Our Story
Learn our story, from the beginning and into the future.
The Yurch Funeral Home has been in business for 100 years serving Parma and the surrounding communities. Jerome Yurch and Yurch Funeral Home are proud of its family owned and operated traditions.
Our story started in 1917 on Cleveland's West side, where Alex Rusynyk opened a funeral home to serve the growing immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. In 1942, the funeral home was renamed, Rusynyk-Yurch Funeral Home when Michael Yurch joined the funeral home working with Alex's son, Steve. Following the retirement of Mr. Rusynyk, the funeral home was again renamed, Yurch Funeral Home and continued its service for the near west side communities of Cleveland. Under the leadership of Jerome Yurch, who started working along side his father in the business in 1971, he relocated the funeral home in 1973 to its current location on Broadview Road to again bring the business to the growing immigrant communities of Parma, OH.
Yurch Funeral Home's tradition as a family owned and operated funeral home continues today. In 2014, Jason Jardine merged resources with Yurch Funeral Home and will be bringing the care and compassion associated with the families they have served at Jardine Funeral Home in Strongsville, Ohio for three generations to Yurch Funeral Home.
The Jason and his staff would like the community to know that Jerome will continue to be a part of the daily operation of Yurch Funeral Home. Jason and his family and staff; would like to thank the Yurch family and staff for the trust placed in serving the Parma community and appreciate the support of Jerome and his family.
People have been asking if Jerome would ever retire and who would run the business in the future. Jerome has laid plans to continue the business for the future. The first step was to merge with Jason Jardine and his families funeral home. Jerome and Bud will continue running the funeral home on a daily basis; Jason and his staff will be working with us and supporting us.
When it comes time for Jerome to pull back and slow down, it will be Jason, Sam and Bud Linder who will be heading the operation. Jerome will continue to support them and work with them, just as Jerome’s father, Michael, supported him for many years and helped transition the business into the next generation.
Who We Are
Meet our staff. Members of the local community make everything that happens possible.
Together, we make this place amazing.
Jerry Yurch
Funeral Director/ Founder
Jerome Yurch has been a dedicated, caring funeral director in this community for many years. He has conducted many memorable funerals for very dear and loving families. Mr. Yurch graduated from Kenyon College and Lincoln High school. He followed his parents, Michael and Lillian Yurch, into the funeral profession beginning in 1971.
During his tenure, he established an excellent professional reputation guided by his love and compassion for others. He is a pillar of kindness and generosity, calming those who are grieving with soothing words and practical solutions.
Mr. Yurch endeavored to satisfy the needs and wishes of each family so that every funeral will have a loving and lasting memory that people hold in their hearts for the rest of their lives. The moment of death in a family is the most difficult time in their lives and Mr. Yurch guided the family to make it a memorable experience. He has never ceased caring about the families being served.
Jerome is married to Cynthia, father to daughter, Amelia, son, Zachariah and grandfather to five lovely grandchildren.
Sam Harmon
Funeral Director
My name is Sam Harmon. I am a Licensed Funeral Director who specializes in Orthodox funeral traditions. I grew up in Berea, Ohio and graduated from Berea High School in 2008. I attended The Ohio State University and Cleveland State University and graduated with a degree in Political Science. I attend St. Matthew Antiochian Orthodox Church in North Royalton, where my dad is the Priest. I am currently a member of my Church’s Parish Council. In my free time, I like to play volleyball, basketball and to go on hikes with my parents’ dog Izzy. I enjoy reading about history, politics, and religion, and keeping up with the current movies and music of the day.
At Yurch Funeral Home, we focus on honoring Veterans and we all have taken the time to learn about Veterans in our own family. My grandpa, Leon Harmon, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was on a LCIM ship (Landing craft infantry mortar ship), which is basically a landing craft transformed into a gunboat. He fought at Iwo Jima and Okinawa and received a bronze star for valor during his campaign in the Pacific. He went into the Navy not knowing how to swim and ended up saving sailors that were drowning after their ship was destroyed by enemy fire. I never met my grandpa but am very proud of his service and his sacrifices he made to keep the United States of America the greatest country on the Earth.
Anna Davydyuk
Funeral Director & Embalmer
In November 2017, Anna joined the Yurch Funeral Home staff after graduating from Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science with a Bachelors in Mortuary Science. She is a Licensed Funeral Director, Certified Crematory Operator, Cremation Arranger and Celebrant.
She was born in Lviv, Ukraine and emigrated at an early age to Cleveland, Ohio with her family in 1995. She is the youngest of 3 to Nadiya and the late Ivan Davydyuk. She was raised in Parma, Ohio and graduated from the Parma City School District. She received an Associates degree in Science and Liberal Arts from Cuyahoga Community College. Anna enjoys hiking the Cuyahoga Fall trails, exploring cemeteries and reviewing restaurants in her free time. Anna is an active member at Grace Church in Middleburg Heights, where she volunteers and attends classes. She recently became a member of the Embalmers Association of Cleveland where she is eager to continue to learn more about the new ways to serve the community and celebrating life.
She is dedicated to her profession and recognizes the true gift of honoring a life. She believes there’s something very sacred about grieving, spirituality and the daily dance with sorrow, when speaking from her own loss experiences. She considers herself very fortunate to serve a community who share the same visions and goals, which are to provide impeccable care, respect, and faithfulness to each and every family. She’s not afraid to embrace the gentle joys of sadness and love once the time has come.
Jonathan Obodean
Funeral Director Apprentice/ Crematory Operator
My name is Jonathan Obodean. I began working at Yurch Funeral Home in 2019. I am currently in the final few months of my completing my funeral director apprenticeship and I am a certified crematory operator. In addition to my career in funeral care, I'm also a musician and Eucharistic Minister at several churches in the Cleveland area, being mostly self-taught at playing the piano and pipe organ.
I'm honored and blessed to be part of the Yurch team in helping families through what may be one of the most difficult situations they may face and to help them honor and celebrate their loved one in the most distinguished way possible.
Jason Jardine
Funeral Director
My name is Jason Jardine. I have lived in Strongsville my whole life except for some of my college years. I have been licensed Director for 20 years and worked with my father at our family funeral home 'Jardine' for 23 years. It is an honor to continue my career as a funeral director at Yurch; another Family owned and operated business, known for its outstanding service and attention to detail.
I truly enjoy honoring the Veterans in our area; The stories and experiences they share with everyone in our office and I are priceless.
Crystal Jardine
Funeral Director
My name is Crystal Jardine and I am a licensed funeral director as of April 2012. I have lived in Strongsville since I was 5 and am a graduate of Strongsville High School. I obtained my bachelors degree in Business from Baldwin Wallace College and earned my MBA in Accounting from Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management.
Being a funeral home owner, I am dedicated to serving our community in the best ways possible. We strive to make sure families are as comfortable as they can be and receive the care they need though the difficult time they are experiencing.
I am very involved in the community and enjoy working with other business organizations in town to better our community.
Jason and I are the proud parents of 3 children - Jake, Julia and Jesse and 3 fur babies. Jake graduated from Ohio University in 2020 , Julia graduated from Strongsville High School in December 2019 and Jesse is a senior at Strongsville High School.
At Yurch, we honor Veterans every chance we can. My grandfather, Michael Phillips, was in the US Army during World War II. He was awarded a Silver Star for his heroic effort while under heavy German counterattacks in Mt. Rutundo, Italy on November 10th, 1943. Also, my dad served in the US Navy and I have an uncle who served in Vietnam.
It's an honor to help families through such a difficult time.
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