Devanny-Condron Funeral Home Ending Over 100-Year Legacy

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Devanny-Condron Funeral Home will close next week after more than 100 years of serving mourning local families.

On Friday, the announcement that the Maplewood Avenue funeral home will close on May 26 was made on the funeral home's website and in a press statement.

A call to the funeral home was directed to a spokesperson, who said the business was closing for economic reasons.

The closure is said to mark "the end of an era deeply rooted in the community's history."

"Devanny-Condron has been a pillar of compassionate care and professionalism, helping generations of families commemorate their loved ones with dignity and grace. The decision to close the funeral home was made with deep reflection and is accompanied by gratitude for the trust and support extended by the community for more than 100 years," the press statement reads.

"Devanny-Condron is honored to have walked beside so many families through some of life's most tender moments, and Carriage Services is profoundly thankful for the relationships built over the years. As the chapter closes, the legacy of both the Devanny and Condron families will live on — not only in the history books of Pittsfield, but in the memories of the countless lives they have touched."

The funeral home's origins date to the early 1900s, and two families merged business in the late 1970s.

Three generations of Devannys operated the business until John Bresnahan, a cousin, purchased it in 1993. 

In 1998, Devanny-Condron became an affiliate of Carriage Services, a consolidator and provider of "death care" services and merchandise. Bresnahan served as a funeral service inspector for the state Division of Professional Licensure for at time before returning as a managing partner.

Responding to questions from iBerkshires, Carriage Services' Director of Operations Jerelyn Serra said the Devanny-Condron operators are not planning a new business venture.

"The feedback from the community has been kind and recognizes Devanny-Condron's historical impact to the Pittsfield community," Serra wrote via email.

"We've been honored to care for generations of Pittsfield families over the past 100 years."

She said there are plans for providing continuing care for prearranged funerals. The press release states that families with pre-arranged commitments are being contacted directly to ensure that "every need is met with the same care and respect that has defined Devanny-Condron for generations."

The funeral home offered a number of services for immediate need and pre-planning, including veterans' funerals, cremations, and burial services.

Pittsfield's Pecks Road Bridge Opens

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:18AM / Wednesday, May 21, 2025

The old bridge was demolished last  year and the new one completed within six months. The span had been limited to one lane for five years. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After nearly a year of full closure, the Peck's Road bridge is back online.

On Tuesday, the city announced on social media that the $1,689,000 project was complete. The bridge was reduced to one lane of traffic for five years and completely closed last summer after an inspection from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation found six areas of deterioration.

This means that drivers will no longer need to detour from Peck's Road to Onota Street, Vin Herbert Boulevard, and to Valentine Road. There will be no ribbon cutting, according to the city. 

Because it had to be fully shut down, construction took about half the time it would have with a partial closure, which was initially planned.

The bridge was first ordered to be closed completely in the fall of 2019. 

"The state made the requirement after they performed the annual inspection. After hearing that the bridge needed to be closed we requested a second review of the inspection and state came back, allowing the bridge to be open for a one lane 10 feet wide," Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales wrote VIA email, adding that the state of the bridge and prior inspections didn’t find that it needed to be replaced.

Design started after the one lane closure but was "quickly" delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The state approved the bridge design in spring 2024.

Morales explained that the project was put out to bid, but before the work began, the state's annual inspection determined that the whole span had to be closed down. At that point, the city had to revisit the design and construction plan since it had been assuming that it would be a phased build that maintains one lane of traffic.

"While this represented initial delays and setbacks early in the project construction phase, it resulted in a faster construction since building the bridge one side at a time while maintaining one lane access would have taken a full year's worth of construction instead of six months' actual construction," he wrote.

Work included demolishing the old bridge, which happened last fall, and the reconstruction of the span over Onota Brook. A paved sidewalk runs along one side of the bridge.

The bid was awarded to Rifenburg Construction of Troy, N.Y.