Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association

02/18/2026

The Carafa Family Funeral Home in Chelsea recently assisted with arrangements for a Vietnam War veteran being buried alone. The executive director for the Cape and Islands Veterans encouraged people to attend the service, and dozens, many of them veterans themselves, showed up to honor the veteran, despite never having met him.

Richard Cubetus, a Vietnam War veteran, had never met the vast majority of the 80 or so mourners who attended his funeral.

02/17/2026

Patrick Saunders of the Saunders-Dwyer Funeral Homes in New Bedford explained the process of repatriating a deceased person in this story about how the local K’iche’ community joins together to send a person’s remains to Guatemala, where they were born, to be at rest and to reunite with their ancestors.

The K’iche’ community raises funds to send a person’s remains to the land where they were born to be at rest and to reunite with their ancestors.

01/14/2026

This year, reach out to people you know who are grieving and invite them to share stories about their loved one.

“Tell me about your loved one.” When a family member or friend is grieving, these are perhaps the six most important words you can say. This year, resolve to reach out to people you know are grieving and invite them to share stories about their loved one. Whether you chat over coffee, on a walk, or over the phone, the conversation will be appreciated more than you can imagine.

Looking for New Year’s resolutions that will help you remember loved ones throughout the coming year? Our Remembering A Life Journey Cards are a great place to start – 52 cards and each one features a meaningful way to remember your loved one!

https://hubs.li/Q03ZtB4k0

Image description: Hands of two people, each holding a cup of coffee and a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the table. Text: Making time for a grieving friend is a wonderful New Year's resolution.

#2026

01/13/2026

MFDA First Vice President Gary Toye and MFDA members Peter Bruno, Bobby D’Agostino, Monica LaVita, and Michael McCormac recently presented a resume writing and interview preparation workshop for North Shore Community College funeral service program students that included tips on how to prepare for an interview, how to present yourself professionally, and sample questions candidates can expect from prospective funeral home employers. Following the presentation, they conducted mock interviews and offered résumé reviews.

01/12/2026

Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association members recently gathered for our annual Professional Embalmers Session at the Massachusetts Medical Society Conference Center, where seminar leader Ben Schmidt shared guidance and important information on how to make the best embalming decisions with funeral service professionals. A collaboration between the MFDA and the Dodge Family Professional Development Fund provided grants to funeral service students Olivia Alex, Jennifer Bardier, Jovan Benjamin, Courtney Bliss-Souda, Samantha Caswell, Maggie Esposito Russell, John Luevano, Francis Murphy Jr., and Hanna Talmo from the funeral service programs at Cape Cod and North Shore Community Colleges so they could be part of this session.

01/09/2026

The Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam is seeking volunteers to help on “Wreaths Out” day January 15th.

Our Wreaths Out event will take place on Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 8:30 AM. Please meet in front of our Adminstration Building for instructions. We have snow on the ground so please wear appropriate foot gear. If you are coming as a team of two please bring a broom handle as it makes it easier to remove and transport multiple wreaths at a time. As a reminder, once the wreaths are removed from the gravesites we will still need your help in loading the wreaths into the metal totes to be moved to the final drop site.
We greatly appreciate everyone's assistance in this endeavour.

12/08/2025

Congratulations to Patrick Saunders of the Saunders-Dwyer Funeral Homes in New Bedford and Mattapoisett, who was recently installed as a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association during our annual Funeral Service Appreciation Night in Newton. We are excited to have Patrick as a member of our leadership team and greatly appreciate his service.

12/08/2025

Congratulations to Matthew J. Mulhane, right, of Mulhane Home for Funerals in Millbury, who was recently installed as a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association during our annual Funeral Service Appreciation Night in Newton. Pictured with Matt is MFDA President Stephen Gemelli. We are excited to have Matthew as a member of our leadership team and greatly appreciate his service.

12/05/2025

Congratulations to Steven Leonard, right, of the Blanchard Funeral Chapel in Whitman, who was recently installed as a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association during our annual Funeral Service Appreciation Night in Newton. Pictured with Steve is MFDA President Stephen Gemelli. We are excited to have Steven as a member of our leadership team and greatly appreciate his service.

12/05/2025

Congratulations to Jeff Koopman, right, of the Hays Funeral Home in Northborough, who was recently installed as a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association during our annual Funeral Service Appreciation Night in Newton. Pictured with Jeff is MFDA President Stephen Gemelli. We are excited to have Jeff as a member of our leadership team and greatly appreciate his service.

12/04/2025

Congratulations to John E. Keohane, center, of Keohane Funeral and Cremation in Hingham, Quincy, and Weymouth on being recognized for his service as Board Chair of the Selected Independent Funeral Homes at the group's annual meeting held last month in New Orleans. Read more by clicking below.
https://conta.cc/3Wtjboz

12/04/2025

Congratulations to Ricardo Jean-Charles, right, of the Dolan Funeral Home in Dorchester and Milton, who was recently installed as a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association during our annual Funeral Service Appreciation Night in Newton. Pictured with Ricardo is MFDA President Stephen Gemelli. We are excited to have Ricardo as a member of our leadership team and greatly appreciate his service.