Published on April 2, 2026
During normal times, Joe Ruggiero Jr. might hold 25 funerals a month; this April, however, that number has surged to 71. His family’s funeral home in East Boston is overwhelmed, with the tribute lounge and cafe—usually reserved for displaying portraits of the departed—now transformed into a makeshift storage space for caskets. A thin white sheet of plastic, held together , serves as the only barrier between the busy hallway and the somber cargo within.
The whiteboard in the office downstairs is a stark depiction of the current reality, overflowing with scheduled funerals. Three on Wednesday, four on Thursday, and five on Friday. The Ruggiero family—Joe Jr., his son Joe III, and his daughter Catie—work tirelessly to ensure every detail is meticulously managed, seeking to bring a measure of comfort to families engulfed in grief during these unprecedented times.
Navigating the complexities of the coronavirus pandemic poses numerous challenges. Funeral directors now confront difficult questions, such as what to bury someone in when their families cannot retrieve personal clothing from nursing homes, or how to explain to mourners the grim reality of restrictions limiting gatherings to just ten people. Perhaps the hardest of all is finding a way to console those in distress when the customary gesture of placing a comforting hand on a shoulder is off-limits.
Families filter into Ruggiero Family Memorial Home with the heavy burden of saying goodbye to loved ones, all while grappling with the absence of physical comfort. I witnessed the heart-wrenching realities over three days, capturing the solemn atmosphere at six funerals, each one resulting from a death caused -19. One woman shared how her 100-year-old mother would have continued to live were it not for the virus. Her wake and funeral were attended people, and the chapel echoed with silence as they sat in rows, spaced six feet apart.
At another service, a line of masked and gloved mourners waited outside to pay their respects to a 57-year-old father who succumbed to the virus. Many attendees resorted to streaming the service on their cellphones to include family members unable to attend due to restrictions. One relative poignantly expressed the urgency for others to recognize the seriousness of the situation, emphasizing the importance of staying indoors to protect themselves and their community.
As the Ruggiero family navigates this unprecedented surge in funerals, the emotional strain is palpable. They continue their vital work, offering dignity and compassion in the hardest of times, even as the pandemic casts an unrelenting shadow over their efforts.
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