ABOUT US

Our Beginnings

Robert J. Lawler, Sr.

1/16/1924 - 1/29/2007

The Robert J. Lawler & Crosby Funeral home has served the Greater Boston Community since 1879. The Lawler Funeral Home was started by Robert J. Lawler in 1948. At the time, a small storefront, Mr. Lawler was given a contract by Governor James Michael Curley to bury indigent decedents for the city. Two years later he bought a building on So. Huntington Ave. which served Mr. Lawler’s hometown of Jamaica Plain. A 1941 graduate of JP High, Mr. Lawler went on to attend Boston College where he played varsity football. He graduated from the New England Institute, Kenmore Square in 1946. Robert married Alice (Logue) in 1953. In 1976, Mr. Lawler bought the Crosby Funeral Home in West Roxbury, which opened its doors in Boston in 1879. He continued to run both funeral homes until the 1980’s when he sold Jamaica Plain.

Throughout his 50-year career Mr. Lawler has presided over numerous religious, civic and social organizations and is a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus Jamaica Plain #120. Mr. Lawler remained a vital part of the funeral home until his death in January of 2007.