Transition of Trust

To Our Entrusted Community,

We hope that this finds you well in the New Year.

Myself and my brother, Joe and Jim Cusick, are announcing our retirement and transitioning our family legacy to a new owners, Lauren Bowser and Helen Delpopolo.

Our family has served the community since 1950 and the decision to step away was not taken lightly. After the pandemic brought an unprecedented time on all of us, we took the time to find a funeral director that would do more than just buy our business. It was important to us to find the right candidate who would continue to serve the community and hold a dedication to the sanctity of our profession.

We decided to entrust a Somerville native, who has been in the industry for over fifteen years, Lauren Bowser.

Lauren is a graduate of Somerville High School, Class of 2004. She graduated from the Funeral Service Program at Mercer County Community College and was licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Mortuary Science in 2009. After serving her apprenticeship at Branchburg Funeral Home, Lauren began her career with O’Brien Funeral Home, spending five years' operating the Brick location. She was then recruited by the McCriskin-Gustafson Home for Funerals after the acquisition of Piscataway, Middlesex, & South Plainfield Funeral Homes. This gave her the experience to refine her skillset as a director. In 2018 Lauren took over the operation of a funeral trade company, now State Mortuary Service, and does decedent preparation for several prestigious firms in New Jersey. She is a member of the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association, and the National Funeral Directors Association, where she has attended continuing education seminars nationally for over a decade including leadership conferences.

Lauren has dedicated her life to this profession, and we are confident in her ability to continue with our family legacy.

Helen Delpopolo is a Westfield native who has had a lifelong athletic career as an All-American Wrestler, a competitor in the 2008 Olympic Trials in Judo, and placed fifth in the world at the Sumo World Championships. After spending a decade as the owner/operator of All Service Irrigation, Helen met Lauren and saw the valuable role funeral service played in helping people through the worst time in life. She has worked in many prestigious funeral homes throughout New Jersey. Eventually joining State Mortuary Service to help operate the company through an unprecedented time in our field. This commitment to providing dignified care allowed Helen to commit to help operate Cusick Funeral Home as company president. Being the dedicated owner/operator, she was when she started her first company.

We are currently updating the facility and look forward to serving the community with a modern traditional feel.

We are open and always operational during this time.

Where my brother and I are in our careers and where Lauren is in hers, has allowed us to facilitate this transition of trust. We hope you find the same confidence in her as a member of our funeral service family.

We are here to help Lauren and the community transition over the next few years to continue the legacy our family started generations ago.

Thank you for entrusting us for years, and we hope you continue to trust the Cusick family name for generations to come.

Joe and Jim Cusick & Family

Lauren J. Bowser, Manager, NJ Lic. No 4816
Joseph R. Cusick, NJ Lic No.3230
James W. Cusick, Director, NJ Lic No. 3227
Helen P. Delpopolo, President*