The owners of Woodstock Way Hotel are contemplating the purchase of the Lasher Funeral Home property at 100 Tinker Street in Woodstock, a short distance from the hotel, which is located in the center of town. Run by Steve Williams since the fall of 2019, following the untimely death of director Ken Peterson, Lasher is Woodstock’s only funeral parlor.
Neighbors of the funeral home received a letter from Woodstock Way Hotel owners Ryan Giuliani and Jesse Halliburton, stating that they are “considering the purchase of the Lasher property…. We invite you to our hotel on March 17 at 10 a.m., to see what we have built and to discuss our future plans with you. We would appreciate your input.”
When asked for an interview by Hudson Valley One, Giuliani and Halliburton issued a statement saying, “We’re in the exploratory phase of learning more about the several properties and opportunities and chatting with various town boards and neighbors. When we have something more specific to say, we’ll happily reach out to the press and share our thoughts and (possible) plans. But this is all premature. We have not purchased any property.”
They declined to say whether their intention is to create more hotel units or develop residential properties, commenting through a spokesperson that those decisions were, “All part of the exploration.”
After Peterson’s death in May 2019, his family stated their wish to maintain the building as a funeral home, as it has been since 1884. However, licensed funeral directors are in short supply nowadays, so they were happy when Williams, an area funeral director since 2000 who had helped Peterson in the past, agreed to take over.
Calls to the funeral home for comment were not returned.
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