Richardson Funeral Home

The image of a gaunt figure dressed in black welcoming you silently into a dimly-lit sitting room is as much a dated cliché when it comes to funeral services as the words undertaker, mortician and funeral parlor. Funeral homes today focus on the celebration of life, not just the sorrow of death.  Funeral directors are now more active and visible members of their community, rather than the mysterious characters of the past called upon only in times of need.Managing Funeral Director Sara Collins and Funeral Director Mike McCormack of the Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home are happy to bring their profession into the 21st century.“We’re trying to dispel that whole funeral home stigma,” McCormack said. “We’re not creepy.”Collins and McCormack have brought Richardson-Gaffey closer to Scituate, not merely as a funeral home but as an active community participant.They have been involved with and/or have sponsored the Scituate Little League, the Rotary Club of Scituate, Scituate Heritage Days, the Scituate St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and the Scituate Chamber of Commerce. They even hosted a recent Chamber meeting at the funeral home.“Ernie Richardson and David Gaffey were both very involved n the community in different ways,” Collins said. “We are continuing what these two guys started in the community. It’s good to have the opportunity to see people in a happier light.”Richardson started the business at the current First Parish Road location – a former farmhouse - in 1955. Gaffey had a business in North Scituate. Eventually, the two men merged their businesses into what stands today.The funeral home is part of Dignity Memorial, a national funeral services network.“The company is really progressive,” Collins said. “It allows us to keep up with the times. Like in any business, there are changes.”Funeral service is no longer simply the handling of the wake and funeral, Collins continued.“There are a lot of different services we provide, including a free 24-hour grief counseling hotline and aftercare planning.”Expectations of funeral planning have changed as well.While there ... (Wicked Local)