetery they called the general store or local cabinetmaker for these services, and soon these grew to become funeral parlors. At this time, embalming, was a new area in funeral service, and it was done in the home, as well as the visitation, which may have lasted as long as 3 days. In the late thirties it became fashionable to have the visitation at the funeral home, because of the demands it put upon the family and friends. At this time in our history Malcolm L. Wetzler, Sr. operated the business, with his wife Jeanette in Milesburg. Then in 1963 the State of Pennsylvania declared eminent domain on our facility in Milesburg to facilitate the construction of the route 220 by-pass. We then purchased two Victorian homes on Spring Street in Bellefonte and began construction immediately. (A side note, the funeral home presently in Milesburg is not and never was affiliated with our firm). In 1966 Malcolm L. Wetzler, Jr. took over operation of the funeral home, his son Frank L. Wetzler joined the funeral home in 1974. Since the funeral home in Bellefonte opened in 1963 we have added many new services to the Centre County Area, The Victorian Crematory in 1996, the only refrigeration unit available in a funeral home in the Centre Region and a cremation selection and conference room. We remodeled the entire funeral home in 1997. Presently Frank L. Wetzler is the owner.  Janess Lyle, from Milesburg, joined Wetzler's as the Director of Funeral Services in 2007. 

Frank is very involved in the day-to-day operation of the funeral home.  Frank often attends continuing education classes along with state and national conventions. The funeral home is a member of the Selected Independent Funeral Homes of America, an invitation only group of funeral homes that are strictly monitored for their ethics and service to the families they serve. Frank is proud of the fact that the funeral home does not use an answering service; the telephones are manned 24 hours a day by one of the staff members. We feel that when a death occurs, the family wants to talk to a funeral director immediately and not to an operator. We have always done this and will continue to. For over 100 years we have been there for our community's families and we hope to continue this tradition for many years.