Ruggiero Funeral Home

The Ruggiero Funeral Home was founded in 1952 as the Freeman Funeral Home and named after its owner, Merritt K. Freeman. Mr. Freeman, a talented humorist and after-dinner speaker, as well as a funeral director, retired from ownership in 1989. His business and facility passed to the new owner, Maureen R. Ruggiero, in February of that year. With a desire to serve a family oriented community and a wish to grow professionally, Mrs. Ruggiero chose the Perkiomen Valley to start her business. "As the Perkiomen Valley grows, so does the Ruggiero Funeral Home."

Our Staff
Maureen Ruggiero
Funeral Director

Mrs. Ruggiero is a magna cum laude graduate of Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. She is also an honors graduate of Northampton County Area Community College with an Associate in Applied Science degree in funeral service. She served her internship with a large Philadelphia funeral home. Mrs. Ruggiero is a certified eye enucleator and a former instructor for the Lions Eye Bank of the Delaware Valley, having received their prestigious "Sight Seeker" Award in 1988. Her professional memberships include the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and National Funeral Directors Associations, serving in several leadership positions. Actively involved in the community, Mrs. Ruggiero is also a member of the Perkiomen Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Central Perkiomen Career Women, the Community Club of Collegeville, St. Eleanor's Women's Guild and Stewardship Committe, and Trappe Historical Society. She also has served for many years on the Zoning Hearing Board of the Borough of Trappe.

Francis D. Ruggiero
Manager

After serving for 28 years on the police force of the Borough of Conshohocken, Mr. Ruggiero now assists his wife in the operation of the funeral home. He is mainly involved in administrative and maintenance duties, but enjoys helping in all aspects of the business. He draws on his years of police experience in dealing with people in trouble when he interacts with our bereaved customers. He considers this interaction to be the most satisfying part of his role at Ruggiero Funeral Home.

Greta G. Longenecker
Funeral Director

Greta is a graduate of North Penn High School and Northampton County Area Community College School of Funeral Service. After serving her internship at her family’s funeral home in North Wales, she became a 2nd generation licensed funeral director there in 1981. She worked with her father and, eventually, took ownership of the funeral home which she just recently sold. Greta was an active member of the North Wales Community including 10 years as the secretary of the North Penn Fire Company. She is a member of St. Paul ’s Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill where she sings in the choir. Greta enjoys baking and is a nature lover who likes to walk and go kayaking. Greta’s experience and expertise allow her to help us in all aspects of the business and Ruggiero Funeral Home is fortunate to have her with us.

About Our Logo
The Ruggiero Funeral Home logo contains a capital R in script surrounded by an arch. The R identifies our family as the underpinning of all we do. The type of commitment we have to the well-being of our own family is the basis for our commitment to the families we serve. The arch is architecturally a source of strength and symbolizes the strength of our desire to provide the best service possible at such a difficult time in a family's life. This logo appears on the doors of our funeral home, in all our advertising, and on our stationery.

Facilities and Equipment
Ruggiero Funeral Home offers a spacious main chapel and additional seating in the adjacent family room . Our entire facility is handicapped accessible. We feature a beautiful domed entrance foyer. Our entrance has a serenity-inducing waterfall and fish pond. Those who care for solitude may relax in our comfortable indoor lounge. For those who are smokers, we provide a sheltered outdoor area. The funeral home is equipped with a piano and a modern sound system to lend individuality to every funeral service. Ample off-street parking is available in our 35+ space, well-lit parking lot. Late model automotive equipment, always meticulously maintained, is used for the transportation of both the deceased and family members.

Personalization of Funeral Services
At the Ruggiero Funeral Home, we serve families of all faiths and traditions. Services can range from a traditional funeral service, to a cremation with no attendant rites. We take seriously the mandate to serve the bereaved in a caring, thoughtful manner, while treating the deceased with the respect and dignity due all humanity.

In order to comply with the many requests for personalization, we strive to tailor each service to the needs and wants of every family. Some of the options that families have found meaningful include picture displays on our Memory Board, favorite readings and musical selections, specialized printing or engraving, and arranging for military honors for veterans . Ruggiero Funeral Home will fly the flag of the deceased veteran’s service branch in his honor for 24 hours on our 30 foot high illuminated flag pole. By careful conversation with the bereaved, we listen to learn their wishes for honoring the deceased and suggest practical means for carrying out those wishes.

Monuments, Flag Cases, Urns, Jewelry
After many request from families we have served, Ruggiero Funeral Home has begun to supply cemetery monuments and bronze markers. Maureen Ruggiero will help families make an appropriate selection from the many standard monuments we offer, to duplicate existing monuments or to help with the original design of custom monuments. Recently, we have begun to offer a full line of veterans' flag cases as well as cremation urns and keepsake jewelry.

SERVICE is the cornerstone of our business and the reason for its existence. We are committed to serve every family in a way that will help survivors better deal with their loss by honoring the deceased in the most appropriate and meaningful way possible. The cost of the funeral never affects the quality of our service.

