My previous reviews of Chiacchio Southview (and other reviews I've written for other businesses)…read moreseem to have been detached from my account. Maybe my absence for some time did that. In any case, I've been to several funerals here and it's a great inner-city funeral home. The building has style and substance, and it just feels more personal than other homes I've been in. Most seem so sterile and bland, it feels like you're at a funeral. Here, it's still sad that you're saying goodbye, but it feels more personal. The staff is extremely accommodating and friendly. I don't know what else to say. It's been a good experience (as good as it can be considering it's a funeral) all around.

During a very unexpected and difficult time for my family, David and Rhonda came into our lives…read morewith such compassion and grace. They brought kind words and actions with them. It is a terrible situation for anyone to go through and I am sorry you are reading reviews....it means you too are suffering a loss. I can assure you Chiacchio Southview will respect your loved one and your wishes, they will treat you honestly and with dignity. I want David and Rhonda to know that we appreciated how you made this process just a bit easier, thank you both. Best wishes for the New Year.

Kind sensative. Great prices. Worked with me financially. Highly recommend. When you have to buy…read morea gravestone its important to work with this compassionate staff

FOREVER NOT A FAN! I…read moretried using calling this place to see if my great-grandma could be buried in the cemetery. Unfortunately for me, I got a beyond rude woman named Noel on the phone who tells me to "Speak English", so I slow down and tell her what I want to do only for her to hang up on me. I call back and she tells me to go back to "whatever third world country I called from". How beyond rude!

I attended a funeral here and was favorably impressed. Other than one that , since I was not…read moreinvolved, I can't comment. Probably if you're in the area and in need, worth checking out.

Lester's Memorial Home did an excellent job with my beloved mom who passed away unexpectedly. They…read morewere very professional , accommodating, respectful, patient, and caring. They handled every detail for me and made the process very easy and very respectfully. Lester's Memorial Home deserves 10 stars I can't express enough the gratitude for their exceptional service and there kindness and compassion they showed. I highly recommend Lester's Memorial home Jennie L

Being a close friend of the family, I was privy to the funeral arrangements at Lester Funeral Home…read moreand the subsequent service there after; or should I say substandard services. My criticism is of my own volition on what I know and observed and do not reflect, in any manner, the thoughts and feelings of the grieving family. The term Lester's refers to the facility and any of the employees for I do not know them by name or face. In a business that's supposed to be caring and empathetic to families at their time of crisis; Lester's was not this. During the arrangement process there was no caring or support; just treated like a business transaction. It was cold and impersonal. The family was not afforded the opportunity to review the obituary before being released. Had they, they would have noticed the spelling errors but most importantly, the family wanted donations to be sent to the Helmetta Fire Department but they put "donations to be sent to St. Jude's". An organization; although great in their own respect and supported by the family; not who they wanted at this endeavor. Is Lester's going to reimburse the donations that do go to St. Jude's to the proper recipient of Helmetta Fire Department. For Funeral Directors, they provided no direction to the family. No one told them where to be or when to be there. At many times friends and family had to tell them what to do so things would proceed properly. They also bitched that "people didn't listen and now they had to bring out more flower stands!" This was in reference to the obit saying "In lieu of flowers" and then the wrong organization. The "In Lieu" gives the sender the option but does not negate their desire to send one or the other, or both. This was a Fireman's funeral which is paid for by the Fireman's Fund. All funeral homes know this and receive the payment upon release by the fund. Lester's demanded the payment up front. Fortunately the family was able to procure the funds so they could bury their loved one. Having had to pay for several funerals on my own in the past, money was never demanded up front except for some odds and ends that needed to be paid. Most work with the families to go as far as setting up a no interest payment plan but apparently, Lester's greed outweighed their compassion. There was an argument about a pair of white glove the department opened up brand new and placed in the casket of the deceased. Lester's tried to claim the gloves were ones they had loaned the department. My bet is they took them after everyone left. Overall, Lester's is not a place to receive compassion during your time of greasing. They are truly in it for the money in a business where eventually everyone has to come to you. They are touted as being cheaper than their competitors but when all was said anddone, they were more expensive. No cars were used or procured because all transportation, including the deceased, was provided by the fire department. Cremation is being done so no grave sites were purchased, no holes and cement tombs were required, just a viewing casket rental which was exorbitant. There are plenty of funeral homes (DeMarco 1/4 mile away and in Spotswood) where service and compassion are their motto and understand that helping relieve the grief is the bottom line, not immediate financial gratification. Lester's is in business only because of reputation that has expired. Go elsewhere to make one of your most tragic moments in life a little more palatable. The one star is only because I don't know how to give a half, quarter or less.

