By SANDY McGEE

WOONSOCKET — The Menard Funeral Home has officially changed ownership.
The 72-year-old funeral business, with properties in both Woonsocket and Manville, was formally sold on Thursday to Craig J. Lacouture, who says he plans to keep the business “family owned and operated for many, many years to come.”

Lacouture, 30, purchased the funeral business for an undisclosed amount from the Hathaway Family Funeral Homes, a fourth generation family owned and operated company with headquarters in Fall River, Mass. The ownership transaction took place over the past couple months, but final papers of the sale were not signed between both parties until Thursday.
“I have known the Hathaways for several years,” Lacouture said. “It was an opportunity that came up. I view this as a positive change.”
“We’re very pleased to have been able to put the Menard Funeral Home into local hands,” said Bill T. Hathaway of Hathaway Family Funeral Homes. “It’s an opportunity for the business to have good, strong, local leadership for many years to come. It’s a good thing for the community.”
The Menard Funeral Home has provided services to local families for more than half a century.
Alfred U. Menard began the funeral business on Spring Street in Manville in March 1935. He purchased the Manville location at 71 Central St. in the 1940s and the Woonsocket property, located at 127 Carrington Ave., in 1956.
Menard’s son, Alfred J. Menard, later took over the family business. Hathaway Family Funeral Homes purchased Menard Funeral Home in August 1999.
According to Lacouture, the business will continue to operate and provide funeral services under the “Menard Funeral Home” name at its two locations.
“The main role I see in my job as a funeral director is to serve the deceased with dignity and the living with compassion,” he said. “I care very much about helping someone when they’ve just lost a loved one.”
All pre-arranged funerals will continue to be honored according to their original contracts, said Lacouture.
“All pre-arrangements will be honored,” he said. “ I personally consider it a sacred trust when a family makes a pre-arrangement. We will do everything to make sure that trust is maintained.
“It’s something I take very seriously. I welcome any questions or comments from people.”
Pre-arranged funeral accounts are all securely held with a third party in either a trust account or insurance policy, said Lacouture.
Individuals with concerns or questions about current contracts or funeral arrangements are welcome to call Lacouture at the Menard Funeral Home at (401) 762-1825.
This is the first funeral home owned by Lacouture, who is licensed as a funeral director and embalmer in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
A native of Brockton, Mass., he began working in the funeral business at age 16. He served as an altar boy at Sacred Heart Church in Brockton, which led him to his first job as an apprentice in a funeral home located across the street - the Grenier Funeral Home. He served as an apprentice in funeral homes from 1994 to 2003.
Since then, Lacouture has worked as a funeral director in both Southeastern Massachusetts and Northern Rhode Island for the past several years. He has also worked for a certified public accounting firm in Boston.
He is a graduate of Stonehill College in Easton, Mass., where he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He is also a graduate of the Funeral Institute of the Northeast in Westwood, Mass.
Lacouture and his wife, Margaret, currently reside in Plainville, Mass., but plan to move soon into the property on Carrington Avenue.
Margaret will assist her husband in the daily operations of the business. She currently works as a research librarian for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center at the Navy base in Newport.
She is also a graduate of Stonehill College, where she received a bachelor’s degree in history, and a graduate of Simmons College in Boston, where she received a master’s degree in library science.
“One of our main ideas is that it (Menard Funeral Home) will be family owned and operated,” said Craig Lacouture. “Menard Funeral Home will remain family owned and operated for many, many years to come.”
He and his wife plan to contribute to many aspects of the community. “We are very committed to this community,” he said. “We look forward to serving the Woonsocket community for many years to come.”
They recently became parishioners at Precious Blood Church. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus and the American-French Genealogy Society in Woonsocket.
The new funeral home owner also has French-Canadian roots and speaks a little French, he said.
“I do enjoy the French-Canadian language and culture,” Lacouture said. “It’s a nice fit (with Woonsocket) with my name being Lacouture and my French-Canadian background.”