Stapleton-Barry-Holdredge Funeral Home, Cranston, RI

"The call of death is a call of love. Death can be sweet if we answer it in the affirmative, if we accept it as one of the great eternal forms of life and transformation."

- Hermann Hesse

About Us

The Stapleton-Barry-Holdredge Funeral Home is one of the oldest funeral homes in Rhode Island. Established by Charles Barber on February 5, 1891, initially the funeral home was run under the name Barber Funeral Home. Originally located in Providence, the business moved to Cranston in 1924 when Vern Holdredge, a nephew, joined the funeral home. In 1956, another partner was added to the business, Cornelius Barry. Upon the death of Mr. Barry in 1980, the business was taken over by his wife, Agnes Barry. Jim Stapleton’s arrival in 1985, gave Agnes Barry the opportunity to semi-retire from the business. Mr. Stapleton ran the firm with Mrs. Barry until her death in 2002 and he continues to run it now.

The Stapleton-Barry-Holdredge Funeral Home is an independently owned funeral home that is affiliated with the National Funeral Directors Association and the Rhode Island Funeral Directors Association. Mr. Stapleton is a past president of the state association and also a past delegate to the National's Leadership.

Mr. Stapleton has the distinction of CFSP (Certified Funeral Service Practitioner). He was instrumental in the writing and the passage of the prearrangement bill that became law in 1990. Mr. Stapleton has fought long and hard to protect the consumer’s interest. This is evident in his successful passage of a motion by the National Funeral Directors Association to study the overall protection of consumers throughout the United States in regards to prearrangements. The arrival of Mr. Stapleton to the business evolved the name of the business into the present day name of the Stapleton-Barry-Holdredge Funeral Home.

A full service funeral home, Stapleton-Barry-Holdredge, is staffed around the clock to respond to the needs of its clients. The licensed funeral directors available are James H. Stapleton and Raymond V. Stapleton.

Recognizing the unique ethnic diversity of the city of Cranston and its surrounding areas, the Stapleton-Barry-Holdredge-Funeral Home is sensitive to the religious, ethnic, and economic circumstances of the families it serves. Dedicated staff members maintain the highest level of respect for the dignity of the client families they serve, regardless of their social or economic situation. No family has ever been or will ever be refused service due to lack of resources. The utmost goal of the company is to respect the dignity of the community.

The Stapleton-Barry-Holdredge Funeral Home will experience many changes in the upcoming months. The next several months will see the two adjacent buildings of the home combine to create another large chapel area on the main floor. In addition another handicap bathroom will be created on the main floor. Currently Stapleton-Barry-Holdredge is accessible to the handicapped, and it was one of the first to do so. Additional entrances to accommodate our patrons will also be added to the building. Lastly, we will be adding a veterans memorial area to pay homage to the many men and women who so bravely defended our country.

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