In 1890, at the age of 15, Ammon
Koller began to serve his two-year apprenticeship with George Geiple of Glen Rock,
Pennsylvania. Then, in 1892, after serving his apprenticeship, Ammon
Koller moved to Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania, where he purchased land. Ammon erected a
building on this land on Church Street and opened a furniture and undertaking business
under the name of Geiple and Koller. He was able to prepare
the dead and furnish the coffins. When someone died, he would go to their home to prepare
the body by embalming it, and then the coffin was brought to the home. The body would
remain in the home for three days until the time of the funeral in the church. Ammon
Koller also furnished a hearse drawn by four horses for the funeral procession to the
church and the following cemetery procession. After the burial service, friends and
relatives would return to the home of the bereaved for a large meal which was usually
prepared by neighbors and friends. This custom of families gathering after the funeral
service is still common today.
In 1899, this same establishment
in Seven Valleys became A.F. Koller Furniture and Undertaking
when Ammon Koller purchased Geiple's share of the business. The main reason for the
undertaking business in Seven Valleys was because of the mining industry. Mining brought
considerable revenue to the area but also was wrought with accidents. The Church site of
Ammon Koller's undertaking business was located at the railroad so that bodies could be
shipped anywhere in the U.S.A. Also bodies could be received from towns up and down the
railroad lines. As mining came to an end, Ammon moved his business.
In 1919, Ammon sold the
business and moved to Eberton, Pennsylvania, which is now called West York Borough. The
business opened on March 9, 1919, at 1415 W. Market Street. The people in the
community would jokingly say that if one were sick he would need to see the doctor. Then,
the doctor would send him next door to the drug store; but if that didn't work, then the
undertaker was the next door down the street.
Ammon's son, Claude F. Koller, graduated
from Eckel's College of Mortuary Science, Philadelphia in 1919. He assisted Ammon until 1942. In 1938, a fire gutted the furniture store located in the rear of
the building. As a result of the destruction, the main building was enlarged and improved.
The need for larger facilities caused Ammon Koller to sell his furniture business in 1949
and purchase the property at 2000 W. Market Street. The property was renovated, and the
business opened on June 1, 1950. It still remains at that
location.
Robert F. Koller, Ammon's grandson, attended
Gettysburg College and Muhlenburg College. He graduated Eckel's College of Mortuary
Science and after serving his apprenticeship, he received his license in funeral
directing. He purchased the business from his grandfather in 1953, and
changed the name to Robert F. Koller Funeral Home.
Eileen Koller, daughter-in-law, graduated 
from
Moravian College with a B.A. degree and graduated in 1986 with highest
honors from Catonsville Community College Mortuary Science Program. Following internship,
she was licensed in funeral directing. In 2001, Eileen Koller changed the name to the present-day
Koller Funeral Home and Cremation Center, Inc.
