In 1876, Patrick O’Halloran opened a church goods store and funeral parlor in a storefront near Sixth Street and Wabasha in downtown St. Paul. He soon moved to a second location nearby on Sixth Street. In 1927, a much larger and freestanding funeral home was built on the corner of Sixth and Main - the site of the original Cretin High School. The facility serviced the community until 1978.
The present O’Halloran & Murphy Snelling Avenue Chapel was built in 1961. The Roseville Memorial Chapel was established in 1968, and O'Halloran & Murphy Woodbury was added in 2013. We built these facilities in response to the needs of the growing neighborhoods and to further provide the communities with a complete range of quality local services and sources.
Our mission has always been to create a true community-based funeral home: welcoming people of all denominations, nationalities, races, and financial means.
We continue that mission by maintaining the largest and most experienced staff serving the St. Paul, Roseville, and Woodbury areas. Our knowledge and resources allow us to go well beyond just the basics of funeral care to providing an unparalleled spectrum of services and maintaining persistent attention to detail.
Like close friends, O’Halloran & Murphy’s funeral care professionals are there when you need them most: listening, consulting and understanding, sensitive to every need. We provide sincere quality funeral care. It’s more than a way of doing business. It’s our tradition.
Community Room
Roseville Memorial Chapel is pleased to offer a Community Room for our families; this room is available for funeral lunches and seats up to 75.
Selected Independent Funeral Homes
We are proud to be members by invitation into Selected Independent Funeral Homes, a professional organization of over 1,600 independently-owned funeral homes worldwide. Members operate under the strictest standards and best practices in order to provide confidence and trust to the families they serve. For more information, https://www.selectedfuneralhomes.org/Consumers/Reasons-to-Choose-a-Selected-Funeral-Home
We are a proud supporter of Children's Grief Connection of Minnesota. For more information on children's grief and other grief support, please visit http://www.childrensgriefconnection.com
Childrens Grief Connection - Minnesota
72351 Pine River Road, Willow River, MN 55795
Phone: 877.226.7632
E-mail: info@childrensgriefconnection.com
Contact bwalsh@ohalloranmurphy.com.
We are dedicated to provide funeral related information to the public and what better way than to answer your questions directly. We will answer a submitted questions and have it available for all to read. Please email mohalloran@ohalloranmurphy.com with your question.
ASK A FUNERAL DIRECTOR
1. The feelings of grief are not getting any better, what can I do?
Everyday is very difficult.What you can do:
Take one moment, one hour, one day at a time.
Try to maintain a normal routine.
Get enough sleep or at least enough rest.
Exercise regularly to relieve stress and tension.
Eat a balanced diet.
Drink plenty of water.
If possible, postpone making major decisions, like selling your home or changing jobs, until after the first year of grieving.
Find creative outlets to express your feelings, such as a journal, art, photography, needlework, or scrap booking.
Write a letter to your loved one telling him or her how you feel. Honor the memory of your loved one by engaging in an activity or project he or she held dear. Start a new family tradition in your loved one's memory.
Think about other times you have experienced loss and the coping skills used to survive that loss. Allow yourself to feel all feelings-sadness, anger, guilt, helplessness, pain. Cry as much as you want to.
Tears help release pain and tension. Forgive yourself for real and imagined transgressions or missed opportunities.
Be patient with your grief.
Don't let others hurry you through your grief or tell you how you should feel.
Attend a support group or talk to others who have lost a loved one. Seek out your most trusted friends or family for support when you need it.
Choose to spend time with those who comfort, sustain, and recharge you.
Accept assistance from close friends, don't go it alone. Take a break from grief and do something fun.
Try to keep your sense of humor. See a movie, read a book, listen to music, create artwork.
Above all, TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
To contact us with further questions, email mohalloran@ohalloranmurphy.com,
or call us for assistance at
651-698-0796 ( St. Paul Location),
651-702-0301 (Woodbury Location),
651-631-2727 (Roseville Location).
Following the death of a spouse, child, family member or friend, survivors face a number of challenges — some of them emotional, others practical — that must be dealt with in order to move on with their lives. Handling an estate is one of those challenges. The following information should help you identify and understand options and general procedures you should consider when organizing your affairs and making personal changes after the loss.
