As Milestone Funeral Partners reflects on its explosive growth and success in 2025, it issued the following statement:
As we reflect on how far we have come since Milestone Funeral Partners was founded, 2025 stands out as a year of incredible growth. Growth for both our team and for the growing number of communities we are able to serve. We are so grateful for our team members and for each of our new partnerships. This last year has brought continued thoughtful growth in building a strong foundation through opportunities that truly make sense for our existing footprint and create a solid network of partner firms. We’re excited to sustain our momentum in 2026. Our team members are so important to our success, and we are proud of the work our funeral home, crematory, and cemetery teams do every day to serve their communities.
We began the year on a high note, welcoming Christopher Sasso to the Milestone team, who would serve as our chief development officer. With an extensive background in business development, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate strategy, Chris brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our growing organization. Chris began his career in 1994 as director of business development with a large funeral corporation, overseeing acquisitions across the Northeast and later in the U.K., ultimately leading M&A initiatives in 12 European countries. Returning to the U.S. in 2001, he served as regional president for the Northeast business unit and later as assistant vice president of corporate alliances in Houston, managing both domestic and international operations. A graduate of Le Moyne College (Accounting) and Pace University (Juris Doctor), Chris is admitted to the bar in both New York and Connecticut and continues to be a tremendous asset to the growth and success of Milestone.
As our company continues to grow, we have also expanded our team to ensure our people and culture grow alongside it. This includes the addition of Lindsey Lopes, director of human resources. Lindsey brings over a decade of experience driving organizational success across a diverse range of industries, including nonprofit, software, healthcare, and biotech. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to fostering empathetic, inclusive, high-performance work environments, aligning talent strategies with organizational goals, and enhancing employee engagement—values that align seamlessly with Milestone’s core mission and culture.
Being deeply committed to a culture of growth and opportunity, Milestone prioritizes internal promotion whenever possible to recognize talent, experience, and dedication from within our organization. This commitment is reflected in the recent promotions of funeral directors, Vincent G. Iocovozzi to director of integrations, Dakota T. Mullen to integration specialist and Allerlaroo Bessett to training specialist. Each brings firsthand industry knowledge and a strong understanding of Milestone’s values, allowing them to meaningfully enhance and streamline our integration and training processes. Their leadership and insight have significantly strengthened our ability to support newly partnered firms while reinforcing a culture that values professional development, continuity, and long-term success.
Continuing to grow our team, we welcomed Joey Plunkett in September as director of M&A. Joey supports Chris Sasso and the broader Milestone team, bringing a strong foundation in finance and strategic growth. He is a graduate of Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, where he earned degrees in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Corporate Innovation.
In June, Milestone partnered with the Donovan Funeral Home of Goshen, proudly marking Milestone’s 20th rooftop within the State of New York. Founded in 1889, Donovan Funeral Home carries a remarkable legacy that began as a carriage, wagon, cart, and undertaking business. With a tradition of care to the Goshen community that dates back more than 135 years, their firm is situated within a stunning Victorian building dating back to the turn of the century — a true landmark of compassion and community history.
Milestone also partnered with the McInerny Funeral Home of Elmira, New York in July. Their firm has a long and respected history that reaches back to the late 19th century, making it one of the area’s oldest continuously operated funeral homes.
August brought three additional Milestone partnerships, spanning across the Northeast. We began the month by welcoming the team at Hooker & Whitcomb Funeral Home. Serving the Barre, Vermont community since 1908, the Whitcomb and Hooker names have been synonymous with compassion, care, and tradition. In their early days, during the 1930’s, their firm served as Barre’s first dedicated funeral facility, marking a shift from home-based services to modern funeral homes. They even pioneered motorized hearses and today, are located at their Academy Street location, where their legacy of service spans generations.
The James D. Barrett Funeral Home of Elmira, New York also joined the team in August. Their firm has served generations of Elmira-area families, adapting to changes in funeral customs, religious and cultural preferences, and advancements in funeral service, while remaining grounded in its founding principles. Its reputation grew through word-of-mouth, community trust, and consistent care.
We also welcomed the team at Avery-Storti Funeral Home and Rhode Island Cremation Care of Wakefield, Rhode Island to the Milestone Family. For more than 160 years, Avery-Storti has been a trusted name in South County. First opened in 1863 as the Slocum Funeral Home during the era of horse-drawn hearses, the firm has grown through the dedication of the Ineson, Avery, Webster, and now Storti families. Today, the Avery-Storti team continues a long tradition of providing personal, compassionate, and professional service to their community.
