Welcome to Riles & Woolley Funeral Home.com! Riles & Woolley Funeral Home is located at 39 Main Street, Forestville, NY and serves the following communities: Forestville, Sheridan, Silver Creek, Irving, Hanover Center, Smith Mills, Perrysburg, South Dayton, Arkwright, Fredonia & Dunkirk. Mark Woolley is the current owner of Riles & Woolley Funeral Home and is licensed to practice in New York State & Pennsylvania. He is also a member of the Chautauqua County Funeral Directors Association, the New York State Funeral Directors Association and the National Funeral Directors Association.
The funeral home was previously owned by Warren H. Riles, CFSP and Mark L. Woolley, until Warren’s passing in March of 2020. Mark Woolley’s partial ownership became official on October 28, 2002 with Warren Riles, who had owned the funeral home since December of 1970 (50 years). It has been an independently owned and operated funeral home since its founding in 1927, by the late Franklin Philbrick, when it was known as Philbrick & Philbrick Funeral Chapel. In the fall of 1989, Mark Woolley, a Forestville native, began working for the funeral home as a licensed funeral director. Through its history, the owners have strived to serve the community and surrounding areas in the best ways possible. To continue with this goal in mind, in the spring of 2001, Mr. Riles completed 2 large additions and a complete renovation of the funeral home.
These additions include, a new entrance, which contains a grand foyer with a handicap ramp, a set of extra deep handicap steps (for walkers & regular use) and an arrangements office. The other addition includes a new spacious viewing chapel (which allows the funeral home to have 3 viewing chapels) and a new embalming room. Renovations include, a new men’s rest room & a new women’s rest room, both with handicap accessibility and baby changing tables, a new comfortable & relaxing color scheme, which is achieved with the new wallpaper, carpeting & drapes, a new music system, a new public address system, larger seating capacity of approximately 200 people total (135 people in one room), off street handicap & regular parking, a two lane exit driveway and heated sidewalks, to prevent ice accumulation in the winter time.
The funeral home had an open house and a dedication service on April 29, 2001 to honor the new improvements with the people of the community.
In December of 2017, the funeral home became one of the first (and still currently one of only a few in the county) to have their own refrigeration unit. We can accommodate up to three people at a time.
During the COVID restrictions, we also added in a built-in webcam in the main viewing room to offer funeral services through zoom.