ince 1951, Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals has been proud to be a family-owned and operated funeral home. Our goal is to provide personalized and compassionate care to every family who entrusts us with their funeral arrangementssaunders-dwyer obituaries.
Our experienced and dedicated staff can advise you on choosing the right service that meets your needs and provides meaningful service to your loved one.and
We have offices in New Bedford and Mattapoisett
, Massachusetts. We are available seven days a week to answer any questions you may have about planning or arranging a funeral.
Contact our funeral home to utilize one of our services with our professional staff.
You can email us using the form below.
the you would like to report a death, you can request immediate assistance:
Contact our funeral home to utilize one of our services with our professional staff.
You can email us using the form below you report a passerby, please call immediately for assistance:
About Us
In 1967, Richard T. Saunders began construction on the Richard T. This funeral home was a large, spacious facility with ample parking and was centrally located in the West End of New Bedford. In 1985, Daniel F. Dwyer, a respected local funeral director, merged his funeral home with Richards to form Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals. In 1996, our new facility in Mattapoisett opened on County Road 50 to better serve the needs of our growing customer baselater, two of Richards’ sons joined the family business as
licensed funeral directors: Richard T. Saunders, Jr. in 1984 and William H. Saunders in 1990
Afollowing years, Richards’ grandsons, Patrick T. Saunders and William H. Saunders, Jr., joined the business as funeral directors, bringing with them a third generation of community service. Together, they continue to operate the family business
with the same professional approach that their father
and grandfather have followed over the years
I also lead an impressive team of undertakers, embalmers
administrative staff, interns and funeral directors who help them provide excellent funeral services to all the families they serve. Richard T. Saunders 1933-2008
Over the years, Richard has been involved in many ways locally and internationally in religious, civic, political and philanthropic fields. He is survived by his wife Anne (Downey) Saunders, a physician, his eight children Rick, Marie, Andrew, Maureen, Ellen, Mike, Bill and Chris, and 17 grandchildren. Richard
T. Saunders, Jr.
Rick became a licensed funeral director in 198
4the graduated from Bishop Stang High School (Class of 1978), Bridgewater State University (Class of 1982), and the New England Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences (Class of 1983)the is a member of St. Vincent DePaul Society. He is the director of Sacred Heart Home in New Bedford and Our Lady’s Haven in Fairhaven.
the also served on the board of directors of the MassachusettFuneral Directors Association
; his three-year term ended in June 2019. He has been an elected member of Dartmouth Town Meeting for over twenty years. He resides in Dartmouth and is married to Kathleen (Kennedy) Saunders. They have three sons, Jim, Patrick, and Chris, and three grandchildren, James, Luke, and Jude.
William H. Saunders
Bill became a licensed funeral director in 1990. He graduated from Bishop Stang High School (Class of 1988), College of Boca Raton (Class of 1990), and Lynn University (Class of 1992). He is married to Myriel B. Saunders and lives in Mattapoisett. They have two children, Will and Tim.
Patrick T. Saunders
Patrick received his funeral director license in 2015. He graduated from Dartmouth High School (Class of 2008) and graduated with honors from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (Class of 2012) and Mount Ida College (Class of 2015). In 2020, Patrick graduated with a degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. A resident of Dartmouth, he serves on the board of directors of Better Community Living, Inc., the board of directors of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association.
Will H. Saunders, Jr.
Will received his Funeral Director License in 2019. He graduated from Bishop Stang High School in 2016 and is the first graduate of Cape Cod Community College’s newly launched Funeral Director Program to receive his license. He is married to Casey L. (Allaire) Saunders and lives in Marion.
With a growing family and business, our family looks forward to serving you now and in the days and years to come. “Our Family Represents Your Family”
Obituary
In The noun “obituary”, which appeared in English in the early 18th century, comes from the Latin “obīre”, where “ob-” means “to” and “īre” means “to go”, thus indicating “going towards” a person’s death. The first obituary as we know it probably appeared shortly after the invention of the printing press and contained only the bare facts of the death
Reasons Why You Need an Obituary
1. Pay Tribute
An obituary is a tribute to the deceased and an opportunity to pay your last respects.
People mention professional accomplishments, education, hobbies, and contributions to the community.
Professional obituary writer Katharine Blossom Lowrie notes, “The joy lies in discovering those quirks and idiosyncrasies, the little nuances that distinguish living, breathing individuals.”
2. Share the Loss
The importance of obituaries in help family process
their grief is remarkable. Dealing with grief is much easier when you have a community to share your grief with and who can take the burden off of you.
3. It helps with the grieving process
For many people, writing an obituary is a therapeutic tool and helps them deal with grief. When you write about your loved one, remember and talk about all your memories of him or her.
4. It unites people
Grief brings people together, and an obituary unites people by reviving memories of the deceased.
At the same time, it serves as an invitation to the funeral or memorial service
and contains all the details. When the deceased’s family and friends are scattered all over the world, the easiest way to stay in touch is to post an obituary online.
