Bill Boglioli: Family, Community, Dedication

By: Community Magazine | August 24, 2023 |  |  Colts Neck , Fair Haven , Holmdel , Lincroft , Little Silver , Locust , Red Bank , Rumson , Sea Bright

STORY BY: Brian O’Malley

Two of Central Jersey’s most cherished institutions, the Woolley-Boglioli and Holmdel Funeral Homes have been caring for Monmouth County families for generations.

Originally founded by the Sexton family in 1882, the Long Branch location took on the Woolley name in the 1920s, when Willis A. Woolley joined the business. Woolley would later become the owner of the funeral home and continued to build its practice and reputation.

Christine and Anthony Cozzetta founded the Holmdel Funeral Home in 1981 and continued to operate the business until 2015. The Cozzettas were driven by a desire to serve their neighbors and their community.

Bill Boglioli, who now owns and manages both funeral homes alongside his wife Denise, is a man who is well-respected by his neighbors and peers. Boglioli grew up in Long Branch and had his first experiences in the industry as a child while visiting the funeral home of a family friend in Warren County. “My grandfather had the largest impact on me,” Boglioli says, “he lived in a town named Blairstown, and he had a friend who owned the funeral home in town and would take me there in the mornings when I was young.” Later, Bill went on to work at the Woolley Funeral Home while he was a student at Long Branch High School, and the staff there hosted his grandfather’s funeral in 1977. Bill says that the excellent care that the Woolley staff provided to his grandfather and his family confirmed for him that his vocation would be to work in the funeral business. “Bruce Woolley was very kind, and it cemented my mind this is what I wanted to do.” In 1982, Bill graduated from the American Academy McAllister Institute of Mortuary Science in New York City, and has been a funeral director ever since.

Woolley-Boglioli and Holmdel Funeral Homes have been a family business since Bill and Denise became the owners and operators. Boglioli’s wife Denise (nee Jackson), was the niece of the funeral home’s owners Bruce and Irene Woolley. When Irene decided to sell the business in 2011, Bill and Denise made the decision to purchase the funeral home.

“Denise had worked at her aunt’s funeral home in high school and college doing bookkeeping and always continued to work in the office,” Bill says, “when we bought Woolley Funeral Home, she took a job at Ronald McDonald House during the day and worked at the funeral home at night and [later] when we bought Holmdel she decided she needed to be full time at the funeral homes to manage the offices.”

The practice now includes the next generation, with son Scott Boglioli joining the team as a licensed funeral director. “Scott does an amazing job,” Bill proudly shares, “he had always wanted to work at the funeral home and there was no changing his mind. As soon as he graduated college he came to work right away.”

Today, the two funeral homes employ five licensed funeral directors who work alongside a dedicated team of office managers and part time staff members. The staff continue a legacy of outstanding service to Monmouth County residents and a commitment to the surrounding community. “I believe we provide a comforting service and environment to care for families when they have a loss,” Boglioli note, adding, “we also are supportive of both areas with our support of any cause… we believe strongly in supporting everyone.”
 

Planning for the End of Life

As one of the doyens of funeral care in Monmouth County, Bill Boglioli is in a unique position to advise clients on planning ahead for the end of their lives. One of the ways to simplify what can otherwise be a difficult time is by pre-planning and arranging many aspects of a funeral in advance.

“We absolutely encourage that families make pre-arrangements,” Boglioli says, “Melanie Siano is our dedicated Preneed Counselor and works with many families each year helping them plan their own life celebration.”

Woolley-Boglioli and Holmdel Funeral Homes also offer regular informational sessions to educate people about the options they have when pre-planning their funerals or life celebrations. Bill notes, “we hold a lunch-and-learn every month at a local restaurant which is educational meeting for consumers to learn about pre-arranging funerals”.

Planning ahead and making arrangements prior to death allow a family to focus on bereavement when that time inevitably comes. Pre-need funerals also relieve one’s family of the burden of determining how they would like to be memorialized, as the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association puts it, “communicating your wishes in advance relieves your family from having to make difficult decisions at an emotional time.”

Celebrating Your Life, Your Way

People have a multitude of options these days when it comes to funeral care. Traditional choices like viewings, religious ceremonies, burial, entombment, or cremation, have been joined by alternatives like green burials or donation for medical research.

Here in Monmouth County, the trend has stayed more traditional, according to Bill Bogioli. As he observes, “we are seeing cremation increasing; however families are still favoring a traditional wake, then a funeral mass, followed by cremation.”

Nevertheless, Boglioli’s team is committed to working with a family to tailor each funeral or celebration of life to their loved one’s wishes. They also offer some unique optional services to ensure that a client’s send-off retains a personal touch. “We celebrate the person’s life along with their family relationships,” Bill says, “we do this through the family’s photographs as well as beloved personal items (for example: cooking items, sporting good items, hats, etc.) We can provide the family with a beautiful blanket, collages or banners, a giveaway for all your guests and a beautiful photographic register book.”

They also help connect families with military services, floral providers, and places to host a post ceremony repast reception. 
 

PHOTO: Senator Gopal, Congressman Pallone, and Mayor Pallone with Bill and Denise honoring renovations
 

A Lifetime in Monmouth

Though born in Sussex County, Bill Boglioli was raised in Long Branch from an early age. When asked what he loves about living in this area, Boglioli says, “Monmouth County has everything you need. You have the beach, beautiful rural areas, great open space thanks to the County government being progressive thinking over the years.” He also notes that Monmouth County provide its residents with easy access to all parts of New Jersey, New York City, and Philadelphia.

Bill has also given back to the Monmouth community as through public service. He served for 12 years on the West Long Branch Borough Council, and has been an active volunteer with the Rotary Club, the United Way, the Kiwanis Club, the Visiting Nurses Association, and St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church.

Monmouth residents are certainly happy to have Bill, Denise, and their staff working in the area. The warm professionalism, congenial personalities, and generous spirit of the team at Woolley-Boglioli and Holmdel Funerals Homes make us hopeful that they will be serving the families of this area for generations to come.

For more information about Woolley-Boglioli and Holmdel Funeral Homes, their services, and their pre-planning lunch-and-learn sessions, you can visit:  holmdelfuneralhome.com or call (732) 946-3322 [Holmdel] or (732) 229-0122 [Long Branch]
 

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