I am posting this so that perhaps cemetery management makes the necessary changes. On 10/26/23 my…read moremother passed away and on 10/30/23 she was laid to rest in the grave that my father was laid to rest back in 1999 at Holy Cross Cemetery. My sister contacted the Cemetery to have Christmas wreaths placed at the grave of our parents and another one at our nephews grave also located at Holy Cross Cemetery. On Saturday 12/23/23 my sister and her daughter when to the cemetery. When they got to the grave of our parents the wreath was place on the decaying flowers that were never cleaned up since my mother was laid to rest two months ago. When they went to the grave of our nephew there was no wreath. The cost to have the cemetery place a wreath is $55.00 / wreath. My sister emailed the cemetery because the office on the cemetery grounds was closed on Saturday 12/23/23. Naturally, there was no response on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day but, you would expect a response on Tuesday 12/26/23. The Cemetery never responded. My sister call the Cemetery and a woman answered. My sister explained that the wreath placed at our parents grave was laid on top of dead flowers. She told my sister that they only clean twice a year and because my mother passed at the end of October the next cleaning is May. She also explained to my sister that the family should clean the dead flowers between cemetery cleanups. Then my sister explained that there was no wreath placed at our nephews grave. My sister was told that that was an oversight and they would refund $55.00. My questions: 1- If no one went to the Cemetery how would you know that the wreath you paid for wasn't provided? 2- If the family is responsible to clean up the grave sites between cemetery biannual cleanups, what's stopping me from raking the debris off my loved ones grave an onto someone else's grave? What's stopping me from placing the debris in a bag and taking it to the cemetery management office so they can store the debris until they do their biannual cleanup? 3- Why does the cemetery police have time to remove items from grave sites that they feel aren't appropriate? The cemetery police have time to remove Items like ballon's, teddy bear, etc. from grave sites but, they don't have time to clean dead flowers? I included a picture of the $55,00 wreath that the cemetery placed at our parents grave just so you can see what Holy Cross Cemetery feels is acceptable.

My grandparents are buried here. I didn't know them very well. I maybe spoke to them a handful of…read moretimes as a child even though they lived nearby. They were super old and senile. The funerals were nice. But I didn't feel any grief. Their house in East Brunswick was sold. Maybe demolished. These people are gone from the Earth without a trace. I'll let you in on a secret: I fear death, and the deaths of those I love. Death is the ultimate tragedy... a life of suffering is tough, but in most cases we can make things better. Death you can't fix. I won't romanticize death or martyrdom and drape them in metaphor. Death is real, it's brutal, it's tragic. You should be sad -- you should be afraid.

This batch of Yelp reviews helped us tremendously and I wanted to add. I know plenty about the food…read moreI enjoy and review restaurants accordingly. This, however, we knew very little about. Ron was extremely helpful. We needed the most basic of services, and Ron guided us every step of the way. Always pleasant, and transparent about the cost. He did not push us at all to get things which were not wanted. I actually wish he had pushed a little bit, as we forgot a couple things. Ron has our highest recommendation. Do not be afraid to ask him anything: suggestions, options, etc. He will help.

Ron Jasinski handled the funerals for both of my parents. His patient and understanding manner made…read morethe whole process as easy as possible. He expertly guided me through each logistical and legal step, he provided great support and insight, and he was always there to listen. His calming and reassuring presence helped create the meaningful and memorable experience that my parents deserved. He was always available and provided reminders as needed. All costs were clear ahead of time, he showed what all the options were and was supportive of all my choices and decisions. There was never any pressure to upgrade or include anything that I didn't want. He did provide excellent suggestions on how to make the events as meaningful and memorable as possible. I have recommended him and Kimble Funeral Home to friends who have had the same experience with Ron.

My father passed in 2010, and his services were handled by Peppler Funeral Home in Bordentown, New…read moreJersey. The Peppler family took a very difficult time and made it as painless as possible. My Father was cremated, and through a strained familial relationship, I was under the impression his cremains were collected soon after by another family member. Many years later, I learned no one had collected his remains. Now in 2025, and being fairly certain it was a fruitless call, but desperately trying to correct for my great failure, I contacted Peppler to see if they could at least point me in the direction of where my fathers remains may have ultimately been placed. To my great shock and greater relief, his cremains were still in the possession of the home; 15 years later! Their kindness and dedication carried forward into coordinating the quick shipping of my Father's cremains to me in Florida where my family now lives. There aren't words that can truly describe my deep appreciation for the service Peppler Funeral Home of Bordentown provided to my family. They are incredible people doing a difficult job, with a level of compassion and integrity, rarely seen today. Thank you.

My father passed in 2010, and his services were handled by Peppler Funeral Home in Bordentown, New…read moreJersey. The Peppler family took a very difficult time and made it as painless as possible. My Father was cremated, and through a strained familial relationship, I was under the impression his cremains were collected soon after by another family member. Many years later, I learned no one had collected his remains. Now in 2025, and being fairly certain it was a fruitless call, but desperately trying to correct for my great failure, I contacted Peppler to see if they could at least point me in the direction of where my fathers remains may have ultimately been placed. To my great shock and greater relief, his cremains were still in the possession of the home; 15 years later! Their kindness and dedication carried forward into coordinating the quick shipping of my Father's cremains to me in Florida where my family now lives. There aren't words that can truly describe my deep appreciation for the service Peppler Funeral Home of Bordentown provided to my family. They are incredible people doing a difficult job, with a level of compassion and integrity, rarely seen today. Thank you.

Peppler Funeral Homes have being preforming the majority of the funeral services for my family for…read morewell over 40 years. They are very compassionate about the needs of the deceased and for those who are preplanning their services ahead of time. The whole family is dedicated in helping those who have faced the hard and trying times that loosing a loved on can cause. I would definitely refer anyone to seek the services of Peppler Funeral Home!