About Us
Our Story
The J. Bradley McGonigle Funeral Home and Crematory Inc. began as the J.A. McGonigle Funeral Service in downtown New Castle in 1897. John A. McGonigle operated the funeral business until his untimely death due to typhoid fever in 1907 at the early age of 37.
In order to keep the family funeral business in operation, his widow, Bessie McGonigle (Pictured Below), made a decision at that time to pioneer the way and become the first licensed woman funeral director in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This was quite a challenge for a woman in the early 1900s, and her efforts were met with great prejudice and chauvinism in a time when women were not permitted to vote in a public election. Since her death, nine of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have become licensed funeral directors in Pennsylvania, the most recent, a great-grandson in 2015.
Our Mission
Service
Our family-owned and operated funeral homes were founded on the belief that every loved one and their family, who comes into our care, should be treated as if they were members of our own family. Even with a growing business, we are dedicated to ensuring this foundation remains intact; it is who we are and how we will remain.
From the moment a phone call is placed at either one of our funeral home locations, you will be in the care of McGonigle personnel. Our 24-hour, seven-day-a-week answering service is staffed solely by McGonigle employees, and they are readily available to assist and direct you in the appropriate manner.
Professionalism
Our family-owned and operated ambulance service operates in conjunction with our funeral homes. This is to ensure that a deceased loved one will be brought into the care of the funeral home from their place of death in a dignified and respectable manner.
Once at the funeral home, our experienced team of directors assists families in memorializing their loved one. We believe no funeral is celebrated the same way. Each service is designed, planned, and tailored according to the unique needs and preferences of each individual and their families.
Memorializing a loved one can be very difficult emotionally; however, it gives the living an opportunity to not only grieve a loved one but also celebrate a life well-lived. Our firm remains dedicated to providing families with the best possible resources and highest levels of professionalism available in planning an end-of-life service.
Quality
Our funeral homes are exceptionally well-maintained both indoors and out to provide our families with a modest, but elegant location equipped for both calling hours and an end-of-life service.
These locations are equipped with 50-inch HD televisions, providing a platform for memorial DVDs to be played throughout our buildings. Additionally, we have recently installed an overhead HD projector to incorporate into the celebration of life memorials.