Perry-McStay Funeral Home

Veteran services at Perry-McStay Funeral Home

Perry-McStay Funeral Home serves veteran families in East Providence, RI with military funeral planning. In their own words: "Perry-McStay Funeral Home provides comprehensive services for honoring veterans, ensuring eligible individuals receive military funeral honors mandated by law. This includes the folding and presentation of the American flag to the next of kin, and the playing of Taps by a bugler or recording, performed by an honor guard detail. Additional honors can include a three-volley rifle salute, draping the U.S. flag over the casket, and a final salute at the gravesite. The funeral home assists families with verifying veteran eligibility through DD-214 or discharge papers. They also help communicate with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to arrange for benefits such as Presidential Memorial Certificates, headstones or markers, memorial plots, burial in a VA national cemetery (including gravesite, opening and closing of grave, grave box, and perpetual care), and reimbursement of burial expenses." On-site amenities include parking lot, suited to flag presentation and honors ceremonies. Published pricing lists $6,070 for basic burial and $3,095 for direct cremation. Veterans may qualify for county or federal allowances toward these costs.

Veteran-related services offered include cremation services and veteran services. Each service is coordinated with the family and, where applicable, with the deceased's last unit or branch honor detail.

Published pricing at Perry-McStay Funeral Home: direct cremation from $3,095. That places direct cremation roughly 21% above the Rhode Island median ($2,550). 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 Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery in RI, approximately 20 miles from Perry-McStay Funeral Home. Perry-McStay Funeral Home can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.

Perry-McStay Funeral Home also accommodates Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Secular Humanist, and Lgbtq Affirming traditions for veterans whose religious or cultural observance shapes the service. Military honors can be integrated into the family's tradition with no conflict — the honor detail observes the family's pace.

Rhode Island has approximately 91 licensed funeral homes serving its population, of which a subset specifically lists military funeral honors and VA benefits assistance among their services. Perry-McStay Funeral Home is among them.

Frequently asked questions

What sets Perry-McStay Funeral Home apart

• Single-level facility with no stairs for easy access
• Custom acoustics for a quiet, personal atmosphere
• Historical ties to East Providence, with founders serving in state legislature
• Specialization in assisting Portuguese immigrants, with a fluent Portuguese-speaking funeral director on staff
• Comprehensive veteran services, including benefit navigation and honor coordination
• Long-standing family business established in 1941

Military & veteran services offered

Burial & cremation services

On-site facilities

Affiliations & specializations

Religious traditions & languages

Religious traditions accommodated: Catholic. Languages spoken at the home: English, Portuguese.

How 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.