Veteran services at Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals
Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals is a funeral home in New Bedford, MA that accepts veteran families and provides military funeral honors coordination through the Department of Defense honors program.
Published pricing at Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals: direct cremation from $2,635. 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 Massachusetts National Cemetery in MA, approximately 36 miles from Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals. Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.
Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals holds a 4.9-star rating from 105 Google reviews, indicating consistent service quality reported by families who have used the home for veteran and non-veteran services alike.
What families have said
Recent reviews from families who used Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals. Reviews are sourced from Google Places and shown verbatim — we do not edit or filter for sentiment.
“I cannot say enough about the compassion, professionalism, and genuine care shown by Saunders-Dwyer Funeral Home during my father's funeral arrangements. From the very first call, Billy treated us with kindness, patience, and respect. They guided us through each step with such clarity, making an incredibly difficult time feel manageable. Their attention to detail was exceptional - nothing was overlooked, and everything was handled with dignity. They honored my father beautifully, and the entire process felt seamless and thoughtfully managed. My family and I are deeply grateful for their warmth and the comfort they provided. Saunders-Dwyer exceeded every expectation, and I wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone who needs compassionate, professional support during a loss.”
“During one of the most difficult times for our family, the staff at the funeral home — especially Will the director, and Tom the coordinator— showed extraordinary compassion, professionalism, and care. Every detail was handled with dignity and kindness, and they went above and beyond to make sure our loved one was honored beautifully. From the first meeting through the wake and services, we felt supported, guided, and genuinely cared for. The director was patient, attentive, and always available to answer questions or help with anything we needed, no matter how small. Their calm presence helped ease our stress and allowed us to focus on being together as a family. We are deeply grateful for the respect and heartfelt care shown to us and highly recommend this funeral home to anyone who wants their loved one treated with dignity and compassion.”
“Working with Bill at Saunders & Dwyer Funeral Home helped our family navigate a very challenging time with professionalism, kindness, and compassion. Bill and his team were always available and quick to respond to our questions and guide us through each step of the process. Because of their support, we were able to create a service that allowed us to come together and mourn our loved one surrounded by family and friends.”
“Our family has used Saunders-Dwyer funeral home to bury both our parents. They make a difficult time seamless and easy. A year ago Bill helped us pre-plan Moms funeral which made it so easy when the inevitable day came. He was able to accommodate our date needs in a short turn around since we had grandchildren heading back to college who wanted to be there. This meant a lot to us since the grandkids were mom’s greatest joy. We highly recommend Saunders-Dwyer for their professionalism, efficiency and attention to detail.”
“For well over 40 years, all of our family members and many of our friends have turned to the Saunders-Dwyer Funeral Home in our time of need. The Saunders-Dwyers family are dedicated, professional, compassionate, accommodating and sensitive to the needs of family members. They have been a staple in our community and we are very fortunate to have them. We pray for their continued success for many more decades to come. Thank you to the Saunders Family!!!”
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.