They were so respectful when they came to the house to collect my brother. From the moment they…read moreentered the house, he explained every step of what was going to happen. Then, as he was doing things he was saying exactly what he was doing the whole time. I felt very comfortable with his demeanor in a sad time. He told my sister-in-law that he understood what she was going through as his wife died of cancer also. He put us at ease the best he could at the time. This is the type of funeral home experience that you need in a dark time. I can not recommend them enough. Thank you.

My father was cremated at Gilbertson's Funeral Home in 2015. The staff was very kind and took great…read morecare with my father and our needs. During preparation, our family was offered a few items that we could buy. We opted to purchase jewelry called Thumbys, which were charms made from a cast of my father's thumb. One of my sisters was distant from the family at the time and didn't receive a necklace. I was reunited with my sister this December and called Gilbertson's to see if there was a possibility that we could get my sister a necklace before Christmas. Mike at Gilbertson's was incredibly accommodating and did the research required to obtain the item information and link the jeweler to the record of my father's print. We were able to order a necklace and give it to my sister Christmas Eve. I was incredibly impressed with Mike and his care, even nine years after my father's passing. Each experience with Gilbertson's has been beyond expectations.

Just lost my mom 1 week ago, and Paul was nothing but kind and helpful throughout a very difficult…read moreprocess. He made us all feel comforted and truly caring with my mother. I would certainly recommend the services provided by Paul and his staff.

Super bummed that they asked me if I wanted a fingerprint of my mother's before cremation and I…read moresaid yes. After writing them for the ID number to order something on the brochure they gave us, they informed me that their scanner was broken at that time and there was no print. And they couldn't have told me that before they cremated her? I am so sad that the one thing I was looking forward to holding dear to my heart was taken from me. This is a small thing to miss, but would have meant the world to me. I would have had her finger put on ink had I known I would not be able to attain this from them.

Hawthorne handled the cremation of my son who passed away in his sleep at age 43. They even enabled…read morea viewing which they were not obligated to do. They handled everything with care and the upmost consideratio.

Our grieving for our brother's passing,6 months ago, has only grown each time…read morewe visit his final resting place at Hawthorne Memorial Park. Still missing is his brass name and birth/death identification along with a small vase for flowers. Our request for an explanation, from Hawthorne management, for the reason that this situation still continues, is that the supplier of the brass items is not able to provide the items within a stated timeframe. Meanwhile our family and friends, who wish to pay tribute to him, will find only a label tape with his identification marking his final resting place. Closure includes more than an obituary, inurnment, or a memorial. For our family it's also visiting a loved one's gravesite.

Throughout the entire process of arranging for and conducting my mother's funeral service, the Kern…read morestaff was just so perfectly supportive and caring. They got all the details right and I think the value for the services was also quite good. I want to give a special note of gratitude to Anna for guiding us through the process and being a wonderful celebrant for the service itself.

My family and I are so very thankful for David Lukov and Kern Funeral Home for making such a…read morepainful time just a little easier. When we learned we were going to shortly lose our father, David met with us at the hospital to discuss initial plans. His genuine warmth and kindness shines through. He is so professional and patient. David answered all of our questions and truly helped us understand an unknown process. He walked us through every step unknown to us. While he is clearly a busy man, he made us feel like his only clients. Despite a dark time in our lives, David was a light and we feel like we made a new friend who cares about what we are going through. Some people are just meant to do the jobs they do and David felt like our angel. Thank you for all you have done for us!! We will forever be grateful!

My grandpa's graveside funeral service was held at Maple Leaf Cemetery after he died in 2006 and…read morehis ashes were buried in his and my grandma's gravesite. The graveside funeral was easy to access though limited parking restricted the number of attendees. Since the funeral I have visited the cemetery with my family including my grandma a number of times to visit his grave. The cemetery is well maintained and there are enough roads run to make it a short walk to graves not immediately on the road, which is nice for those with difficulty walking. Deer occasionally roam through here, so my grandma and I have come on occasion to check to see if the flowers on grandpa's grave have been eaten by the deer. My grandma is not so fond of the deer, I find it poetic in a sense because deer also visit her house in Oak Harbor and eat her flowers there. The deer look after both of them and are wildlife comfort for my grandma who is coming on being a widow for 15 years now.

Here I am visiting in July of 2015 exactly a 123 years later, give or take a few days or weeks;…read moreFernhill Cemetery established in July of 1892. It is right off the busy SR 20 tucked away on a quiet hillside. A huge row of Panax trees blocks the cemetery from the road providing some peace for the dead and the living. It was a dry landscape in the middle of summer but that didn't change the lovely memorials that were rife with animals adorning the memorials, animal scupltures, cherubs and other tender endearments left by the living for the dead. The photos are not in order for this review (thanks, Yelp - Click on "See all photos from Kaliko P. for Fernhill Cemetery" link on the bottom and not the pics themselves). The memorial that stood out belonged to Terri Williams. Although I never met her, I could almost see her life in the memorial that stood before me and her husband's total love for his wife with a title of a song on the tombstone from the group Journey "Forever Yours Faithfully". Her Fidalgo Elementary school ID sits at her grave as does her grandkid's toys and a bench right across so her family can visit. It was so touching I shed a few tears for a woman I never met but could almost touch, just by looking at the remnants of her life left here by her family. She must have been truly remarkable and totally loved. Not only people were remembered tenderly, but so were pets, indirectly. Most of the stones in this memorial park had animals on them. Dogs, mainly, but also etchings of cats on stones and sculptures of seals. Fernhill Cemetery is one of the more interesting places I've visited and it was definitely touching.

My son and I had already had a long day of walking and planned on going straight home. But then we…read morerealized how close Arlington Cemetery was so we decided to make a quick stop. We had no idea what we were getting into. There is a very nice museum area right when you walk in. There's lots to read if that's something you enjoy. Then off to your right you can either just walk into the cemetery by foot or take a tram. I went up to the desk and asked the lady if we would benefit from taking the tram. She told me it was over a mile walk, up hill to get to The Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. That's all I needed to hear. We had just spent 4 straight hours walking. We took the tram. It didn't hurt that there was a military discount. So there are two ways you can utilize the tram. First you could just ride it from start to finish and I was told that takes between 35-45 minutes. Or you can get off at stops. There are 3 stops. Just beware, and they'll say it on the ride, that once you get off, you will have to wait about 30 minutes at each stop before the next one comes around to pick you up. At first we were just going to do the loop. But as the guide started talking about each stop we both wanted to stop. So our quick trip turned into several hours. I honestly had no intention of taking my almost 14 year old there. I really didn't think he would care too much. But I think he enjoyed it more than I did. He even wants to go back. So I would say that if you're on the fence, just go and see what happens. But eat before you get there. No food is allowed and there aren't any restaurants or vendors anywhere basically beyond the Lincoln Memorial. So make sure you don't go hungry like we did.

Happy Memorial Day to all the Veterans who served and the family that supported themread more