About Us
About Us
For nearly 100 years, Holmes-Watkins Funeral Home has been caring for families in the greater Manchester, CT community, and it was this dedication to service that first attracted current owners, Glenn & Tiffany Blumenstein. Blumenstein Funeral Providers has a simple mission – to continue the heritage and traditions of the funeral homes in their care, and to deepen their ties to the communities they serve.
And it’s this commitment to service that motivates each and every member of our team. Our goal is to make this process as easy for you as is possible, so you can focus on paying tribute to your loved one.
With a long history of helping families in their time of need, the staff at Holmes-Watkins Funeral Home are always available for assistance and guidance before a death has occurred, at the time of your loved ones’ passing, and during the days, weeks, and months following a loss. We encourage you to call us with any questions or situations which with you feel we may be able to help.
We’re here to serve you.
Our Staff
Led by Glenn & Tiffany Blumenstein, the family at Holmes Watkins Funeral Home is here to care for you, 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. Our staff is chosen not just for their ability and their skills, but for their dedication and drive to care for our neighbors in their time of need.
Glenn Blumenstein
Co-Owner and CEO
When Glenn started out in the retail business, he quickly realized that not only did he have an almost instinctual understanding of what “customer service” meant to the entire organization, but that he also had a keen sense for operations, and how an entire organization contributed to the full customer experience. While researching a possible entry into rabbinical school, Glenn happened upon the NFDA (National Funeral Directors Association), and it changed the course of his life. He knew instantly that he could take his passion for the customer experience and his strong desire to ease people’s grief and suffering…and help lead a revolution in the funeral business. With almost twenty years of experience in bereavement industry, Glenn & his partner (and wife) Tiffany, are ready to help people plan tributes for their loved ones that are based on what they see as the ideal memorial, not one that’s based on predefined processes that have been around for decades.
Tiffany Blumenstein
Chief Financial Officer
Tiffany spent her early career with the U.S. Military, working in civil affairs as a primary liaison between the U.S. and localities across Europe and the Middle East. Working with local governments on rebuilding and redeveloping infrastructure for war-torn areas in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq, Tiffany honed her skills in operations, logistics and civil engineering. She brought those skills with her when she entered the corporate world and was able to bring the unique experiences from her military career into the commercial sector. After meeting Glenn and learning of his passion for the funeral industry, she realized quickly that they both shared a common vision for easing people’s grief. And unlike many in the industry, she doesn’t look backwards to what has been done, she’s looking forward, toward the future and to what is possible. “Dedicated service seems to be lost with many larger corporations that are slow to change…I know we can do it better!”
Amber Ditomasso
Preneed Funeral Director, All Locations
Amber has a diverse professional background in the funeral industry. She is a licensed funeral director as well as a licensed life insurance producer. In addition, Amber is a certified Preplanning Consultant through the NFDA. Amber is actively involved with funeral planning seminars and health fairs seeking to raise awareness of the importance of pre-planning. Additional important aspects of Amber's professional career revolve around collaborating with funeral homes, attorneys, conservators, and elder care facility directors to facilitate asset protection, commonly for Title 19 qualification. Amber lives in Sturbridge, MA with her husband and two daughters. In her down time, she enjoys hiking and traveling.
Shaymarie Lombardo
Funeral Assistant
A relative newcomer to the bereavement industry, Shaymarie
has started her journey to become a fully licensed funeral director. After spending 13 years as a stylist, she
realized how much she loved helping others, and we couldn’t be happier to have
her here. One of her favorite things on
the job, is learning about families’ unique ways of memorializing their loved
ones, and how different religions and cultures deal with the loss of a loved
one.
Steve St. John
Funeral Assitant
Steve has always wanted to have a career that was
meaningful, and oriented towards helping other people. So it was a natural choice when he joined
Holmes-Watkins Funeral Home nearly 2 years ago.
When asked what he loves most about the work he does, he doesn’t
hesitate to answer, “I’m part of such a wonderfully caring and supportive team,
and I get to spend my days helping others when they need it most…what could be
better?”
Holly Bennett
Funeral Assitant
Holly spent most of her career in the healthcare industry –
from skilled nursing facilities, to emergency medical service (EMS), until her
passion turned to end-of-life care.
Catering to each family’s cultural and religious beliefs is what she
loves the most. Knowing that she played a small part in creating a memory that
will last, is what drives her passion.
When not working, Holly makes her own memories with her children
Chandler, Quintin, Kolby and Xavier.
Karen Harper
Corporate Administrator
Karen joined the staff after 24+ years working for a
Substance Abuse/Halfway House that worked with residents from the Department of
Corrections. She is a Connecticut native, who proudly served in the US Air Force
from 1978-1983. Karen’s conscientious
manner and passion for helping others in need, provides the foundation for our
seamless day-to-day operation. When she is not working, Karen enjoys traveling
and spending time with her family.