About Us

The Houghtaling Brothers, Floyd, Sr. and Chauncey owned a combined furniture store and funeral home on Main Street in Canajoharie next to the Methodist Church. It was a small frame building. The furniture store was eventually sold to Conover's and the funeral home was moved up on West Hill.


The present funeral home building was used by the family as their home and as the funeral home. The front of the house was the funeral home and the family lived in the back using the back staircase. Stories were told of Grandma Houghtaling serving dinner at the big dining room table downstairs as families came in for funeral services. Floyd, Jr. and Doris Houghtaling raised their family after the building was remodeled. The downstairs was the funeral home with the top two floors being their home.


William Smith came to Canajoharie to work with Floyd in 1975 and became a partner in Houghtaling & Hanley Funeral Home shortly after. Floyd and Bill remodeled the funeral home adding a chapel seating over 175 people in 1990. Beneath the chapel, we built state-of-the-art preparation rooms. Our commitment is to provide complete care for your loved ones on our premises. The funeral home is handicapped accessible with gracious décor and spacious restrooms that are handicapped-accessible.

Several people stand on the steps of a house with Victorian-style trim.
Split-screen house renovation: old gray Victorian exterior before and updated green exterior after.
Smiling couple posing for a portrait, wearing glasses and formal clothing

fort plain funeral home

In 1986, Bill Smith, former owner of Houghtaling & Hanley Funeral Home, Inc. in Canajoharie, purchased part ownership of the Swartz Funeral Home on Center Street in Fort Plain. He became the sole owner of the funeral home in 1991. He was later to use this facility to house the newly formed company known today as Fort Plain Funeral Home.


The Gray Funeral Home had been a Fort Plain institution since 1894 when it was known as the Dwandler and Gray Funeral Home. It operated under different owners for 102 years until the business was blended with Houghtaling Funeral Home. Our funeral home building on Center Street in Fort Plain dates back to the Erie Canal days. There have been many additions to the historical building over the years.


Additionally, the building is handicapped accessible with spacious handicapped restrooms. The chapel seats over 100 people. There is a parking lot for the convenience of family and friends.


Funeral Directors, Chris Hanley, continue to provide their professional services to the communities of Fort Plain and Canajoharie, at both facilities.

Brick building with white trim and porch, beside a white house on a quiet street.
Front view of a gray two-story house with a covered entrance and steps leading up to the door

Why Choose Us

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Online Memorial

We can create a customized, online memorial for you to share with family and friends. The memorial includes the obituary and any photographs you wish to provide. It will serve as a place for visitors to post condolences, share memories, upload photos, and light candles in honor of your loved one.

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Tribute Video

Tribute videos have become a heartfelt addition to the services offered by funeral homes. They beautifully blend cherished photos, video clips, and meaningful music into a touching montage that honors the life and cherished memories of a loved one. These videos offer a sense of closure and comfort during a difficult time, creating a lasting keepsake for grieving families and friends to share their grief and pay tribute. We excel in crafting these personal tributes, ensuring they capture the unique essence of the departed, providing a meaningful and comforting way to remember their life.

Black line-art bouquet of flowers in a vase

Ordering Flowers

We make it easy for friends and family to send flowers to your home or service to honor your loved one. We have partnered with local florists to offer the convenience of ordering directly from the obituary page of our website. You can also use this to select the flowers you would like at the service.

Presentation board with charts, flowers, and an easel stand

Sharing Service Details

We reduce the stress of contacting those who need the details of the service for your loved one. Through the online memorial on our website, we will post the dates and times of the service. You can then either share the memorial on your social media or copy the details from the site into an email or text.