I recently experienced an unexpected tragedy in my family. While traveling for work in Iowa my…read morebrother passed away in a vehicle accident. He was 2 1/2 hrs from home. I chose Iowa Cremation to assist with my needs. The 2 directors I spoke with over the phone were very kind and helpful; and when you are still in shock and maneuvering through all that needs to be done, that kindness certainly goes a very long way. Since I live out of state, everything needed to be handled via phone and email. They sent me the documents that needed to be signed via email. Later, when I received an itemized statement in the mail, it was then I saw a charge for "non-members" of $650. This, I then learned, was for ones that had NOT made 'pre-need' arrangements with them. I did see later, upon my closer examination of the many pages of documents that had been emailed to me to sign; that there was indeed a charge included of $650 for 'non-members'. Unfortunately, I had failed to look at that closely enough upon signing. I never imagined there would be a charge for something like that. I certainly now feel it a bit unfair to charge a 'penalty' (my viewpoint) for not being a member; especially since my brother did not even live in that state, and would not have had a 'pre-need' membership with them. This was, of course, an oversight on my behalf for not examining the documents closely enough at time of signing. I am writing to share my experience with others who may find themselves in a similar situation so that they may not be blind-sided by this 'non-membership' charge.

A wonderful cemetery just north of Cedar Rapids, IA. Easy access from the Interstate I-380,…read moreservices nearby, nice neighborhood. I love this place. The neighborhood used to be called Louisa as it was the old train station stop just across the way (at railroad tracks - south of the cemetery). There are stones that need attention, but at least the person who mows the lawn is very careful and respectful of the fragile stones. With enough visits from me maybe I will restore all the stones.

This funeral home has provided exceptional service to many family friends over the years at the…read moreCedar Rapids, Marion and Central City locations. Great personalities that kindly guide people in a difficult time. I appreciate Jeff and all the staff greatly.

Seems strange to rate a funeral home "Yay! I'm a fan.". But then again, I wore a red dress to my…read moreMom's funeral, so I suppose I've already disregarded the normal somberness that accompanies these things. I chose Murdoch in Marion for my Mom's cremation and memorial because we had my Dad's funeral at the Murdoch funeral home in Manchester, IA. The staff members were all respectful and helpful throughout the process. I had originally planned on using the Murdoch location in Cedar Rapids but changed my mind after we'd already sat down with the funeral director. Instead of passing me off to someone else he continued to work with me on the details and was at the Marion location for the memorial. That's going above and beyond in my opinion and I really appreciated it. My Mom didn't want a traditional funeral service but we wanted to have a memorial reception for her. It was obviously not the type of event they normally do at Murdoch (or most funeral homes I imagine) but they handled all my requests and didn't give me any push back at all. Ryan, the funeral director I was working with, was patient and helpful while walking me through the options for the service and obituaries. I was surprised how quickly they typed up the obituary and had copies for me to edit. They also very quickly got me pricing for placing an obituary in the Chicago Tribune. I expected both would be something I'd have to come back for later or would be emailed to me, but it only took about 10 minutes while I was busy with other decisions. When I showed up expecting a table in the room to put food and drinks on they had a table set up with everything I would need in about 5 minutes. Towards the end of a very long day I realized I'd have to figure out how to get all the flowers and plants home. Onore, who was helping Ryan and was available throughout the afternoon/evening for anything we needed, quickly let me know that they could deliver the flowers for free the next day. Maybe that's common for funeral homes to do, but I didn't expect it and I greatly appreciated it. These little things don't sound like a big deal but in the middle of a difficult time they make all the difference in the world. Now, when I say the flowers were delivered "free" I suppose that's probably not the right word. Maybe I should say "for no additional charge than the incredible amount they had already charged me". Had it not been for the incredible price tag of this modest event I would've given them 5 stars. I can't believe how expensive anything having to do with a funeral is. I can't help but think they're taking advantage of people, along the same lines as anything "wedding" related is automatically more expensive. I suppose this is probably more a comment on the industry, not Murdoch specifically. I would recommend any of the Murdoch funeral homes. They made a difficult time just a little bit easier and I can't say enough how important that is.

This is a review that no one ever wants to write…read more After a long illness, my father died recently. The end came somewhat more precipitously than anticipated, and we had only started to make plans for his passing. In fact, just a couple hours before he died I made my first phone call to Teahen and spoke with Brian. He requested some additional details, but before I had a chance to review the information he sent, I was informed of his death. The hospice nurse contacted Teahen, and despite the fact that we had not established any formal relationship with them, Brian arrived very soon afterwards to take my father to their beautiful and comforting funeral home. A couple days later, my family went to Teahen for our final visit before cremation, and to plan the memorial service. Since none of us expected such a sudden passing, we were mentally and emotionally unprepared to think about the details - and there are a lot of things to consider. Beth was exceptionally helpful and patient and generous with her time as she guided us through the planning process that day. We came away feeling relieved and reassured that a fitting memorial would be arranged. In addition, she was invaluable in taking care of certain administrative annoyances that we were happy to not have to worry about, such as informing Social Security and obtaining the death certificate. Over the course of the next several weeks, the plans for the memorial slowly began to take shape. Throughout the entire process, Beth was always available and immediately responsive. She put us in contact with different people whose services would be needed, such as the Hy-Vee florist that they regularly use. My wife is a former professional florist and manager of a floral shop, and she can attest to the high quality of the arrangements that were delivered to the church. Everything went remarkably smoothly, from beginning to end. We are grateful to Beth, Brian, and everyone at Teahen Funeral Home.

The care, compassion, attention, and support from every member of the Teahen family and funeral…read morehome was far beyond anything we could have imagined during the most difficult days of our lives. Will always be thankful for Teahen.

When you loose a loved one, the last thing you expect is to have the people putting them in their…read morefinal resting place to destroy you. When they tell you one thing and do another. When they take advantage of a grieving person. When they tell you that you owe them a bunch of money and cash your check and to later you don't even get your loved ones ashes back. Shame on the people running this place. Your shady. And no one should trust them with their loved ones!

They take advantage of grieving people, tell you one thing, but do not stand by there word. They…read moreput on a great show in person forsure! Don't return calls or emails but they will gladly cash your check the first chance they get!