User Interview: Branch Funeral Home Owner Talks Miller Place Expansion

This article was written by Eric Voorhis of MillerPlaceWeekly.com.

Interview conducted by Kevin Wood

Construction is moving along on a new funeral home that plans to open its doors this summer in Miller Place.

The Branch Funeral Home, which currently , is in the process of building a new branch, says John Vigliante whose family owns and operates the business.

“We feel that Miller Place is a vibrant, growing area,” Vigliante said in a recent interview. “We know a lot of family and friends who have moved from the Saint James, Smithtown area and now live in Miller Place.”

Vigliante is a fourth generation funeral director. His family started in the funeral business in Brooklyn in the early 1900s. Henry and Loretta, his parents, moved to Smithtown in 1974 and established The Branch Funeral Home.

As is often the case with funeral homes “it’s a real family owned business,” Vigliante said. His father and his brother Paul are co-owners of the new location.

The new building will be 10,000 square feet, split between two floors, with four chapels and a children’s playroom. There will be 70 parking spaces with overflow parking available.

“It was also designed with many energy-saving aspects in mind,” Vigliante said. “There are a lot of green features.”

It seems that even death has seen change in the digital age: The entire building will also be wired for internet broadcasting, a feature the family already uses in its Smithtown facility, allowing loved ones to attend a funeral remotely.

“For instance, we’ve had it where a wife passes away and a husband is very ill and can’t make it to the funeral,” Vigliante said. “Essentially, we Skype from the room. He’s able to watch in the hospital with a laptop and feel as though he’s a part of the service.” The feature has also been used for military personnel stationed overseas, Vigliante said.

Partly because the project required a variance it took several years to get required building permits, but things have been moving along steadily, according to Vigliante. The funeral home plans to open its doors at the end of July or beginning of August. Currently, there is one other funeral home operating in Miller Place. , owned by the Dignity Memorial network, is located just east of the new location. Vigliante said what sets his business apart is that it’s family owned.

“Basically my family members are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said. “We’re there to help people of all types -- people that may have a hard time paying for a funeral, we’ll try to help them out as best as we can to get them through the process.”

Vigliante said he plans to hire locals to staff the funeral home and has already had several inquiries. “It’s likely that we’ll start the hiring process in the beginning of July,” he added.

For more information on the funeral home visit www.branchfh.com.