Calls come in the middle of the night for the Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home. After losing a loved one, families are devastated, overwhelmed and often unsure of what to do.
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Calls come in the middle of the night for the Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home. After losing a loved one, families are devastated, overwhelmed and often unsure of what to do.
“Sometimes they're calling us before they've even notified the police,” said Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home CEO Kevin Sullivan.
After receiving a call, one of the Sullivans leaves immediately to meet the family on-site. They take care of everything — from transporting the deceased to making funeral arrangements, hosting wakes, holding services and burials.
“There's going to be a Sullivan handling every aspect of the funeral,” said Vice President Tom Sullivan.
Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home has been around more than 74 years and three generations. The business was established in 1943 by Thomas and Marguerite Farley. Robert Sullivan Sr. joined four years later and brought his sons Bob Jr., Kevin and Tom into the business after acquiring sole ownership. The company expanded to a second location in Glastonbury in 1977 and the Hartford location moved in 1996 to a larger, remodeled building in Wethersfield.
Bob Sr. started the tradition of service that still characterizes the business today. Kevin remembers priests from local parishes calling his father when someone died in a family that was struggling financially.
“He would take care of things free of charge,” Kevin said. The Sullivans have supported the Intensive Education Academy in West Hartford for decades in its work with students who have special education needs. In 2015, the academy honored Kevin and Tom with lifetime achievement awards.
Bob Jr. was an ebullient presence who was constantly out in public.
“Everybody knew Bobby,” said Tom. Kevin and Tom devoted many hours to the business while serving the public in other ways: Kevin as Hartford's deputy fire chief and Tom as Rocky Hill's postmaster. After Bob Sr. passed away in 2005 and Bob Jr. followed in 2013, Kevin and Tom took over the business and Tom's son Brendan joined in 2015.
Farley-Sullivan's services have evolved along with the funeral industry.
“When I started working with my father, funerals were traditional and cookie-cutter,” said Kevin. Now, they are much more personalized and each one has a different twist.
Tom said they've become more of a funeral planner.
Elaborate funeral displays line rooms with personal effects.
“You're seeing pieces of a person's life as opposed to walking into a room that just has flowers,” said Kevin. One funeral featured the deceased's motorcycle being driven behind the hearse and firefighter and police funerals have processions with firetrucks, police cars, ambulances and masses of colleagues in uniform.
People also have become more involved in planning their own funerals. One local woodworker made his own casket and the Sullivans were there to make sure it met cemetery regulations.
Brendan handles communications for the funeral home and said that social media has changed the way the business operates.
“We'll put announcements in publications and on our website, which is linked to our Facebook account,” Brendan said. Social media helps spread the word about the funeral home as well. “When I post something about us, people get the message that we're a family business,” he added.
The Sullivans reach out to the community through seminars and programs at churches and senior centers. Some presentations center on the grieving process. When clients are having emotional difficulties, the Sullivans help them get counseling.
“We refer them to professionals and support groups,” said Tom.
Other presentations are practical.
“We discuss the financial aspects of funerals and different options people have such as veterans benefits and social security benefits,” Kevin said.
The Sullivans said their knowledge and experience sets them apart from other funeral homes. Their presence in the community also ensures that clients have the comfort of hearing a familiar voice and seeing a familiar face.
“We see them in church, we've coached their little league and baseball teams, our kids have gone to school with their kids,” said Kevin.
Brendan found himself drawn to the business in college.
“In my first couple of years of college I was thinking about sports journalism or broadcasting,” he said. Then he started working at the funeral home part time.
“I saw how my father and uncle helped people,” Brendan said. “That made me fall in love with the business. People are in need and this is the ultimate service.”
