March 14, 2022, marks a 60th anniversary for this organization. On March 14, 1962, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts approved incorporation of the small nonprofit educational group “The Springfield Memorial Society.” As the organization grew, name changes reflected the broader service areas of Greater Springfield and then all of Western Massachusetts. The mission has remained the same for over 60 years: educating the public about rights and options for final arrangements.
An early brochure stated, “It has been the experience of many that if they wait to make funeral arrangements at the time of a death in the family, emotional stress and lack of time cause them to acquiesce in conventional funeral arrangements, of which they do not approve.”
Roots of our movement go way back. Volunteers in western Massachusetts began meeting in 1959, concerned about “outrageous” funeral prices. Arthur Lepper of Longmeadow was a founder and early president; his wife Mabel Lepper was secretary for many, many years. Dr. Lewis Whiting, a co-founder, had patterned the Springfield Memorial Society after one in Cleveland where he had lived. The Cleveland Memorial Society, which still exists today, had been founded in 1948. It had been influenced by the People’s Memorial Association of Seattle, founded in 1939. Burial cooperatives of granges in rural areas of the northwest were providing simple, low-cost funerals; the Seattle group was the first urban group.
We prepared a Press Release announcing our 60th anniversary.