About

Stephens and Bean Funeral Chapel offers compassionate funeral and cremation services to Fresno-area families in a tradition dating back to 1885. For more than a century, our commitment to service has remained unchanged as we adapt to the changing funeral needs of our community.

Caring for you

We pride ourselves on listening carefully to what is meaningful to our clients in their time of need. Through support and creativity, we enable them to create a service that commemorates a well-lived life. Count on Stephens and Bean to bring an inspired and unforgettable memorial service to life.

We serve greater Fresno as a member of the Dignity Memorial® network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers. Our clients receive sincere service from a locally based team that knows Fresno firsthand, coupled with the value and service enabled by the most trusted network of funeral, cremation and memorial services.

Please contact us if you need immediate assistance or if you would like more information about our services.

History

Stephens and Bean Funeral Chapel celebrates a history intertwined with the growth and promise of the American West.

In 1885, L.O. Stephens started the very first funeral home in the Central Valley—only the 11th funeral establishment in California. Mr. Stephens expanded his furniture and funeral business to include his brother-in-law Billy Bean in 1895, thus forming Stephens and Bean Funeral Chapel.

Mr. Bean served as the Fresno county coroner, and Mr. Stephens was elected the first mayor of Fresno. In 1911, Mr. Stephens built the first state-of-the-art funeral chapel and mortuary in Fresno, located at the corner of Tuolumne and Broadway. This chapel had many new features, including a pipe organ and the first motorized funeral coach on the West Coast.

Family roots

In the early 1920s, J.D. Stephens joined his father, and as their funeral home grew along with the population boom, they purchased additional equipment, including a new ambulance with features such as a lung motor to assist in cases of gas poisoning, electric shock, drowning and asphyxiation. In the 1930s, Stephens and Bean put a new air ambulance into service—the first of its kind. In 1945, J.D. Stephens Jr. returned from World War II. Instead of pursuing his planned career as a mining engineer, he joined his father’s firm along with another funeral director and World War II veteran named Manford Morton.

In 1950, the close-working duo relocated their funeral home to 202 N. Teilman, constructing a modern facility in a prime location near the local cemeteries, thus eliminating funeral processions through town. By the middle of the decade, the younger Stephens served on Fresno City Council and considered a run for mayor. Mr. Morton continued to build the best-known funeral service in the area. In 1968, Mr. Morton partnered with the Whitehurst family, with Mr. Manford continuing to manage and operate Stephens and Bean.

Century of service

In 1985, Stephens and Bean celebrated its 100th anniversary by purchasing and relocating a 15th-century Elizabethan-period oak room, with priceless Elizabethan figures painstakingly hand-carved in Belgium placed over the fireplace. Originally, the room was taken to England and assembled in a mansion on Trafalgar Square, near Westminster Abbey. In 1930, it was disassembled and brought by boat to San Francisco. It remained there, where it was often referred to as one of San Francisco’s most beautiful rooms. Relocated to Stephens and Bean in 1985, it is now a warm and inviting reception area for the families we serve.

Expanding the business

In 2002, a crematory was added, giving Fresno-area residents a full-service facility all in one location. We are committed to exceeding expectations and delivering a standard of service that is 100% guaranteed.

Amenities

Location

Cremation

Service

Religious & Cultural

Other Languages Spoken

Other

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Plan a Simple Cremation

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Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

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Bouquet of flowers on a cemetery

Remember the one you love

Honor the memory of your loved one with cemetery flower placement. You choose the flowers. You choose the months. We do the rest..

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Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

View arrangements
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Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

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View arrangements

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Unable to find an obituary?

Not finding what you are looking for? Search for your loved one's obituary across any of our other locations.

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Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

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View arrangements

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Unable to find an obituary?

Not finding what you are looking for? Search for your loved one's obituary across any of our Washelli locations.

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Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

View Arrangements
Bouquet of flowers on a cemetery

Remember the one you love

Honor the memory of your loved one with cemetery flower placement. You choose the flowers. You choose the months. We do the rest..

 cemetery-flowers-logo

Learn More
Vintage photos scattered

Unable to find an obituary?

Not finding what you are looking for? Search for your loved one's obituary across any of our other locations.

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Ratings & Reviews

Verified Customer Reviews

Since 2005, many of our customers have taken the time to tell us how we did each year via our Voice of the Customer program. Our star ratings and comments from families come directly from these surveys.

"Everyone was very professional and kind."

Verified customer reviews Verified Customer

August 2022

"The Van Tassel family has been using the services of Stephens and Bean since 1903."

Verified customer reviews Verified Customer

August 2022

"Prompt, polite, pressure free, caring service provided by everyone with whom I interacted."

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June 2022

"Cannot say enough for your professionalism and help that was given to my family. You made it easy for us at a very crucial time."

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May 2022

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