16 AUGUST 31, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
COPING WITH DEATH
Thomas M Quinn & Sons Funeral
Home Celebrates 120 Years of Service
to the Queens Community
The Quinn story began in America
in 1850, when Michael Quinn
came to New York, to escape the
great Irish potato famine. Michael
Quinn found work as a surveyor,
mapping out Western Queens County
under General George McClellan
(later, commander of the Union Army
during the Civil War). The borough of
Queens was a little more than farmland
and unspoiled forest back then…
but Michael Quinn apparently liked
what he saw and settled in the village
of Astoria with his wife Mary Malone.
In July 1871, a son, Thomas was born.
Thomas M. Quinn, as a young man
saw the small yet thriving community,
across the East River from Manhattan;
develop into a commercial, industrial
and residential center. Although,
a licensed veterinarian, in 1896 Mr.
Quinn established a funeral livery
and undertaking business on Fulton
Street in Astoria. Thomas M. Quinn
saw the need to take funeral services
from the home and conduct them
in dignified, convenient and comfortable
surroundings. Mr. Quinn
probably didn’t realize the impact
of his business venture at the time;
this was to be the birth of a “Legacy”
in service to the community. In 1928
the business moved to what is now
Atlantic bank on Broadway in Astoria
and in 1958 the business moved again
to its current location, “The Quinn
Memorial Building”
In 1989 The Quinn Family sold the
business to what would become The
Dignity Memorial Provider Network;
this network of funeral homes and
cemeteries that counts over 1600
nationwide is the largest funeral provider
in the world, serving families in
70 major cities across the United States.
In 1996 the Dignity Memorial
Network expanded further when
George Stamatiades owner of the
David Funeral and the Stamatiades
Funeral Home merged with Thomas
M. Quinn and Sons to continue the
“Legacy” that had started generations
earlier, to serve families in their time
of need in Dignifi ed, Convenient and
Comfortable surroundings.
Some of the innovation created by
Mr. Quinn and his advanced planning
concept called “Quinn Care” continue
today with many families prearranging
funerals to simplify the process
and remove the burden of waiting to
the last minute to make decisions.
Other innovations and service
enhancements have been added to
include Bereavement Travel, which
helps coordinate travel arrangements
for families, the Everlasting Memorial,
a video archive that documents a person’s
life with pictures on a DVD; National
Transferability, which gives the
fl exibility to families who re-locate to
have their pre-arranged funeral plan
travel with them; and other programs
designed to help you with the myriad
questions and issues that arise when
a death occurs.
In 2011 the strategy of expanding
the business to serve families here
in Long Island City and Astoria was
realized yet again with the addition
of the Morisco Funeral Home which
shared a deep legacy of families from
Long Island City and Astoria. The
Morisco Funeral Home was located
on the corner of Astoria Blvd and 31st
for many years.
George L. Stamatiades, Vice President
of Quinn Funeral Home and
Kevin R. Mack, General Manager,
with the help of 3 additional funeral
Directors, a Family Service Counselor
who Focuses on Pre-Arranged Funeral
Planning as well as the other 15 full
time and part time staff associates
continue “The Legacy” of Service to
the Community
All four Businesses operate from the
same facility in the “Quinn Memorial
Building”, located at 35-20 Broadway,
Long Island City, which houses 4
reposing rooms on the second fl oor
along with one catering room, and
the largest reposing room in Queens
County, “The Steinway Suite”, on the
third fl oor. The building also has 2
comfortable arrangement offi ces as
well as an offi ce specifi cally used for
families who Pre-arrange funerals
as well as an on-site Casket Selection
room.
The Management and Staff of Thomas
M. Quinn and Sons Funeral Homes
along with the other local providers,
David Funeral Home, Stamatiades
Funeral Home and Morisco Funeral
Home are dedicated to helping you
celebrate your life or that of a loved
one with a funeral or memorial service
befi tting of the life lived.
As part of the Dignity Memorial®
network, Thomas M. Quinn & Sons
Funeral Homes will ensure you not
only receive the compassionate care
you expect from a locally operated
establishment, but also the value you
deserve from North America’s largest
network of funeral, cremation and
cemetery service providers.
Thomas M. Quinn & Sons Funeral
Homes are also there for you if you’d
like to plan your funeral, cremation or
cemetery services in advance. Planning
ahead is a responsible, caring act that
can reduce stress for your grieving loved
ones. It’s easy to understand how making
decisions now about your fi nal arrangements
can help assure those left behind
that your wishes are being honored.
The Dignity Memorial network:
America’s leading funeral homes and
cemeteries, united to bring you the
services you need when it matters most.