About Us

Our Story

Founded by Irish immigrant and US Army veteran William Duggan in 1918 to bring his family's values of personal care and selfless round the clock service to his new home in San Francisco. His vision is carried out today by his grandson, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren and their staff team led by grandson and managing funeral director William "Bill" Welch, great-grandson, funeral director/embalmer Steve Welch and manager funeral director/embalmer Vaughn O. Nixon.

Why we are different than other Mortuaries.

We have always been a local small business with owners who live in the neighborhood and have remained sensitive to the needs of the neighborhood and all San Franciscans. We are the only funeral home owned completely by San Franciscans. We employ and have a training program for San Franciscans trying to enter this specialized type of work. We strive to serve every memeber of the City and have directors who speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, and are experienced with Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Hindu and Muslim funeral rites. Most mortuaries only specialize in a specific ethnic group or groups. We also offer unembalmed, natural and green services.We are the only Funeral Director who can serve everyone.

Embalming

Other funeral homes simply advertise the fact that embalming is a service they offer. We will go further and assure you that our embalming staff, led by Steve and Vaughn are not only highly experienced, but other mortuaries call upon our staff when they have a difficult situation. Our four embalmers each have at least 20 years experience. Our staff take voluntary continuing education and are the most expert at what we term, restorative art. If you have questions regarding our abilities, please call and ask to speak with an embalmer.

Funeral Establishment

Originally a single chapel mortuary located at 1234 Valencia St., many funerals were conducted in the home or in fraternal lodges, but as parking and accommodating large groups of visitors moved funerals out of the home, a facility to meet the needs of the community caused our family to move to a more convenient location. William relocated to the 1908 Home Telephone Company headquarters building located at 3434 Seventeenth Street in 1932. Three chapels of varying sizes allow you to select the most appropriate size for the comfort of your guests.

Business Philosophy/Mission Statement.

The Duggan Welch Family aims to lead the funeral industry in sensitivity to our social and physical environment in the capacity of a professional funeral establishment serving San Franciscans. We continually change our funeral home to keep up with the requests of the communities we serve. We will maintain our leadership in affordable services, and no one is turned away due to lack of funds.

Local Business and  sustainability.

We use local suppliers and American manufacturers wherever possible. Our significant suppliers are: Batesville Casket Company of Batesville, Indiana (Caskets and Urns), American Casket Company of Sacramento, California (hand made soft wood and cloth covered caskets), Aurora Casket Company of Aurora, Indiana (Caskets and printed materials for services), Woodifacts Urns of Sonoma, California (hand made wood urns), all of these businesses manufacture the products we buy from American sourced sustainable wood or metals and while they all started out as small family businesses, Batesville is now publicly owned and Aurora recently sold to another American corporation. We buy most of our embalming and cosmetic compounds from The Dodge Company of Cambridge, Massachusetts. We also buy supplies from a variety of suppliers but only in very small quantities to fill specific requests. 

The most experienced Staff available.

We are the only service providers with three second-generation, five third-generation and one fourth-generation staff member. Being raised as funeral directors, our lives revolve around your time of need.

We offer affordable funeral service program. We know that arranging a memorial service program can be an overwhelming task. contact us today for a respectful funeral in San Francisco.Our Directors are on 24 hour call, and service begins when you make that first telephone call. Our 24 hour phone is (415) 431-4900 and is usually answered by one of our directors, not an answering service.

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What about the other Duggans mortuaries?

We are not connected with any other Mortuary using the name Duggan's. There never has been any connection. The confusion is caused by a family member who left and started his own business in 1963. Often you will see them advertise "Since 1916" or "Serving the Greek community since 1903." These statements could mislead you as to which business was established first, or whether the businesses are connected. Most people think the businesses are connected. You need to be able to trust that your funeral director is always telling you the whole and simple truth. Especially at a time when you are most vulnerable.