My experience here was mixed. While the essentials were handled, there were a few issues that made…read morea difficult time more stressful than it needed to be. Some paperwork had to be corrected after the fact, and a specific mailing request I made more than once wasn't followed through on, which created added complications. Beyond that, I felt the tone of interaction was impersonal and at times dismissive. In a setting like this, where families are navigating loss, professionalism and clear, compassionate communication matter. Unfortunately, that was lacking here. With more attention to detail and a more thoughtful approach, this could have been a much smoother and more supportive experience

A special thanks to Chris who served me today with compassion, efficiency and going the "extra…read moremile" ( and then some!) . My heart was heavy upon entering his office but I left encouraged and confident that even though I had to leave town the next morning I could depend on him to follow through with out of state businesses whose cooperation was needed before my loved one could be buried. He instilled a trust in me that he would take care of ALL the details, even those that were out of state. Thank you Chris!

The Dorn Pyramid in SLO has towered over the San Luis Cemetery (aka Odd Fellows Cemetery) for over…read more100 years now as a masonic symbol for the remains of a mother and child. This Egyptian Revival funerary architecture was generally an extravagance of American tycoons who wanted themselves remembered as long and as well as the ancient pharaohs. Pyramid monuments were also considered fashionable for wealthy Victorians who buried their families in these beautuful tombs in London's Highgate Cemetery. Often compared to a latter-day Taj Mahal, the Dorn Pyramid sits as a somber monument to a lost love. But the two-story-tall, 113-year-old Dorn Pyramid shares something else in common with the Taj Mahal: It has become so much more than just a grave marker. It is an enduring part of San Luis Obispo's mythos. Not surprising the Dorn Pyramid is also the site of a mystery: Why is the man whose name is on the pyramid not interred inside it? Like many good novels, it begins with young, doomed love. In 1890, Adolphus Dorn married Cora Russell, a very influential woman in town. Cora Russell was the eldest daughter of Charles Jay Russell, a county supervisor, merchant, real estate investor and member of the San Luis Obispo Knights Templar. It seemed destiny. Then, it seemed doomed. There was talk of a family curse. The year before Cora conceived her child, her mother died. Then her newborn dies, and then she dies. Not long after- her sister dies. And then her father dies. The entire family within a three year period of time. The truth to that mystery of misfortune is unknown. From the pyramid outside, we are able to gather that a mother, Cora Russell Dorn (1868-1905) and her son, Fred Adolphus Dorn, Jr. (1905 - 1905) are the only officially interred inside. The entrance eerily reads: "DISTVRB NOT THE SLEEP OF DEATH." Fred Adolphus Dorn was a wealthy lawyer, an elected district attorney 1894 and in 1899, he entered a lucrative private practice with contacts both in San Luis Obispo and San Francisco. He was a highly respected citizen and a Master of King David's Masonic Lodge. In grief, he wanted to pay tribute to his beloved wife and son the best way he knew how, and so having a 25-ft granite pyramid as a memorial seemed the perfect way. To build the mausoleum, Dorn brought in granite all the way from Porterville. This being before the days of California freeways, Dorn had to build special wagons to transport all that stone. The pyramid was chosen due to his role with the Freemasons, and some say it stands strangely alone and isolated. This is because of its weight, the location was the only one with solid enough rock to support the massive mausoleum. Two stones once lied in front of the door waiting to be cemented in place once all the Dorns were laid to rest inside. Once the pyramid was built in 1905, Dorn interred his wife and son inside. Their names were engraved on the side of the pyramid along with Dorn's. The pyramid was left unsealed so that Dorn could one day join his family in death. Then life happened. Fred Dorn Sr. had intended to be buried there, but went on a cruise and met another woman. Which is reasonable -- as he was still a young man. Dorn ultimately remarried and moved up to the Bay Area. He eventually died in San Francisco in 1940 at the age of 74 and is buried in Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, San Francisco's famed "city of the dead." His current memorial is nothing more than a small brass plate. Dorn's new family wasn't interested in dealing with a monument to his old family, but that wasn't the end of the story. Legend has it that one dark night in the 1960s, "A mysterious car pulled into the cemetery dirt lot. Some man came through with a box, went inside the crypt and came out with nothing. This led to speculation that Dorn, or at least some of his ashes, had finally rejoined his former wife and child in the tomb marked "DISTVRB NOT THE SLEEP OF DEATH." In January 2018, Master Masons prepared to seal the pyramid, which has sat unfinished for more than a century. They attempted to inspect the crypt inside to see if there was any truth to the legend, but could not get inside. Time, and vandals had rendered the crypt impossible to open without damaging the historic landmark. Even snaking a camera into the crypt failed to turn up an answer. It remains unknown if Dorn ever rejoined his family in death. Which is great, because everyone loves a mystery.

I don't usually make it a habit to visit cemeteries but Atlas Obscura had this spot down as an…read more"attraction" in SLO - specifically the Dorne Pyramid. We came by and parked in the back of the funeral home parking lot and explored a bit on foot. The cemetery appears to be well maintained, and groundskeepers were on staff when we visited. The pyramid is easy to get to but I found it odd that there is no plaque or anything - the interesting story behind it's creation are apparently only found online, so the visit itself wasn't really needed. J David H's review can fill you in on all you need to know. NOTE: The pin/GPS to navigate here doesn't quite take you to the right place. Drive past the cemetery and park in the funeral home parking lot. No other parking appears to be available. Fastest route to the Pyramid, too.

