Tuecke-Allyn Funeral Home changes hands
Brock and Darris Morris of Manchester purchased Tuecke-Allyn Funeral Home and Crematory Services on Jan. 31, 2023. From left are Brock and Darris Morris, and former owners Joy and Bill Allyn. (Press photo by Caroline Rosacker)
By Caroline Rosacker
After over 75 years in the mortuary business, Tuecke-Allyn Funeral Home and Crematory Services, located at 201 S. 1st Street in Guttenberg is pleased to announce the sale of their third-generation business to Brock and Darris Morris of Manchester.
Tuecke-Allyn would like to thank the community for their loyal support throughout the years.
Business as usual
Tuecke-Allyn's data has been pulled from their website and transferred to the new owners. All pre-paid arrangements and burial trusts will remain in the safe and transfer to the new owner.
"The name will change and the gentleman behind the desk, but all else will remain the same," assured Bill.
"I will honor anything Bill has put in the contract, and provide the same high-quality service," Brock added.
Brock and Darris Morris
Brock and Darris have known one another since they were 11-years-old. The young couple has three daughters, Mavry, Ira, and Jovee. Darris is employed as a paramedic at Regional Medical Center in Manchester.
Brock earned his business degree at Central College, Pella, and a degree in Mortuary Science from Worsham College of Mortuary Science in 2018.
"I always aspired to work with people, come home to northeast Iowa and own my own business." Brock told The Press. "It started years ago when I started with Leonard-Muller Funeral Home in Manchester. I have worked at Kramer Funeral Home in Dyersville since 2018 and will continue working there moving forward. It’s an honor for me to have this opportunity to serve Clayton County and surrounding communities.”
The couple enjoys playing golf, and all sports-related activities, walking their dogs, and spending time with their family and friends.
Bill and Joy Allyn
Bill's plans are currently up in the air. "I am looking forward to being a stay-at-home-dad slash trophy husband," he said with a hearty laugh. "I have been a pilot for over ten years and have started working on my commercial license, so my future may include some contract pilot work."
Joy, who is a Finance Director for Unlimited Services in Guttenberg, is looking forward to having her partner at her side to help with their four children, Jovi, Bristol, Mila and Jagger. "It will be nice to have the support at school events and extra-curricular activities. I won't feel like I am being pulled in four different directions," she said with a smile.
Bill has had a long time to consider this transition. "In 2014, I had a conversation with my father, and told him I was considering a career change. He was very supportive of my decision. I will help Brock as a consultant for however long it takes," Bill shared.
Tuecke-Allyn history
Ed Tuecke, Bill's great-grandfather, was the county coroner and owned the first automobile hearse in the county. "Back in the day all communities had a church, a tavern and a funeral home," he said with a laugh. "Although my great-grandfather was not a licensed mortician, his work did inspire my grandfather, Cornelius Tuecke, to take on the profession. My grandfather and I went to the same mortuary school, graduated 60 years apart almost to the day just in different buildings. My father, Rick Allyn, began working with grandpa in 1978 and bought the business in 1981. I joined the company in September 2003 and bought the business from dad in 2012. My father retired in October 2017 but continued to help as needed."
Throughout the years Tuecke-Allyn has remained on the same plot of land. Historic photos from 1920, which will remain at the funeral home, show B.W. James Monument Co. on the property also.
Bill shared a unique piece of history at the beginning of our interview. The invitation read:
The Tuecke Funeral Home announces its formal opening, Sunday August Seventeenth, 1947 Guttenberg, Iowa
Open house two until ten at the funeral home.
"I showed this invitation to my grandmother, Borgchild Tuecke, when she was residing at Stonehill Care Center in Dubuque. She was originally there for rehabilitation services and decided she liked it so well she stayed," he remembered. "She was 104-years-old when she passed away in March, 2018. She was able to tell me all about the open house that day, and recalled many of the people that attended and conversations she had engaged in."
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For additional information call 563-253-1842, or online at www.morrisfuneralhomes.com
