In early 1955, the Quirin mansion came up for sale on the corner of Coolidge Avenue and Bremer Street. This Victorian style residence with its 18 rooms, turret and large porch stood as a west side landmark for decades. Arthur Phaneuf, realizing the building would make a perfect funeral home, purchased it from the Quirin family. He added an additional 2,000 square feet of space and the building was quickly converted to Manchester's largest funeral home. With a garage stall for six vehicles, an elevator and a selection room displaying over 30 caskets, this facility was state-of-the art for funeral homes in the 1950s. Of the four floors, two were used as the funeral home and two were used by the family as their living quarters. That same year Arthur's son, John, joined the firm and the name changed to Phaneuf and Son Funeral Home.

Phaneuf Funeral Home Setting New Trends in the Celebration of Life

MANCHESTER, NH - Arthur O. "Buddy" Phaneuf, President of Phaneuf Funeral Homes & Crematorium, is pleased to announce that his historic funeral home on Coolidge Avenue in Manchester now offers a variety of modern amenities to help reduce stress while planning and carrying out funeral services for a loved one. This one-stop-shop funeral home includes a projection screen for video tributes, chapel, large cafe'-style gathering space and valet parking. The location is also home to a Victorian Era replica horse drawn hearse. This unique option is suitable for services for dignitaries, service men and women, and others who may wish to add a special touch to a family procession.

For 105 years, family-owned Phaneuf Funeral Homes have been dedicated to serving the public with compassion, professionalism and fairness. Today, Buddy Phaneuf, feels "In a time when many people are eliminating services and ceremonies, we realize there is a need for families selecting either traditional or cremation services that would like all the amenities."

The Coolidge Avenue property is one of the few remaining neighborhood funeral homes in the area. Once the residence of Eugene Quirin, one of the most prominent members of the Franco-American community, the home can be found on the NH State Registry of Historic Places. The 18-room Victorian era residence recently underwent extensive renovations to repair areas of the home that were damaged in a flood, providing the opportunity to restore many of the beautiful, original attributes of the historic home. Although experiencing damage from the flood, the historical aspects of the beautiful property were kept intact, including a turret and large porch.

Phaneuf Funeral Homes and Crematorium have been serving the public since 1906 and is one of the oldest continuously family-owned funeral homes in New Hampshire. The Funeral Home offers four full-service funeral homes - two in Manchester, one in Boscawen and one in Littleton - plus two crematories, three non-denominational chapels, and a cremation society. Phaneuf is a Better Business Bureau Torch Award recipient and has also been named Friendliest Funeral Home in NH Magazine's Best Of NH issue. For more information, visit www.phaneuf.net or call 625-5777.

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