Community Corner

Local Funeral Director Named to State Association

Douglas R. Brueggemann's first response to a mass disaster came with the TWA Flight 800 crash. He has been assisting victims of large-scale tragedies and their families ever since.

Douglas R. Brueggemann owner of Brueggemann Funeral Home of East Northport, Inc., was recently elected Secretary/Treasurer of the New York State Funeral Directors Association, Inc. (NYSFDA) at the organization's annual convention.

A New York State licensed funeral director, Brueggemann will serve during the 2013-2014 term. 

"I look forward to playing a larger role with such a fine group and continuing its outstanding service to the funeral directors of New York State and to the public," said Brueggemann.

Find out what's happening in Northportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A graduate of Northport High School, he studied Mortuary Science at the State University at Farmingdale before joining the family business of Brueggemann Funeral Home in East Northport in 1973. 

Doug was one of the founding members of the Nassau-Suffolk Funeral Directors Association (NSFDA) in the mid-1980s, and served as the association's president from 1994-1996. Doug is the co-chair of the NSFDA Emergency Response Team. On the state level, Doug has been a board member of NYSFDA since 1997, serving on several committees, including chair of both the Disaster Committee and Family Assistance Commission.

Find out what's happening in Northportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Doug's first response to a mass disaster came with the TWA Flight 800 crash, and he has been assisting victims of such large-scale tragedies and their families ever since. Doug was a key figure in that response effort, and for years after the TWA Flight 800 crash, Doug followed up on that investigation, maintaining his commitment to ensure that the surviving families were served in the most respectful and dignified way. After the 9/11 attacks, Doug served at the World Trade Center site as part of a team coordinating family assistance.

On a national level, Doug has also been selected to serve on the Victim Information Center (formerly known as the Family Assistance Center), which functions under the aegis of Health and Human Services and is an arm of the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT). After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, he was called upon by Homeland Security and spent a month in the Gulf States dealing with hundreds of casualties in the wake of the hurricane's destruction. Most recently, Doug was in charge of operations for the Family Assistance Center as part of the response to the tornado disaster in Joplin, Missouri in May 2011.

He and his wife Martha reside in Northport. He has a daughter Dianna Brueggemann-LoBue, LFD, a granddaughter, Izabella; and two sons, Robert and Christopher. 

According to NYSFDA's Executive Director, Bonnie L. McCullough, CAE, "Doug is an extraordinary funeral director who is an asset to our organization."

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here