Also in September, Milestone Funeral Partners proudly welcomed four additional funeral firms to the Milestone family. This included the Lombardo Funeral Homes serving the Greater Buffalo, New York area with three locations in Amherst, Orchard Park, and Snyder. With Joe Lombardo returning to the helm as Managing Partner, these iconic firms enter their next chapter rooted in true partnership. As CEO Mike Martel shared, “Milestone is eager to help build on Lombardo’s strong legacy while continuing to grow our presence in Western New York, both organically and through future acquisitions.”
In addition, we were honored to welcome Sansone Funeral Home of Bristol, Rhode Island, a trusted presence in the Bristol community. Their deep commitment to service and family values makes them a meaningful addition to our growing family.
In October, Milestone Funeral Partners proudly launched what would be the first of many scholarship opportunities to support the next generation of funeral service professionals. The Milestone Future of Funeral Service Scholarship, presented in collaboration with FINE Mortuary College, awards $2,000 to one deserving student. This initiative reflects Milestone’s commitment to investing in the future of our profession, empowering students who are shaping the next chapter of funeral service with both recognition and meaningful financial support. We are truly honored to play a part in nurturing the leaders of tomorrow.
In November, Cheshire Family Funeral Home and Crematory in New Hampshire welcomed a brand-new retort, representing the next step in Milestone’s ongoing commitment to providing families with dignified, state-of-the-art cremation services. We take pride in investing in our partner locations, ensuring they have the latest technology and resources to serve their communities with care, respect, and excellence.
Also in November, Milestone proudly welcomed Dolby, Blais & Segee Funeral Homes, along with A.T. Hutchins and Maine Cremation Care, officially launching our funeral home network in Maine. This new partnership includes five locations across southern Maine: A.T. Hutchins Funeral Home and Maine Cremation Care in Portland, and Dolby, Blais & Segee in Westbrook, Gorham, and Windham. Known as one of Maine’s most respected and trusted providers of funeral and cremation care, these firms serve more families than nearly any other provider in the region. We are honored to support their continued legacy of compassion and service.
We finished the year strong in December by welcoming six outstanding new partnerships to the Milestone family. In central Connecticut, we added Bergin Funeral Home of Waterbury, Lyons Funeral Home of Thomaston, Woodtick Memorial Funeral Home of Wolcott, and Redgate-Hennessey Funeral Directors of Trumbull. With rich histories, some dating back as far as 1873, these firms have long been trusted pillars in their communities, and we are excited to broaden our ability to serve families across the State of Connecticut.
In addition, we welcomed Brookside Funeral Home of Plaistow, New Hampshire, serving families throughout Southern New Hampshire and the Greater Haverhill, Massachusetts area.
Also joining the team is the Guare & Sons Funeral Home of Montpelier, Vermont, a trusted presence in Central Vermont since 1919. Together, these additions continue to build the momentum of our growth and expand our ability to provide compassionate, meaningful care to families in even more communities across the Northeast.
In 2025, our team focused on enhancing both our operational efficiency and our partnerships. We successfully updated key procedures, including converting our websites to the Tukios platform to improve family engagement and ease of navigation, and completing a system-wide transition to Passare to streamline case management and internal workflows. At the same time, we strengthened relationships within the industry, expanding our collaboration with Mainely Urns to offer families an even wider selection of high-quality, completely customizable memorial products. These updates and partnerships demonstrate our ongoing commitment to serving families with excellence while fostering stronger connections across the funeral service community.
Milestone celebrated a year of record-breaking Preneed growth under the exceptional leadership of Julie Williams. Her vision and dedication have not only driven unprecedented results but also strengthened our ability to serve families with thoughtful planning and care. This success was made even more meaningful through our deeply supportive partnership with Homesteaders Life Company, whose collaboration and commitment to our shared goals have allowed us to expand our Preneed offerings and provide families with greater security and peace of mind for the future.
As we ring in the new year, we reflect with pride on the remarkable accomplishments of our team throughout 2025. From expanding our family of funeral homes across the Northeast, to investing in state-of-the-art facilities, and supporting the next generation of funeral service professionals, this year has been a testament to our commitment to compassionate care, innovation, and partnership. We look forward to the opportunities that await in 2026 and remain dedicated to serving families with excellence, respect, and heart in every community we touch.
Follow FuneralVision.com on LinkedIn.
Follow FuneralVision.com on X.
Follow FuneralVision.com on Facebook.
