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.

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 cannot recommend Ruby Memorial strongly enough. Our family worked with Maryann Malek and her…read moreassistant, Patty. They made the most impossible time in our lives infinitely easier with exactly the right combination of skill, clear communication, compassion, and care. They were professional while also being completely human in our time of need. They catered to the needs of my sister's children with deep patience, grace, and love. I felt a wave of calm and comfort in their hands. They even helped us set up the room for her funeral and brought it to life with their own special touches and wealth of experience. Maryann held me every step of the way trying to coordinate things while I was in terrible pain. She is every good thing and your family will find itself in the most capable hands with Ruby Memorial. Every single person we interacted with there was truly exceptional. I will always think of them as a bright spot in an otherwise incredibly dark moment.

My father passed away in NJ. I was out of the state and found Ruby Memorial on Yelp. We made a call…read moreand spoke to Maryann. She was very pleasant to work with and very knowledgeable about the process. We flied in to NJ on a Sunday and our father was picked up and ready to go on Monday for us. After the viewing, we talked a little more and learned what to do next. Price was fair and up front. Cash and checks preferred, but they can take credit cards. They also helped us with obtaining certified copies of father's death certificate. Thank you Ruby Memorial for making life easy, especially so close to Thanksgiving during the pandemic. It is highly recommended for your local service.

We dealt directly with Martin Goldstein. We thought it would be a positive experience working with…read morethe owner. That's specifically why I went to this place. It was my choice. What a mistake! An absolute NO! One of the worst business experiences of my life. Mr. Goldstein knew my parent was a proud Veteran. We met with him 2 weeks before the passing and specifically told him that. And they were living in a Veterans' Home. No way to miss the fact of them being a Veteran. Meanwhile, when it was time for the funeral, the American flag was missing from covering the casket, a glaring omission and very upsetting to those in attendance. As a mourner, the child, I never received the standard laminated document that is usually handed out listing the yahrzeit dates for the future. When I later called and made a simple request for the yahrzeit laminated sheet, included as part of funeral cost, I was literally yelled at by Martin Goldstein for some reason. In his screaming, out of the blue, he said the following, screaming at the top of his voice through the phone: "You're not my mother." I don't know what he was talking about. I was making a simple request. The man has very, very serious anger management and other issues.

It has taken me a year to complete my mourning for my mother but now I have I want to share my my…read moreprofound disgust and sadness about was not placed into the casket prior to her internment. When my mother, Susan Farber made her arrangements for her funeral she made it very clear to Mr. Goldstein that she wanted her hearing aids, false teeth, and glasses to be placed in the casket with her. In fact when I spoke to him on the day of my mothers passing he said please bring those items because my mother especially mentioned she wanted them with her. I brought them to you that day 10/21/22 and left them in his care! Upon arriving to the cemetery on the day of the funeral your employee gave me a bag with what I presumed was just the yarzeit candle. It was only after the funeral and I internment that I looked in the bag and was absolutely horrified to see that the last physical request my mother made of me was not met. The hearing aids, teeth and glasses were still in the bag. I felt violated. You knew this was important to my mother so in turn was important to me. I immediately called Mr. Goldstein and his answer was to say leave the items in the office and he would bury them the next day. I was disgusted that he thought I'd leave it that to him. He began yelling and said what do I want him to do? I wanted him to do his job. I went back to the cemetery and unfortunately the items could not be put with my mother in the casket because that would require an exhumation. I could only settle for having the items buried near her. It is not what she or I wanted or requested. The lack of professionalism and follow through did not meet what my mothers or my expectations. Beware of your expectations of Goldsteins Funerals as you will be gravely disappointed

too many contradictions, back talk and over sharing of information; telling us what is right or…read morewrong, although we are the customer though. Insulting, rude & condescending.

We used Flynn & Son to lay our family member to rest in November…read more The owners son, Brendan Flynn was INCREDIBLY rude, he had zero empathy. I understand nothing will happen to him since he's family. But he screamed at us and our family and continued to argue with us. Completely Unprofessional. We were threatened by people he is associated with about making a negative review of their business. I would like to take notice of the funeral director, Christie. As she was phenomenal. She tried her best to defuse the situation and had incredibly people skills and empathy for us and the situation.

All went well. Jackie explained everything. She is the most knowledgeable. I went elsewhere before…read moremeeting Jackie and I wasn't explained or told what Jackie went over. She is amazing and helped us so much and made it so much easier than we thought it would be and so much last then the last place we talked with. I recommend Jackie and her team at Cemetery Properties to everyone as they are the most professional in the Cemetery Industry!

From the owner: At CP we understand that planning for end-of- life arrangements can be difficult and emotional…read morejourney. Our mission is to provide families with the support and guidance they need during this sensitive time. What we offer: Free no obligation cost Assistance: We believe that financial transparency is essential. Our team is here to provide you with clear and detailed information about the cost associated with cemetery services without any pressure or obligation. Pre-planning Guidance: We offer compassionate consultations to help families navigate the complexities of end-of-life planning. Our knowledable staff is dedicated to explaining the various options available, ensuring that you can make informed decisions that honor your lived ones. Personalized Support: Every family is unique, and we take time to understand your specific needs and wishes. Our goal is to create a personalized plan that reflects your values and preferences. A Peaceful Environment: Our cemeteries are designed to be a serene and respectful space for remembrance. We are committed to maintaining a beautiful environment for families to visit and honor their loved ones. At Cemetery Properties we are here to help you every step of the way. Whether you are considering Pre-planning or need immediate assistance our team is ready to support you with empathy and professionalism. Contact Us Today: Reach out to us for a free consultation.