Veteran services at Bernard F. Dowd
Bernard F. Dowd serves veteran families in Jamaica, NY with military funeral planning. In their own words: "Martin A. Gleason Funeral Home provides comprehensive veteran services, including coordinating military funeral honors such as flag folding and presentation, the playing of Taps, and a three-volley rifle salute. They assist families with verifying eligibility (DD-214), applying for a Presidential Memorial Certificate, arranging for headstones or markers, securing memorial plots, and facilitating burial in a VA national cemetery. They also help with potential reimbursement of burial expenses through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs." On-site amenities include 30 car parking facility, suited to flag presentation and honors ceremonies. Early reviews are positive, averaging 3.9 stars across 7.
Veteran-related services offered include honoring veterans, burial, and cremation. Each service is coordinated with the family and, where applicable, with the deceased's last unit or branch honor detail.
Published pricing at Bernard F. Dowd: direct cremation from $2,775. That places direct cremation roughly 21% above the New York median ($2,300). Veterans who served on active duty for at least 24 months may qualify for VA burial allowance to offset funeral costs — this home accepts assignment of those benefits where eligible.
The nearest VA national cemetery is St. Albans National Cemetery in NY, approximately 2 miles from Bernard F. Dowd. Bernard F. Dowd can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.
New York has approximately 1,440 licensed funeral homes serving its population, of which a subset specifically lists military funeral honors and VA benefits assistance among their services. Bernard F. Dowd is among them.
Frequently asked questions
What does a funeral at Bernard F. Dowd cost for veteran families?
From its published general price list, direct cremation starts at $2,775. Eligible veterans can offset these costs with a VA burial allowance, and burial in a VA national cemetery is provided at no charge.
Where is Bernard F. Dowd located, and can it coordinate a veterans cemetery burial?
Bernard F. Dowd is located at 16520 Hillside Ave. in Jamaica, NY. You can reach the home at (718) 739-8117. Staff can coordinate burial with nearby VA national and state veterans cemeteries.
What services does Bernard F. Dowd offer veteran families?
Bernard F. Dowd provides honoring veterans, preplanning, burial, cremation, and can arrange military funeral honors for eligible veterans.
Does Bernard F. Dowd help veterans with VA burial benefits?
Martin A. Gleason Funeral Home provides comprehensive veteran services, including coordinating military funeral honors such as flag folding and presentation, the playing of Taps, and a three-volley rifle salute. They assist families with verifying eligibility (DD-214), applying for a Presidential Memorial Certificate, arranging for headstones or markers, securing memorial plots, and facilitating burial in a VA national cemetery. They also help with potential reimbursement of burial expenses through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Which faith traditions does Bernard F. Dowd accommodate?
Staff coordinate services for Catholic, Various Christian denominations families, among others.
How do families rate Bernard F. Dowd?
Bernard F. Dowd holds a 3.9-star rating across 7 Google reviews from local families and veterans.
What sets Bernard F. Dowd apart
- Over 100 years of continuous family ownership and operation (initially Gleason family, now Golden family)
- Explicitly contrasts itself with large corporate chains, focusing on local community needs and personalized service
- Deep roots and long-term commitment to the Flushing community
- Specialized services for veterans, including coordination of military honors and VA benefits
- Offers green burial options for environmentally conscious families
- Multiple convenient locations in Flushing, Whitestone, and Bayside, including a 30-car parking facility at Whitestone
Military & veteran services offered
Burial & cremation services
Burial
- · Burial
Cremation
- · Cremation
On-site facilities
Affiliations & specializations
Industry affiliations
- · Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 15 Whitestone, NY
Specializations
- · Veteran Services
Religious traditions & languages
Religious traditions accommodated: Catholic, Various Christian denominations.
What families have said
Recent reviews from families who used Bernard F. Dowd. Reviews are sourced from Google Places and shown verbatim — we do not edit or filter for sentiment.
“Bernard and his staff have served our family well for my mother, and most recently for my mother--in-law. The latter occurred in March 2016. Four years ago I made arrangements and prepaid with a guaranteed price. Bernard's staff was very courteous and responsive when he could not be available to talk to me which was helpful as I am in upper Connecticut and could only come to LI on the day of the funeral. I met Bernard at the cemetery and everything agreed to in the preplan was executed perfectly. The Catholic priest he arranged to be at the cemetery was excellent. All of this was of great comfort to my wife because she was not able to attend due to very poor health that does allow her to travel. So, thank you, Bernard for converting a very painful occurrence into one we can remember with a feeling that we, the family, did everything we could to honor her passing and memory.”
“Have had love one's service there. The staff is so caring. My best friend (my sister Stephanie service will be there on December 8th 2016. I truly thank God for Bernard Dowd.”
“Wonderful staff and very helpful. My family have been using them for several years and are extremely happy with their services.”
“The service was nice but it's going to be close to a month since my loved ones passing and I'm still waiting for death certificates. They gave us dates to pick it up and they were never ready.”
“My mother-in-law's service was held on their Hillside Facility -Sept 2016. Sadly we did not have a good experience. Although I have to say, the evening service was nicely organized. After ordering a casket online my husband had to go personally take it into the funeral home because they didn't want to be blame for any damages [however no assistance was provided]. During the funeral mass the poll bearers were never requested,so several family members had to carry casket out of hearse and into the church. Then the owner himself drove the hearse receklessly to the cemetery... going over the lines in the expressway.”
EverSettled · After the Veteran Funeral
The veteran's spouse may qualify for VA Dependency & Indemnity Compensation.
DIC is a tax-free monthly benefit for surviving spouses, dependent children, and (in some cases) parents of veterans whose death is service-connected. EverSettled walks veteran families through DIC eligibility, survivor pension, life-insurance claims, probate, and the federal-account paperwork that follows.
Begin Veteran Estate SettlementHow honors are coordinated
Military funeral honors are guaranteed at no cost for any veteran discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. The funeral home arranges the honors detail by contacting the deceased's last unit or the nearest active-duty installation of the appropriate branch and submitting the DD-214 to verify eligibility.
For requests less than 72 hours from service time, families can call the Department of Defense's expedited honors line at 1-877-MIL-HONR (1-877-645-4667). See the full honors protocol.