Our History

Buck-Murphy Funeral Home has a long, rich history which we highly value that begins in Idaho Falls, Idaho in 1922 when the McHan Funeral Home was founded. In 1935, when Orland Buck and his new bride Erma Digman moved into the upstairs apartment of the now demolish McHan Funeral Home which was located at 393 E Street where Idaho Falls Fire Station #1 is currently located. In 1936, the Bucks purchased the funeral home property and in 1945 became sole owners in the funeral home business, changing the name to Buck Funeral Home.

In the late 60’s, Orland and his business partner Bill Sullivan moved the funeral home to their new/current location at 825 East 17th Street, changing the name to Buck-Sullivan Funeral Home where they boasted their “Morning Light Chapel”. In the late 1980’s the funeral home was sold to Theron Miller who partnered with Randy Hann, changing the name to Buck-Miller-Hann Funeral Home.

During Theron’s ownership, the building saw a major renovation in 1995. This included renovating the chapel, combining the slumber/lobby into a large visitation area, moving the operating room to the basement allowing for the creation of a private family visitation room, renovation of office spaces, an addition to the front of the building creating a large light filled entrance, and converting an apartment space behind the chapel into a rear public entrance accessible from our rear parking lot.

In 1999, Theron sold the funeral home to a national corporation where it switched hands multiple times until 2021, when Tony Murphy purchased the funeral home, making it once again locally and family owned.

Bill Sullivan passed away in Island Park, Idaho July 7, 1990. Orland Buck passed away in Idaho Falls, Idaho, December 20, 1999. Randy Hann passed away March 29, 2003 in Gilbert, Arizona and Theron Miller passed in West Haven, Utah December 29, 2020.

Tony has worked diligently to update the funeral home to enable families to provide meaningful service for their loved ones. Tony strives to create a welcoming environment for all faiths and backgrounds.

The Murphy family is proud to be a part of the legacy that was started in 1922 and strive to created a memorable, dignified experience for the families and communities they serve.