Dighton-Marler Funeral Home

On September 16, 1893 Charles Christoph pitched a tent on the courthouse square in Perry following the run and began operating a new and used furniture store. A frame building later was constructed to house the business, Christoph Furniture. In 1894, Charles Christoph hired his stepson, George Newton, to assist him in his store. Four years later, the two men added undertaking to the business that operated as Christoph-Newton Furniture Store and Undertaking. Charles Christoph was the holder of Oklahoma embalmer's license No. 4. His stepson, George, held Oklahoma embalmer's license No. 15. After Charles Christoph's death in 1932, George Newton and his son, Ted operated the business. In 1936, the Newton Funeral Home business was moved to the building on Seventh Street in Perry that now houses Brown-Dugger Funeral Home. Ted Newton became owner-operator of the Newton Funeral Home in 1946. Ted's son, Jack, took over the business in 1965 and became the fourth generation of the family to work in the funeral business serving the Perry community. Bill Parker purchased Newton Funeral Home in 1974 from Jack Newton. Parker was owner of Parker Funeral Home that was located on Sixth Street in Perry in a building constructed by the former owner of the business, Fred A. Davis. Davis and his son, Farris, are credited with opening Perry's "first real funeral home" in a house at Eighth and Elm Streets in the 1930s. Prior to that, the funeral business was operated in conjunction with the Davis Furniture Store in Perry. Fred A. Davis had been an undertaker for 51 years when Davis Funeral Home was sold to Tom Potts in 1946. Davis Funeral Home, later known as Potts Funeral Home, was sold to Bill Parker and his mother-in-law, Mrs. P.W. Cress, in 1950. After the purchase, the business was operated as Parker Funeral Home. When Parker purchased Newton Funeral Home, the Parker and Newton Funeral Home businesses merged and were operated as Parker Funeral Home at the 1010 Seventh Street location in Perry. In July 1984, Parker Funeral Home was sold to Lloyd Brown, a former employee of the business, and his wife, Dolly. The business first was renamed Parker-Brown Funeral Home. The business name was changed to Brown Funeral Home in 1985. The business was operated by the Browns until December 1998 when it was sold to James E. Sisson who had been an employee of Brown Funeral Home. At that time, the name was changed to Brown-Sisson Funeral Home. In February 2002, Richard and Rhonda Dugger purchased Brown-Sisson Funeral Home in Perry from James E. Sisson and Sisson Funeral Homes in Billings and Garber from Eddie and Kathey Sisson. Names of the businesses were changed to Brown-Dugger and Dugger Funeral Homes, respectively. Dugger Funeral Home in Billings descended from the Newton Funeral Home, the first funeral business in that community. George Newton started the Newton Funeral Home in Billings and operated the business in addition to Newton Funeral Home at Perry. O.W. Long later purchased Newton Funeral Home at Billings. Ted Newton bought the business from Long in 1946 and operated it along with Newton Funeral Home in Perry.