Our Heritage

In 1979, Franklyn E. Hull, the son of Ralph and Janice Hull, graduated with Honors from the New England Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences in Boston, MA, and from that point on he has been with the family firm. In 1980 Frank was married to his wife and partner Jane. Together they have owned and operated Hull Funeral Home since 1984.

Jane is an accelerated graduate from the Stone School of Business and is also a Licensed Funeral Director and Certified Funeral Service Practitioner.

Franklyn is a Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer and also a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner. Franklyn is a member of the British Institute of Embalmers, and Past President of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association.

Frank and Jane reside in Seymour and have three daughters: Christine, Jaclyn and Kelsey.

Our History

Ralph Hull as a young boy in the 1920s growing up in Seymour was always intrigued by the sight of a funeral in progress. He would see grieving families gathered at the local cemetery as he would pass by on his way home from school. From that time, Ralph knew that his chosen profession would be to help the bereaved.

Throughout his childhood Ralph would work for his father who was a butcher and merchant. He would accompany his dad on the horse drawn wagon throughout Seymour to help him make his deliveries. Upon graduating from Seymour High School, Ralph aspired to enroll directly into mortuary college, however this was not to happen right away as he was called to serve his country during WWII. While at boot camp in New Jersey he met the love of his life at a local U.S.O. dance. Her name was Janice Groesbeck. Shortly thereafter they were married, and Ralph went off to war. At the end of the war Ralph finally entered into mortuary college, and in 1948 graduated from the American Academy of Embalming and Mortuary Research in New York City. He learned his trade at the Edward Lawrence Funeral Home in Darien, CT, and in 1952 he acquired the old family homestead at 161 West Church Street, Seymour, and he and Janice opened the new Ralph E. Hull Funeral Home as seen in the vintage photo above. On a fateful October day in 1973, at about 3:00am, a tragic fire broke out and completely destroyed the funeral home. However, due to committed perserverance and determination the funeral home re-opened, completely rebuilt from the ground up to its present state.