News & Events

“There’s a Lot of Money in Death”: Funeral Home Consolidation Hits Western Massachusetts, an article by Jonathan Gerhardson, was posted today on The Shoestring. This reporter has spent weeks investigating changes in ownership of funeral homes in our region and…

On Monday, September 29, at a public hearing (viewable via livestream 9am-1pm), several bills concerning death care are on the Agenda. We are especially interested in H.2444, An Act expanding after-death care options. Other bills of interest are H.2374, An…

Our 8-page newsletter was completed last night. Production of the print version (black & white) started today and will be mailed out (via bulk mail) soon. See the color version now on our website. Content included: If you have ideas…

We invite you to a program titled, “Can We Talk? Starting A Conversation About Death.” Come learn about ways to talk with your loved ones about death, dying, and funeral plans. Dina Stander, an end-of-life navigator, will lead the discussion….

We’re sorry that our 2024 Price Comparison Table had failed to open. (You may have seen a message about needing an add-on required to open it. That problem was at our end, not yours.) Our Directory of Funeral Homes was…

We seek candidates for the Board of Trustees of this nonprofit organization. The Board has nine seats, with rotating terms to encourage inclusion of new people to “reinvigorate” the organization. We have 3 open seats now. We welcome people with…

The Devanny-Condon Funeral Home in Pittsfield, MA, has closed, effective May 26, 2025. This funeral home began in 1915 (110 years ago). It became an affiliate of Carriage Services in 1998. Carriage Services has posted this message on the website:…

MAVRIC is the state’s new, modernized system for processing vital events. As of June 2, 2025, MAVRIC replaces the previous Vitals Information Partnership (VIP) system for death registrations. Preparation for this change has been underway for over a year, with trainings…

Our Spring newsletter is ready! You can read it here online: Spring 2025 Newsletter. Paper copies will be produced this week and sent (via bulk mail) to our print mailing list; a Mailchimp notice will be sent soon to our…

We have edited our Directory of Funeral Homes to reflect a change that has recently been brought to our attention. The funeral home located at 130 Carew Street, Springfield, has changed its name to City Cremations. It is still owned…