Veteran services at Southwick Forastiere Funeral & Cremation
Southwick Forastiere Funeral & Cremation is a funeral home in Southwick, MA that accepts veteran families and provides military funeral honors coordination through the Department of Defense honors program.
The nearest VA national cemetery is Massachusetts State Veterans Cemetery - Agawam in MA, approximately 8 miles from Southwick Forastiere Funeral & Cremation. Southwick Forastiere Funeral & Cremation can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.
Southwick Forastiere Funeral & Cremation holds a 4.8-star rating from 29 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 Southwick Forastiere Funeral & Cremation. Reviews are sourced from Google Places and shown verbatim — we do not edit or filter for sentiment.
“The service for my mother was to be a simple one, but one that was done respectfully. Mike at Forastiere in Southwick along with the rest of the staff there were able to bring everything together nicely. Elizabeth saw that grief counseling was provided if we desired it. I would definitely recommend them to anyone needing quality attention and care in their time of sorrow and need.”
“Kate Moriarty listened to the families needs and carried them out with compassion and professionalism. Made a very difficult time more manageable. The family thanks everyone at Southwick Forastiere .”
“My family had a wonderful experience with Forastiere Funeral Home after my father’s passing. Emily was very patient, professional and accommodating when it came to all of the arrangements and paperwork. Many, many thanks for making it less stressful and easier to navigate through the process while the entire family was overwhelmed with grief. Chris Tobia”
“Roger at Forestiere was beyond all my expectations. At a time of bereavement you need arrangements to be handled quickly, professionally, and kindly. He more than met all those attributes. Cannot say enough positive things about Roger and the team. My heartfelt thanks.”
“Forastiere Funeral Home helped make a very difficult time for our family much easier. Extremely professional staff and they knew exactly what to do. They are so easy to work with.”
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.