Our Story
Established in 2024, River City Trade Service has been formed to serve the needs of the funeral profession in the greater Jacksonville area by offering embalming and restoration services with an unparalleled commitment to customer satisfaction. We believe that the families that you serve come first. "Seeing is believing" and we wholeheartedly believe that a decedent's presence at their service is one of the most fundamental aspects of funeral service that promotes a healthy journey through the phases of grief. We strive to do our best to help make this possible for families by helping our client funeral homes. Quality and thorough work set us apart, and we hope that we can add value to what you offer your families. Get in touch today to learn more about how we can assist your firm.
The founder and owner, Matthew Tyrrell, aspired to create an organization dedicated to providing premier trade embalming to funeral homes in need of assistance. His journey in funeral service began after he graduated high school and sought out opportunities to work part-time as a funeral attendant; an interest that developed after witnessing the impact of funeral service within his own family during high school. He found an opportunity to work with a local corporate funeral home in the aforementioned capacity.
After studying at Stetson University for two years, he transferred to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. During his time spent in Minnesota, Matthew worked for a trade service as a removal technician, where he began to develop an early interest in business ownership as he wanted to emulate the example that was set for him. He also worked as a part-time lab technician for the University of Minnesota, Anatomy Bequest Program where he gained experience in anatomical embalming, taking serology, and preparing both fixed and fresh study donors for a variety of educational and biomedical research purposes. In 2019, he also attended Fountain National Academy, where he attended a multiday hands-on seminar with Vernie Fountain, gaining additional knowledge in the restoration of trauma and swelling reduction.
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Following his graduation from the Program of Mortuary Science in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science, he began an internship with the same corporate entity with whom he had been employed part-time. Shortly after becoming a fully licensed mortician in Minnesota, Matthew returned to Jacksonville with the same corporation, working as an embalmer at a high-volume care center. He later took the role of supervisor and FDIC of the care center, managing the day-to-day operations of the prep room and its team of embalmers. Matthew enjoys outdoor adventure, taking up opportunities to kayak and scuba dive in the springs of Florida. His ultimate passion is his work, and with the support of mentors and his fiancé, Sydney, Matthew has embarked on this new and exciting journey in funeral service.
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Florida Funeral Director/Embalmer License No. F553927
Minnesota Mortician License No. M-4266
Mission
As a company created to serve the needs of the funeral profession while caring for every decedent with respect, professionalism, and attention to detail, River City Trade Service is dedicated to assisting funeral directors in providing families with an opportunity to say goodbye.
Values
River City Trade Service conducts its business with three principal values: Quality, Confidence, and Integrity. Quality and detailed work are attributes that our company strives to be continually differentiated by. We work with confidence, as we surmount the ever-growing number of challenges faced by the modern embalmer due to trauma, the ravages of disease, and various medical treatments. We conduct business with integrity every step of the way. All that we do is ultimately for the benefit of the bereaved. Honest practices are guaranteed.
Vision
To advance funeral service through innovation, the pursuit of excellence, and a determination to comfort the bereaved.