Our History
The History of Hennessy Funeral Home
It is with heavy hearts that we write to inform you of the closing of Hennessy Funeral Home. Following the sudden and unexpected passing of Terry Hennessy II—our beloved husband, father, and owner— our family has made the incredibly difficult decision to close our family-owned funeral home.
For generations, it has been our great honor to serve this community with dignity, compassion, and care during some of life’s most difficult moments. We are deeply grateful to the many families who entrusted us over the years, and we will forever cherish those relationships and the memories we were privileged to be a part of.
In keeping with our commitment to your trust and peace of mind, we have arranged for all preneed contracts, trust deposits, and life insurance policies to be securely transferred to Donovan Funeral Home under the care of its owner, Jim Donovan.
You can find Terry's obituary by clicking on the photo and you can read below in Terry's own words what had been on the Hennessy Funeral Home website for over 20 years.
From our entire family, thank you for the trust you placed in us. It has been a true privilege to serve you.
Hennessy Funeral Home opened its doors on August 16, 2000. Terry Hennessy II opened his own funeral home so that he could continue providing services to grieving families in the traditional manner in which he was raised. There has been a long tradition of service to the funeral industry in the Hennessy family.
Terry’s grandfather, Francis DeSales Hennessy, owned his first funeral home, Coe Funeral Home, in the early 1920′s in Steubenville, Ohio. He then opened Hennessy Funeral Home in Bellevue, Ohio, in the early 1930′s. Around 1936, he moved to Akron, Ohio, where he began Hennessy Funeral Home and operated it until his death in 1957. After his death, his sons, Terry Hennessy Sr. and Francis DeSales Hennessy II took over ownership of their father’s funeral home.
In 1996, the funeral home known as Hennessy-Bagnoli Funeral Home was sold to a corporation in Texas that is run by a faraway board of directors and a group of shareholders. It was this change that motivated Terry Hennessy II to purchase the former Rossi Funeral Home and convert it to the presently known Hennessy Funeral Home located at 552 North Main Street in Akron. There is no affiliation between Hennessy Funeral Home and Hennessy-Bagnoli Funeral Home, other than the fact that Terry Hennessy II worked at Hennessy-Bagnoli for many years until he left his employment there so that he could open his own family-owned funeral home, Hennessy Funeral Home.
It is here, at Hennessy Funeral Home, that Terry II has poured his heart and love into what he does, helping to make a most difficult human experience be a little easier and a little less painful. Terry understands where you are and what you need. His compassion translates into a great ability to care for the families we serve and advocate on their behalf. We are proud to offer our services to you.
Hennessy Funeral Home is the ONLY funeral home on North Hill where you will find the Hennessy family! Please come and visit us. We would love to meet you! We would love to get to know you better! We would love to share with you in all the memories!