Ruggiero Funeral Home
	The Ruggiero Funeral Home was founded in 1952 as the Freeman Funeral Home and named after its owner, Merritt K. Freeman. Mr. Freeman, a talented humorist and after-dinner speaker, as well as a funeral director, retired from ownership in 1989. His business and facility passed to the new owner, Maureen R. Ruggiero, in February of that year. With a desire to serve a family oriented community and a wish to grow professionally, Mrs. Ruggiero chose the Perkiomen Valley to start her business. "As the Perkiomen Valley grows, so does the Ruggiero Funeral Home." Our Staff Maureen Ruggiero Funeral Director Mrs. Ruggiero is a magna cum laude graduate of Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. She is also an honors graduate of Northampton County Area Community College with an Associate in Applied Science degree in funeral service. She served her internship with a large Philadelphia funeral home. Mrs. Ruggiero is a certified eye enucleator and a former instructor for the Lions Eye Bank of the Delaware Valley, having received their prestigious "Sight Seeker" Award in 1988. Her professional memberships include the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and National Funeral Directors Associations, serving in several leadership positions. Actively involved in the community, Mrs. Ruggiero is also a member of the Perkiomen Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Central Perkiomen Career Women, the Community Club of Collegeville, St. Eleanor's Women's Guild and Stewardship Committe, and Trappe Historical Society. She also has served for many years on the Zoning Hearing Board of the Borough of Trappe. Francis D. Ruggiero Manager After serving for 28 years on the police force of the Borough of Conshohocken, Mr. Ruggiero now assists his wife in the operation of the funeral home. He is mainly involved in administrative and maintenance duties, but enjoys helping in all aspects of the business. He draws on his years of police experience in dealing with people in trouble when he interacts with our bereaved customers. He considers this interaction to be the most satisfying part of his role at Ruggiero Funeral Home. Greta G. Longenecker Funeral Director Greta is a graduate of North Penn High School and Northampton County Area Community College School of Funeral Service. After serving her internship at her family’s funeral home in North Wales, she became a 2nd generation licensed funeral director there in 1981. She worked with her father and, eventually, took ownership of the funeral home which she just recently sold. Greta was an active member of the North Wales Community including 10 years as the secretary of the North Penn Fire Company. She is a member of St. Paul ’s Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill where she sings in the choir. Greta enjoys baking and is a nature lover who likes to walk and go kayaking. Greta’s experience and expertise allow her to help us in all aspects of the business and Ruggiero Funeral Home is fortunate to have her with us. About Our Logo The Ruggiero Funeral Home logo contains a capital R in script surrounded by an arch. The R identifies our family as the underpinning of all we do. The type of commitment we have to the well-being of our own family is the basis for our commitment to the families we serve. The arch is architecturally a source of strength and symbolizes the strength of our desire to provide the best service possible at such a difficult time in a family's life. This logo appears on the doors of our funeral home, in all our advertising, and on our stationery. Facilities and Equipment Ruggiero Funeral Home offers a spacious main chapel and additional seating in the adjacent family room . Our entire facility is handicapped accessible. We feature a beautiful domed entrance foyer. Our entrance has a serenity-inducing waterfall and fish pond. Those who care for solitude may relax in our comfortable indoor lounge. For those who are smokers, we provide a sheltered outdoor area. The funeral home is equipped with a piano and a modern sound system to lend individuality to every funeral service. Ample off-street parking is available in our 35+ space, well-lit parking lot. Late model automotive equipment, always meticulously maintained, is used for the transportation of both the deceased and family members. Personalization of Funeral Services At the Ruggiero Funeral Home, we serve families of all faiths and traditions. Services can range from a traditional funeral service, to a cremation with no attendant rites. We take seriously the mandate to serve the bereaved in a caring, thoughtful manner, while treating the deceased with the respect and dignity due all humanity. In order to comply with the many requests for personalization, we strive to tailor each service to the needs and wants of every family. Some of the options that families have found meaningful include picture displays on our Memory Board, favorite readings and musical selections, specialized printing or engraving, and arranging for military honors for veterans . Ruggiero Funeral Home will fly the flag of the deceased veteran’s service branch in his honor for 24 hours on our 30 foot high illuminated flag pole. By careful conversation with the bereaved, we listen to learn their wishes for honoring the deceased and suggest practical means for carrying out those wishes. Monuments, Flag Cases, Urns, Jewelry After many request from families we have served, Ruggiero Funeral Home has begun to supply cemetery monuments and bronze markers. Maureen Ruggiero will help families make an appropriate selection from the many standard monuments we offer, to duplicate existing monuments or to help with the original design of custom monuments. Recently, we have begun to offer a full line of veterans' flag cases as well as cremation urns and keepsake jewelry. SERVICE is the cornerstone of our business and the reason for its existence. We are committed to serve every family in a way that will help survivors better deal with their loss by honoring the deceased in the most appropriate and meaningful way possible. The cost of the funeral never affects the quality of our service.