History & Staff

Marc was raised in Chicopee, MA and attended Saint George School and Cathedral High School. After graduating high school he attended Western New England College where he received his Bachelors Degree in business finance in 1987.

While in college he worked for Gaudreau Brother's Insurance Agency, owned by his father and uncle and later became co-owner of the agency with his brother. The brothers grew the third generation business to one of the finest independent insurance agencies in Western Mass with three locations in Wilbraham, South Hadley and Warren. Marc specialized in personal and commercial insurance sales over the 17 years in the business and obtained his Certified Insurance Counselor Designation (CIC) in 1996. The business experience and interpersonal skills obtained from his career in insurance compliment the services offered by Beers and Story.

In 1999 Marc officially entered into the funeral business with his wife, Wendy Story. He assisted Wendy in many aspects of the business since the early 1990's and obtained his apprenticeship in April of 1999. He enrolled in the Mortuary Science program at Briarwood College and graduated with highest honors June 2000 and is currently a Licensed Funeral Director. As Beers & Story strives to keep its directors current with information and services relative to the field, he has also achieved the designations of Certified Preneed Counselor and Certified Celebrant.

In his leisure, Marc enjoys many outdoor activities, including boating, golfing, hunting, and riding his Harley.

Wendy was born in Palmer, MA and attended Palmer and Monson schools. After graduating from Monson High School, she attended Madison College in Harrisonburg, VA for two years. She then returned to Western Mass and lived in Belchertown for 14 years.

She always had the family business in mind, but men had predominantly dominated the profession and she wanted to pursue a career in education. Returning to school, she received her Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from UMASS in 1978. She worked in early childhood and elementary education for several years. However, Wendy was drawn to the business and began working with her father in 1984. She completed her apprenticeship and received an Associate's Degree from the New England School of Arts and Sciences in 1986 and became a Registered Funeral Director in 1987.

Wendy is the proud mother of Alyssa Boyko, the mother of her two precious granddaughters. Alyssa represents the third Story generation in the family business. Wendy has been a member of the Palmer Rotary club since 1989, a Corporator of Country Bank, has served on the Wing Memorial Hospital Board of Directors, and is a past Trustee of Clapp Memorial Library in Belchertown. She is currently a member of the South Hadley Granby Chamber of Commerce. Her leisure is spent loving and enjoying time with her granddaughters.

Alyssa was raised in Belchertown and Wilbraham, MA. She attended Wilbraham Schools and upon graduating from Minnechaug Regional High School she enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst Campus.

Alyssa completed one year at UMASS and after a summer working in the family business, she decided to follow her mother and grandfather's calling and pursue a career in funeral service.

She enrolled in the Mortuary Science program at Briarwood College in Southington, CT and continued to work part-time at the funeral home. Alyssa completed her formal education and graduated with highest honors in June of 2001 with an Associate’s degree in Mortuary Science. She has since completed her Certified Celebrant training and, along with all of the directors at Beers & Story, offers this service to families.

Alyssa is proud to be one of the few third generation family funeral directors and plans to carry on the exemplary standards set by her grandfather some 50 years ago. She currently resides with her family in Belchertown.

Crystal was born in Holyoke, MA and raised in Belchertown. She attended Belchertown Schools and knew from the time she was in high school that she wanted to pursue a career in Funeral Service.

Upon graduating from Belchertown High School she enrolled in the Mortuary Science program at The New England Institute located at Mount Ida College in Newton, MA. Crystal received her Associates Degree in Mortuary Science in 1995.

She began her career in funeral service in 1993 while attending college, working for J.S. Waterman's and Sons, one of the largest and well known funeral establishments in the Boston area. She gained valuable skills and experience in all aspects of the funeral business under their direction. Fortunately for those of us in Western Mass, Crystal wanted to return to her roots and be closer to family and friends and work with the community in which she was raised. Crystal joined Beers and Story in January of 1996 as a Registered Certified Funeral Director and she currently cares for families in at-need and pre-need funeral arrangements. Crystal is a very valuable member of the family business. Crystal, along with all of the directors at Beers & Story Funeral Home is also a Certified Celebrant.

Crystal currently resides in Granby, MA with her husband and children.

Lucy Diggs grew up in Jacksonville, NC. Shortly after graduating high school, she joined the United States Army in 2009 where she studied Farsi at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey. After moving to Springfield in 2015, Lucy decided to pursue a career in the Funeral industry. She completed her education at FINE Mortuary College in Norwood, where she graduated as Valedictorian in 2019 with an Associate’s degree in Mortuary Science. Lucy served her apprenticeship with Beers & Story Funeral Homes, joining the family in 2017. She became a Licensed Funeral Director in January 2020 and is proudly serving families in our community.

Lucy lives in Springfield with her husband, George, and their yorkies, Talulah and Giorgio.

Ruth-Ann (Anderson) Quigley was raised in Palmer, MA and graduated from Faith Baptist Christian Academy in 2008. Her father, Paul Anderson, is the former pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Palmer. After completing high school, Ruth-Ann received her EMT certification and later graduated from Greenfield Community College as a certified Paramedic, serving her community for nearly ten years. Deciding to fulfill her dreams of becoming a Funeral Service Professional, Ruth-Ann attended Lincoln College of New England in Southington, CT where she graduated with highest honors in 2017. She completed her apprenticeship and became a Licensed Funeral Director, serving families in the Springfield Area. Ruth-Ann joined the Beers & Story family in February 2020 and is very happy to be serving families in the community she was raised.

Ruth-Ann currently resides in Agawam with her husband, Chris Quigley, and their son and their dog and cats.

Daniela (Palumbo) Labodycz grew up in Long Branch, NJ and then moved to Dover Plains, NY where she graduated from Dover Jr./Sr. High School. She attended college at Alfred University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Finance. She pursued a career in insurance for 12 years in commercial insurance with Aetna and Travelers as well as working in a local insurance agency in MA. Daniela joined Beers & Story in 2002 to work flexible hours to spend more time with her two children as they were growing up. She lives in Southwick, MA with her husband, Brian and their two cats. Outside of work she enjoys spreading joy through her cooking and baking.