Matthew J. Herson Jr. began the Herson Funeral Home after finishing his mortuary science education at the Collier School of Embalming, New York City in 1932. He obtained an Embalmer's license in 1933 and shortly after that he began practicing (for a very short period of time) out of his parent's home located on Albany Street until he purchased the home at 110 South Geneva Street.

During the 1930's and until the mid 1950's funeral homes were not used for funerals and calling hours as we know it today. In fact, before World War II, it was a common practice to have a three to five days of visitation in the deceased's home. The funeral director would come into the home with his embalming and funeral service equipment and set a viewing room up in the front parlor of most homes. He would usually embalm and prepare the body right in the home. People would come in and out of the home to pay their respect to the deceased and to the family. In fact, the custom of presenting the family with food when a family member dies dates back to the early practice of home visitations. Due to the large number of people who would come, the family would usually provide food to their guest before they would return home. Friends and neighbors would take turns providing this food for the family during this period of time.

The funeral home before WWII was primarily used to transact business and for indigent services. Very rarely was the funeral home used for the general public unless the funeral director's family died or there was extenuating circumstances.

Matthew Herson used his funeral home in the early years to hold a lot of the services for his family members. In fact, according to M.J. Herson, one of the first funerals Matt Herson did was his own parents.

As the times changed, Matt Herson saw a growing need for the public using of the funeral home as a place to hold services and visitation. In 1955 he added an addition to the left of the building, enlarging the facility to become Ithaca's largest funeral home.

Matthew married Helen Corcoran in 1945 and together they had two children; M.J. Herson III and Jane Herson. Helen was a school teacher and to this day, people come into the funeral home and tell stories on what a kind and polite lady she was to every one she met.

The most amusing story about the Herson Funeral Home involves M.J. & Jane when they were young and aspiring skaters. As story has it, shortly after the addition was built on the funeral home, the young M.J. realized that the iced flat roof of the funeral home would make an excellent skating rink. However, Matt Herson did not find it very amusing especially when he was carrying a casket, after a service, out of the front doors of the funeral home to only look up and see his children making “figure eights” on the roof. M.J. eventually became well known for his skating abilities and eventually he skated for the Shipstads and Johnson Ice Follies starring Peggy Fleming. We like to believe that he got his humble start right here at the Herson Funeral Home.

Matt and Helen raised their family in the funeral home and eventually M.J. took over the business after his father died on August 15, 1976. Matt Herson will always be remembered for being a “gentleman funeral director.” For the forty years he practiced in Ithaca he treated all the families he served with respect and dignity no matter what their race, creed, color or orientation. He established the foundation for the standards in our funeral services today.