Meet Our Staff - West Haven & North Branford, CT
Our staff provides excellent funeral planning services
We have years of experience caring for families from all walks of life, cultures and faiths. Our unsurpassed staff and our family provide kind, caring, professional service. Each family comes to us because they know we are leaders in our profession who are dedicated to excellence in service, adhere to the highest funeral industry standards, and have exceptional integrity. We consistently earn phenomenally high customer satisfaction survey results.
Our licensed, professional staff is here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please call 203-933-1217 anytime. We will even come to you to make arrangements in the comfort of your home.
Prompt, compassionate service is always just a phone call away, where and when you need it.
Philip Malley Appell Sr.
Funeral Director - Managing Partner
Philip Malley Appell, Sr. is a native of Old Saybrook, Connecticut and is a graduate of Old Saybrook High School. His family have been members of the North Branford Community since the American Revolution. He is a proud veteran of the United States Army. Upon his discharge from the service, Phil graduated from the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science. After his return from college, he started a long association with Swan Funeral Home, located in Old Saybrook, Madison, and Clinton. Phil was promoted to Manager in 1995, and General Manager in 1998. He was responsible for five funeral homes and a crematory. After 36 years of service and many corporate changes, Phil left to join the Keenan Funeral Home in North Branford and West Haven as the Managing Partner. Phil is the father of four children; Phil Jr. and his wife Becca of Bristol who own Five Churches Brewery in New Britain, Spencer who is a graduate of Uconn in finance, Emily is a Sophomore at Penn State, and Elisabeth is attending Loyola University in Chicago. Phil is an avid movie memorabilia collector and is especially fond of John Wayne. Phil looks forward to serving and working with families in the community.
Sarah Rivera
Funeral Director/Embalmer
Sarah Rivera received her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts
from Paier College of Art, Inc. in Hamden, CT in 2012, and her Associate’s in Mortuary Science in Southington, CT in 2018. She became a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer in 2019. Her hobbies include hiking,
traveling, drawing, and oil painting.
Jamie Cowan
Funeral Director Consultant/Pre Need Counselor/Life Planning
Jamie joined our team with a focus on helping families navigate some of life's most difficult challenges. For the past 22 years, Jamie has provided information and guidance and has assisted thousand of families in protecting and keeping what they have earned. He also is a frequent guest speaker at various community seminars and workshops discussing topics such as funeral planning, Medicaid, and Veterans Pension Benefits.
Elizabeth Yacono
Office Coordinator
Beth received her Associate's Degree from Stonington Academy in 1989, and went to work for Health Net as a Secretary, Intake Coordinator, and an Appeals and Grievance Specialist for 15 years. She left to raise her family, and started back working as a lunch aide in various schools. She was promoted to a Food Service Manager for the Academy in East Haven, CT, and then a Food Service Manager for St. John School in Old Saybrook, CT. Wanting to return to an office setting, Beth became a Secretary for St. Ambrose Parish in North Branford, CT, which opened the door for her to working at Keenan. Beth lives in Northford, CT with her husband of 20 years and two daughters.
Elizabeth DelVecchio
Office Assistant
"Betty" has been a life long resident of New Haven, Connecticut. She is a graduate of Hillhouse High School and attended Quinnipiac University. She was the owner/operator of Flower Affair in West Haven, Connecticut for 42 years before retiring. Betty is married to her husband Tony and has two sons. Their son Joseph (Jennifer) have twin boys Joseph & Jack and son Vincent (Karyn) have a son Dylan, whom all reside in Milford, Connecticut.
Anthony DelVecchio
Ambassador
“Tony” was raised in Ansonia, Connecticut and moved to New Haven when he married his wife Betty. He is a graduate of Ansonia High School. Tony spent many years in the retail furniture and appliance industry. Most recently he was a concierge and security officer for local office buildings. Tony is married to his wife Betty and has two sons and three grandsons.
Faith Martin
Ambassador
Faith Martin has over
thirty years in the Cosmetology Industry.
She specialized as a nail technician, and ran her own successful
business for over twenty years. She is a
dedicated professional in helping to lift up her clients by beautifying their needs. Faith has always been very compassionate when
it came down to others which led her to Mortuary Science School. Faith pursued her career, and graduated from
Lincoln College in 2018. Faith
redirected her strong interpersonal and communication skills towards grieving
families. She finds great joy in helping
families through their grief process by demonstrating patience and empathy.
Nancy Campbell
Ambassador
Nancy grew up and currently lives in West Haven with her husband Jim and son Matthew. She has been a professional Cosmetologist since 1986, and partner of Hair Forever Hair Salon in Milford since 1992. She began styling hair for local funeral homes ten years ago which brought about her interest in pursuing other avenues of the funeral home business. The opportunity to work with families, attention to detail during their time of grief and making sure everyone is satisfied is very rewarding. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Ray Ross
Ambassador
Ray is a life-long resident of Connecticut. He resides in West Haven and is a devoted family man, especially when it comes to his four grandchildren. He worked/owned Ross Copy & Print in West Haven for 37 years. Ray looks forward to continuing to serve the needs of the community through his work at Keenan Funeral Home.
Scott Moore
Ambassador
Scott Moore is a Long Island native currently living in Connecticut. He is a graduate of Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, where he received his degrees in Journalism and History. He enjoys searching for antiques, visiting our local museums, rooting on his New York Yankees, and doing his best to better his community.
Contact Us
You are welcome to call us any time of the day, any day of the week, for immediate assistance. Or, visit our funeral home in person at your convenience.
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