Q&A with Joey Duggan – Son of the Owner of Driscoll’s Mortuary;Mission Local Business Contributor
1465 Valencia St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 970-8801
joseph@driscollsmortuary.com
Joey Duggan talks about his family’s business
The Bud and Madeline Duggan family has been in the funeral business for 5 generations serving San Francisco families. My great-grandfather, William Duggan, married Henrietta (Hagan) whose father was a casket-maker and one of the first funeral directors in San Francisco, James Hagan. William and Henrietta lived on Dolores Street and were longtime parishioners of Mission Dolores Parish.
My grandfather, Edwin “Bud” Duggan, joined the family’s funeral business in San Francisco with his father and, later, built a new, larger facility with his wife, Madeline (Healey) Duggan, in Daly City (Duggan’s Serra Mortuary). Bud attended both St. Paul’s and St. James Schools while growing up in the Mission. Madeline attended St. John the Evangelist elementary and high school. She also started the tradition of giving a freshly cooked turkey to every family they served, and the tradition is still going strong today at Duggan’s Serra Mortuary in Daly City.
Madeline, Maureen, and my father, Dan Duggan, succeeded Mike Driscoll’s mortuary in 1999 and opened their newly remodeled Driscoll’s Valencia Street Serra Mortuary. This mortuary location is celebrating our 100-year anniversary in 2015. We at Driscoll’s Valencia Street Serra Mortuary provide professional, family-owned funeral and cremation services at a most reasonable cost. Our goal is to serve families and community-members with kindness and compassion.
What have you learned since you opened up shop in the Mission?
Our family has lived in and served the Mission District since the late 1800’s. We serve the entire community but also specialize in serving the Spanish-speaking community. We have learned the traditions of the families we serve and do our best to accommodate their needs.
Personally, my (Joseph Duggan’s) Spanish-speaking and writing skills have very much improved since working at Driscoll’s.
What do you love about the neighborhood?
I love the culture and uniqueness of the Mission District. It has so much character and is much different than the other districts within the city. I like the fact that my family’s roots are from the Mission, having ties to multiple parishes and schools in the area.
The art and murals done throughout the alleys and streets are beautiful to look at and add a colorful dimension to the neighborhood. We are also spoiled because of all the great food and intoxicating aromas from our local restaurants and bakeries.
The weather is great too! We get a good amount of sun throughout the year and we are also happy the Mission is flat for the most part. It’s great for walking around, riding your bike, and people-watching. Our neighbors are very friendly as well.
Share your favorite Mission shops, restaurants, events, activities or favorite uniquely-Mission story.
Too Many to name but here you go… Sunday Streets, Dia de Los Muertos, Dolores Park, Martha & Bros. Coffee, Philz Coffee, La Taqueria, Anthony’s Cookies, Venga Empanadas, Sweet Chinitos, Mission Picnic, El Farolito, Los Picudos, Wild Pepper, Dovre Club, The Phoenix
What made you decide to support Mission Local?
Our family history is the Mission District and a few of our employees are loyal readers. I feel it’s a great way to stay in touch with the community and we have been working extra hard recently to build relationships with local businesses. I also agree with their mission statement and the importance of community-building: “Mission Local believes that by covering a neighborhood fairly and thoroughly, we can build community and a sustainable model for quality journalism.”
It’s also something we can offer to families we serve throughout the year. If a “Mission local” passes away, their event section is available to post service information. That way, people that read or go online to Mission Local can attend services for people they know.
We also want to advertise our services to the community. We specialize in shipping human remains to Mexico, Central and South America, and the Philippines. But, we can also ship just about anywhere and we keep our costs very reasonable.
What features do you enjoy reading? What’s the importance of neighborhood journalism to your business?
The crime log, obituaries, events, and news stories in general are good to keep up with. Some of these pertain to people we take care of at Driscoll’s.
Obituaries and postings about memorials and services are important to our business because it informs the public about recent deaths. We cannot expect the families to notify everyone about a loved one who passed away, so we rely on postings online and in the newspaper to get people in the door.
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