32 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 4, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Advertorial
The mystery of
disappearing family-owned
funeral homes
ecently, many of the funeral
homes in northeast Queens
and some in Nassau County
have either sold to a corporation or
shuttered the business and sold the
property for land value.
This has been evidenced by the closing
of the following buildings: C. Johann &
Son, College Point; Jamie Funeral Home,
Flushing; Harden Funeral Home, Bayside;
Conway Funeral Home, Jackson Heights;
and Sunset Chapels, Manhasset.
The aforementioned all sold their
establishments for real estate value.
Others such as Dalton Funeral Home
(with its five locations) and Frederick
Funeral Home, Quinn Fogarty, Flushing,
have sold to funeral corporations.
Many of the customers are unaware
that these funeral homes are no longer
family-owned and operated. Gleason
Funeral Home just recently purchased
the business and phone number of
Lloyd’s Funeral Home in Bayside, which
was sold for the property.
John A. Golden and Thomas A. Golden,
proprietors of the Martin A. Gleason
Funeral Homes in Flushing, Whitestone,
and Bayside, believe funeral customers
are unaware of the increasingly changing
atmosphere in the industry. They believe
that consolidation is not a good situation
for the consumer.
It should be noted that sons of the
namesake owner, John and Marty
Gleason, had the opportunity to sell the
Gleason Funeral Home to a corporation
but balked at that chance because both
felt very strongly that working in the
funeral business is akin to a vocation
and that the business should function
as a service to the community.
The Gleason brothers felt comfortable
with the sale of the Gleason Funeral
Home to John A. Golden, et al in March
of 2000.
The phrase “family owned and
operated” evokes a warmth. Typically,
family-owned and operated businesses
had proprietors and employees who lived
in the communities they served. They
were accountable to the community and
were integral to the fabric of what made
a community function as such.
Family-owned and operated businesses
sponsored local little league teams,
served as boosters to local schools and
civic organizations – they made their
presence known in a community.
Gleason Funeral Home is accountable
to the communities’ needs and future
well-being. When people think of family
businesses, they tend to think of friendly
staff, long-standing relationships in the
community, and a genuine attitude
of caring for their customer. Gleason
Funeral Home proudly displays all those
attributes.
The majority of Gleason Funeral LLC
employees live in the communities
in which they serve. John A. Golden
serves as a member of the Flushing
First Friday Club, the Kiwanis Club,
Rotary International, the Equestrian Order
of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem,
President-Metropolitan Funeral Directors
Association, Member of the New York
Hospital Queens (NYHQ) Community
Advisory Council (CAC), Member-Bishops
Coat of Arms. Lori Golden John’s wife
and Thomas Golden and his wife Anna
are also members of the Equestrian
Order of the Holy Sepulchre and Bishops
Coat of Arms. Thomas is a member of the
AOH, in addition to other involvements.
The Martin A. Gleason Funeral
Home, LLC is deeply embedded in the
communities it serves.
With family-owned and operated
establishments, generally, there is
a willingness to make sure every
interaction is a great one because small
businesses are largely dependent upon
customer satisfaction.
Funeral corporations don’t evoke
the same images that family-owned
and operated businesses do. Singular
customer transactions do not weigh as
heavily with a corporation. Also, it can
be difficult to address a concern with
a corporation; management is often
removed from day-to-day operations.
The dearth of funeral homes means
less competitive prices, less selection,
and less convenience for the customer.
While little can be done about the
changing landscape of funeral homes
in Queens, it is imperative that customers
know what kind of business they are
dealing with: a family-owned and
operated one or a corporation. That
may make all the difference in their
experience.
John A. Golden
Owner & Operator
Martin A. Gleason Funeral Home, LLC