This is a unique cemetery in regard to the breadth and scope of the way all of the graves are all…read moredifferent. The history, the monuments, the decorations ( see photos ) are all personalized and unique to the person they represent. Our family is buried here as will we someday. Family are allowed to have anything they want around the gravesite unlike most cemeteries. The services offered here are respectful of what each family needs. The value in visiting is not exclusive to family. This is a beautiful mostly flat place to walk in nature. The smells of the pine trees and soft sounds of wind chimes is very pleasing. Even the drive up Bridge St. is a step out of the business of life. If you need to take your dog for a walk or recuperate from a surgery this is a great spot to come and walk. Please remember to pick up any trash and do not bother the headstones that are very fragile. Tim is in the office up front if you need to inquire in the purchase of a rest g place for a loved one.

This was a unique experience. High on the hill above Cambria, this quiet cemetery had some of the…read moremost touching and colorful tributes to deceased loved ones. It was an enjoyable terrain to walk on and take in the different tributes that have been designed and kept up.

Kylie was amazing to work with ..everyone was kind and caring. We felt right at home and would…read moredefinitely use them again. Highly recommend

Mike and the staff at Marshall Spoo Funeral home did an amazing job putting together my Mother's…read moreviewing and cremation services. Mike is very professional and knowledgeable and is very good at communicating all aspects of the end of life process. He was very understanding and really makes you feel like you and your family are the most important people while your there. As difficult as it was to navigate the passing of our lives one, he made it okay to ask dumb questions and did everything he could to make us feel welcomed. I highly recommend Marshall Spoo Funeral home to anyone in need of their services. Thank you Mike and the rest of the staff for taking such good care of my Mom and allowing our family to have one last visit with her.

Hunter and Keyna were so patient and compassionate during a very difficult time for our family…read more They took the time to get to know us and our loved one, and talk through what arrangements would suit us the best. The location of the cemetery is stunning. The chapel is well kept, and somehow holds a number of guests, while still feeling intimate. Highly recommend.

I can't thank Los Osos Valley Memorial Mortuary and Memorial Park enough for their kindness and…read moreprofessionalism during such a difficult time. From the very beginning, their team showed incredible care and respect in helping me through the process of laying my father to rest. A very special thank you to Keyna, who went above and beyond to make sure everything went smoothly. She showed true compassion--not only handling the arrangements with grace and empathy--but even coming in on her day off to personally deliver my father's remains to me. Her act of kindness saved me an additional two-hour trip to Arizona, and I will never forget the thoughtfulness and care she showed during one of the hardest moments of my life. Thank you, Keyna, and the entire Los Osos Valley team, for treating my father and our family with such dignity and compassion. You made a painful experience just a little easier to bear, and for that, I am deeply grateful. -- Victoria A.

No one wants to have to pick a funeral home, but when you do you want to pick the right one. Ben at…read moreMagner-Maloney provided such great guidance and support to our family! From the moment we met one of the staff at my grandma's apartment to the day of her service- it was a peaceful and supported experience! I would highly recommend Magner-Maloney.

I been coming here for let's say 60 years, My grandfather had done business with him since 1942,…read morethat's when my 1st aunt whom passed away at 2 years old. My grandfather bought 6 plots from the city for $40 a pop. And so the family burials are here at Magners with my aunt and then eventually they all got filled. I had to bury my mom this year, this was unexpected, but of course death is always unexpecting. We had 3 days to get this burial and meeting done with I guess you call a party for celebration of life...crazy...Just too many emotions going on anyways I'm digressing. Magner runs their business professionally. They sit you down and run expenses of what to expect and not expect, but bottom line was that my mom was beautiful with her coffin and flower arrangements, you couldn't ask for more. For us Magners is part of the family, they help you through knowing we are in mourning and taking care of everything you can think of. Of course it's not cheap, but you want the best.

My mother passed away in March of 2021 and the cemetery still hasn't added the date of her death to…read morethe grave marker. We've called several times and still nothing has been done. Very frustrating.

I just went back and re-read my review from 2015 and am seeing other reviews reflecting similar…read moreexperiences. I understand there is a new manager, so hopefully things improve for future customers, but our experience was so awful that I am still too heartbroken to go into detail about it in public. The passing of a loved one is a vulnerable time for the whole family and it really deserves attention from people who care.

Is the $5,000 to bury a loved one for fun? Because it includes a maintenance fee and every time I…read morecome it doesn't look well maintained. The grass is dead, there's weeds growing, the corner has a big pile of dirt, you break the stuff around people's headstones, you throw flowers on the floor, the list goes on. There's literally an elder gentleman out here right now cutting the weeds around their loved one's headstone with little scissor tools. Is that the service you provide to people? Do you enjoy having loved ones out here slaving over their family's grave after spending an arm and a leg to just have them here? When you charge a MAINTENANCE FEE to even do that?! Unbelievable. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. If you're going to charge this much with a maintenance fee the least you could do is take the time to make it look nice out here for when loved ones come to visit. We should be visiting, not maintaining the graves when there's employees who could be doing their jobs. Do better.

They used to have signs that said no DOGS. Now the signs are gone and people use it for a dog park…read more I see the dogs on the grass with graves all the time. when contacted the manager first said they try to stop, but in second sentence he said, , well it is public property? I said but it is cemetery for people not for dog walking. He acted like not much he could do. wastn outrage like i was.