Our knowledgeable staff are passionate about providing families guidance and support during the funeral planning process and well after the funeral. Together, we can honor your loved one’s life while beginning your grief journey.

 

 

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Howard K. Hill Owner
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Nancy Hill MSW
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Brandi McKune Funeral Director
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Keith Morris Funeral Directors Assistant
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Jonathan E. Jones Funeral Director
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LaDawn Jackson Funeral Director
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Orsella R. Cooper-Hughes Executive Director of The Prosperity Foundation

Howard K. Hill

Owner
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HOWARD K. HILL is a native of Windsor, CT. He received his Mortuary Science degree from the American Academy McAllister Institute of New York in 1991. He is a Licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer in the states of Connecticut and New York. Howard exemplifies his commitment to excellence thru thriving to be the best he can be. He has earned the two top designations in the funeral industry. The first is a Certified Pre-Arrangement Counselor (CPC). This designation has given him the expertise to educate his community of the importance of pre-planning for funerals which may include life insurance and Title 19 spend down procedures. The second designation is Certified Funeral Services Practitioner (CFSP). This distinction represents funeral directors who exceed the highest standard of care. He has served the Greater New Haven and Hartford Counties for over a decade. He founded the Howard K. Hill Funeral Services located at 1287 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT on July 19, 2004 and on May 1st 2012; he acquired Clark Bell & Bell Funeral Home at 319 Barbour St. Hartford, CT.

Mr. Hill’s business is exemplified by his slogan “We’re Honored to Serve You”. His dedication and commitment to the community has been recognized by many churches, civic, and professional organizations. Since 2011, Howard K. Hill Funeral Services has been recognized by The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) “Pursuit of Excellence” program. This program recognizes Funeral Homes that are committed to providing outstanding services to the families and communities they serve and are dedicated to achieving the highest professional and ethical standards. The Pursuit of Excellence program encourages funeral homes to further the educational and professional development of their staff, create innovative ideas to better serve families within the community and consistently strive for excellence. He has coined this pursuit into his own brand called “Aria” The Highest Level of Service.

Raising the standard of the funeral industry is his mission and the underlying message to his staff. While testimonials of services rendered were acknowledged, Howard realized there was much more that needed to be done to assist families beyond the funeral service. In 2012, Howard launched another division of the business called, “Zola”. Zola, an African proverb meaning To Love, is a series of grief counseling sessions, facilitated in groups by a team of licensed psychologists. The mission and purpose of Zola is to ensure that families grieve in a healthy manner.

Mr. Hill is convinced that one of the best gifts he can offer to those in need is to provide a blueprint for change. Because of his concern for the community, he has begun speaking to audiences about philanthropy, which is the love of mankind. “The Prosperity Foundation” formerly known as “The Urban Prosperity Fund” which he founded in 2009, is an opportunity to organize philanthropy and educate Black Communities about the power of endowment.

Mr. Hill is involved with a number of professions, i.e.: Real Estate, catering services, and business consulting. He believes in the power of circulating money within his community and therefore serves as a liaison to other small businesses and encourages networking. Mr. Hill believes in supporting higher education and addressing health disparities that plague the community that he serves.

Howard is currently serving in the following capacities: Advisory Board Member-National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA); Vice-President -Connecticut Funeral Directors Association (CFDA); Board Member for the following Non-profit organizations: Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (TCF); Hannah Gray Home- New Haven, CT; Amistad Middle School; Hartford Communities That Care, The Community Action Agency of New Haven, and the Economic Committee for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Howard’s community initiatives include, Barbour Street Renaissance Movement, Hartford, CT, Project Longevity, and Beloved Community. His affiliations include National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association (NFD&MA) National Association of Realtors (NAR), Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce,
Greater New Haven Business & Professional Association, and Oriental Lodge No. 6, F&AM, PH.

Howard has been married to his wife Nancy for over 15 years. He has three children, DeShaun Davis, Matthew and Kendra Hill and currently resides in Hamden, CT.

