Lacerenza Macari Funeral Home at 100.

The world was a simpler place back in 1926 when Anthony Lacerenza purchased a funeral business to support his growing family. He would have no way of knowing the impact his small company, Lacerenza Funeral Home, would have on the growing community that was the Town of Stamford.

 Then, like now, as more and more immigrants arrived in Stamford, the population increased. Many sought out Anthony for help- in obtaining work permits, drivers licenses- even work. He tirelessly made introductions-even driving people to meetings to obtain help.

In the decades following Anthony’s passing in 1949, his son took up the mantle. Richard D. Lacerenza then set a standard for funeral care in the area from the 1950s to the current century that is still felt to this day.

Over the years, both Anthony and son Richard employed, apprenticed and trained many funeral directors, embalmers and future owners in the area whose sons and grandsons continue their own establishments in town.

Perhaps it is here where the “Lacerenza’s” name became synonymous with values, integrity and with Stamford- and why 100 years later it is celebrating its heritage in the city it still calls home.

“The Lacerenza family has made a tremendous, lasting impact on Stamford and the funeral industry in general,” states Tom Gallagher , a third-generation funeral director and owner of Thomas M. Gallagher Funeral Home. Tom is the son of Richard’s longtime friend, Leo P. Gallagher, Jr.. “When my family’s funeral home building had a fire in the early 1980s, it was Richard who made the first call to my dad. He said: “Leo, you’ll operate out of our funeral home until you rebuild.” He wouldn’t take no for an answer.

He hung out a sign for us on the front yard of his funeral home the next day.”

Today, Stamford is a bustling and diverse community of new immigrants from South and Central America, eastern Europe and Asia. Baby boomer and millennial relocatees are arriving from all around America. They are coming to Stamford seeking the opportunity to build a life.

Richard’s grandson and fourth generation family member, Jerry Macari, Jr, today operates what has become Lacerenza Macari Family Funeral Home. He and wife Amy are raising their four children in Stamford.

Lacerenza Macari’s business can truly be called a “family” business- not just in the staff and culture it has, but in the many, now thousands of Stamford families past and present who continue to look at them as family in their hour of greatest need.

Today’s Lacerenza Macari Family Funeral Home and all its family members are involved in the Stamford community. The firm sponsors bocce, youth baseball teams, local wine-making and gala events and a host of programs, and charitable organizations that serve the local community. The younger generation sees this community through the lens of its 2025 sensibilities. Yet,  still rooted in the values and standards of the past .

The Stamford operation is still based at its original location in the heart of Stamford, on Schuyler Avenue. Years ago, the family purchased additional parking lots and properties to expand the accessibility for its customers. Adapting to the changing needs of today’s funeral choices, the family created a direct cremation business- Cremations of Connecticut- to serve the increasing interest in simple and direct cremations. And in 2023, the family purchased the Miller Ward Funeral Home in Seymour to serve its customers in the valley region.

In an era of post-Covid regulations, with an evolution in traditional funeral practices, with families often separated by distance; a demand for memorials, streaming services, international returns to countries of origin, Lacerenza Macari Family Funeral Home is bringing time-honored values, compassion and support to a changing world.

To commemorate this 100^th anniversary, the company has commissioned a crystal paperweight etched with the anniversary years and logo. It’s a reminder to family and friends of the longevity of “Lacerenza’s”.

So, what does the future hold?

“We hope to continue to evolve with the industry and the needs of our community,” states Jerry Jr. “We have the great privilege of supporting families and individuals at the hardest times in their lives,” He adds. ”We live the renewal of our commitment to them every day.”