Collecting Benefits
Life Insurance
First, locate all known life insurance policies and then contact the deceased’s former employer to determine if survivors’ benefits from a group insurance plan also are available. In addition this is a good time for a surviving spouse to review any life insurance policies currently in force and update/correct them as necessary.
Social Security or Canada Pension Plan
If eligible, benefits may be available for survivors.
Call or stop by a local Social Security Administration office or visit http://www.ssa.gov/ for full details
Canada Pension Plan: Applications should be made to the local Human Resources Development Canada - Income Security Program office (http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/)
Veterans Benefits
If the deceased was a discharged veteran, your funeral director probably helped file for funeral expense benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (http://www.vba.va.gov/) or Canadian Department of Veterans Affairs (http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/). Other sources in Canada include the Department of National Defense and the Last Post Fund.
Pensions & Retirement Accounts
You may be eligible for a monthly or lump-sum benefit from a pension or retirement account in which your spouse was vested (guaranteed payment). Contact the former employer or a Civil Service Commission office and also check with unions and/or other professional and fraternal organizations to determine if benefits exist.
Organizing Your Affairs
Bank and Savings & Loan Accounts
Jointly owned bank and savings & loan accounts usually transfer directly to a surviving spouse. When there is no surviving spouse, or when an estate’s probate value is substantial, some institutions may freeze accounts or holdings until the proper inheritors are identified and claim them.
Business Assets
If specific instructions for distribution of business assets were not included in the deceased’s will, survivors should carefully review all options. Do not feel pressured to “sell out” without legal and/or financial advice.
Charge Accounts
To cancel or modify a charge account, all credit cards in the deceased’s name should be returned to the institution or company which issued them, along with a memo noting the death.
Health Insurance
If the deceased participated in a group medical plan, check with the employer to determine if part or all of the benefits may be converted to family members and what the cost would be.
Home Mortgages & Outstanding Loans
Contact institutions holding home mortgages or other outstanding loans to complete necessary actions.
Medicare & Medicaid
Medicare and Medicaid are the U.S. Social Security Administration’s hospital and medical insurance programs. Survivors should contact their insurance agent for an evaluation of insurance options.
Trust Funds
Trust funds are most often arranged with a bank officer and attorney, who should be contacted about the administration of such funds.
Motor Vehicles
Most states and provinces have procedures for transferring the title and registration of a vehicle. Upon receiving a vehicle, an inheritor assumes financial responsibility for any loans, taxes and insurance.
Pre-Arranging Your Funeral Service
Many people pre-plan their funerals in a sincere effort to help their families. Pre-arranging lets you select the type of service you want and be assured that adequate funds are available when needed. Contact us for an appointment to discuss the process.
Safety Deposit Boxes
Upon notification of a death, most banks automatically “seal” a safety deposit box so its contents can be evaluated for tax purposes. Check to find out the procedure for claiming items.
Wills (updating or writing)
To preserve the estate and direct its future distribution, a surviving spouse should have a will or modify an existing one in consultation with an attorney.
Settling An Estate
Wills, Letters of Instruction & Estate Records
If a will, letter of instruction or estate record was prepared, finding necessary documents will be fairly easy. If none of these exist, start reviewing the person’s checkbook, cancelled checks or related records for leads to mortgages, loans, charge accounts, and other assets/debts which need to be closed or transferred. Also look for records of regular special income, such as rents. Checking the deceased’s mail for the next year is recommended so no assets or liabilities are overlooked.
Probate
Probate determines the validity of a will, provides protection for children, ensures payment to legitimate creditors and distributes remaining assets to rightful heirs. Generally, assets that are not jointly owned are subject to probate, including real estate, checking and savings accounts, securities, safety deposit box contents, and business holdings and related assets. Because probate proceedings can be lengthy and detailed, the advice and services of an attorney are recommended.
Taxes
(Federal Estate, Inheritance & Final Personal Income)
Since tax codes change, the services of an attorney and/or accountant are recommended for handling federal estate and inheritance tax issues. If the deceased was employed or received any taxable income, final personal income tax returns must be filed on or before April 15th of the following year. At that time, the surviving spouse’s filing status also should be changed.
We hope the information provided has been helpful. We are committed to assisting you with all your cremation and funeral service questions and needs. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for a complete brochure or more detailed information on this or other topics.