Chester J. Demko opened Heritage Funeral Home in 1976. A graduate of Suffield High School in 1966, Demko attended Simmons School of Mortuary Sciences and Embalming in Syracuse NY in anticipation of opening his own business in his home town of Suffield. He served his apprenticeship at Maple Hill Chapels in Hartford. In 1973 his dream became a reality when Mr. Demko purchased a former corn field in the geographic center of Suffield and began designing the funeral home.
His sincere passion for helping people began when he was old enough to assist on a committee or to serve on a board. Mr. Demko has served on the Suffield Police Department, the Suffield Volunteer Ambulance and the Suffield Zoning Board of Appeals. Mr. Demko is currently serving on the Design Review Board. He is a member of St. Joseph Church, the Lions Club, the Suffield Chamber of Commerce, past president of the Suffield Jaycees, former member of the Suffield Rotary Club, and is a 3rd degree member of the Knights of Columbus.
Cheryl Demko joins her father as a funeral director and grief counselor. Cheryl is highly trained with both practical and emperical knowledge of the industry. Cheryl assists families in all areas of the funeral service, from service choices to floral selections and memorial needs and truly makes this difficult time an easier one.
Cheryl is a 2007 graduate of American Academy McAlister Institute of Funeral Services in NYC. She attended Springfield College, a biology and health major, graduating with her BS in Health Sciences in 2005.
Cheryl realized early in her career that she wanted to do something with her life that would help whole families in need, not individual family members. She began volunteering when she was a middle school student at the Suffield House working in their therapeutic reacreation department. Cheryl attended Suffield Academy and continued her volunteering, realizing she especially enjoyed working with the elderly and their families.
When Cheryl began helping her Dad she met her goals of assisting whole families, and entered the two year program to achieve her funeral license. Cheryl also works as a crisis counselor for the North Central Counseling Services in Enfield CT and as a grief counselor for emergency medical technicians.
1240 Mountain Road | West Suffield, CT | Phone: 860-668-0255