Nancy Hill

MSW
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Nancy Hill, MSW, is the wife of Howard K. Hill. Born and raised in Hamden, Nancy received her formal education from Central Connecticut State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree. She completed her Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Connecticut – School of Social Work. Mrs. Hill currently works fulltime as a New Haven Public School Social Worker and is pursuing her Sixth year Degree in Educational Leadership from Southern Connecticut State University. Mrs. Hill brings over 20 years of experience in working with children and families to the Howard K. Hill Funeral Services. She is currently a member of the Theta Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc as well as the New Haven Chapter of the Links, Inc. Nancy is the proud mother of two children, Matthew and Kendra whom she and Howard enjoy spending time with.

Brandi McKune

Funeral Director
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Keith Morris

Funeral Directors Assistant
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Jonathan E. Jones

Funeral Director
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Jonathan is a graduate of Sacred Heart High School in Waterbury, CT and a 2000 Graduate of Briarwood College where he studied Mortuary Science. He went on to study at New England Technical Institute to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. He has been in the funeral service since the age of 16 years and continues to be dedicated to serving his community. In addition to Funeral Service, he learned the trade of headstone design and installation. Jonathan is the proud father of two sons, Jonathan E. Jones, Jr. and Jordan E. Jones.

LaDawn Jackson

Funeral Director
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Born in Hartford, CT, LaDawn graduated from Simsbury High School and received her Associate’s Degree from Capital Community College majoring in Business Administration in 1996. She also received her AAS in Mortuary Science from Briarwood College in Southington, CT in 2006 and in 2007 received her Life Insurance License. LaDawn is currently working on getting her certification in becoming a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner.

She shares her growth, desire and accomplishments for the business with many community friends, family and especially her two beautiful children, Lataisha and Corey.

Orsella R. Cooper-Hughes

Executive Director of The Prosperity Foundation
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Orsella Renea Cooper-Hughes is a native of New Haven, CT. She is an ordained Itinerant Deacon in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). While serving as an Associate Minister at Bethel AMEC-New Haven, CT from 2004-2008, Rev. Hughes initiated Bethel’s first Youth Church Ministry and the Women’s Ministry, S.W.I.T.C.H. (Sisters Working in Total Christian Harmony). During this time, she also served as the Southern CT Coordinator for the New England Conference AME/Women In Ministry. From 2008-2012, she served as an Associate Member at Bethel AME Church, Bridgeport, CT where she worked with the Women’s Ministry, Board of Christian Education, and Youth Ministry. Rev. Hughes was offered the opportunity to return to Bethel AMEC – New Haven, CT to initiate a “Community 8AM Worship Service” which ran from September 2012 – June 2013. Currently, she is the Christian Education Director at Bethel and also serves on the New England Conference Board of Christian Education.

In 2008, Orsella left “Corporate America” in pursuit of a desire to have a more fulfilling position in her career where she could give back to her community. She was hired by Howard K. Hill Funeral Services as the Executive Manager. Her exact words in her interview was that she wanted a career where she could still be a business woman while affectively making change in her community. In addition to overseeing the day to day operations of the business and managing the many projects the funeral home is connected to in the community, her greatest accomplishments have been sitting on the board for the Urban Prosperity Fund, now called, the Prosperity Foundation and serving as the Coordinator for the grief counseling division, called, “Zola”. Orsella believes that if grief is accepted and confronted in a healthy manner, then one family at a time, the community can begin to change for the better which would result in healthier communities.

Rev. Hughes is the blogger of “Daily Inspirations with Rev. O” found on most social media networks. She has been called upon by many national organizations to be a motivational speaker, facilitate workshops for teen girls, young adult women, and for many of the Adult Women organizations. With a passion for the advancement of young teen girls, the organizations she takes pride in working with and facilitating motivational workshops are, the Young People’s Division of the Women’s Missionary Society of the AME Church and The Perfect Blend Young Women’s Mentoring Program, New Haven, CT.