Rest Haven is the nicest cemetery in West Des Moines and Des Moines Iowa. I go through RestHaven…read morecemetery to look at the swans and I always see Clark Shockley. He is the nicest person always asking me if there's anything he can do or help me with. I really enjoy his company and the beautiful cemetery thank you so much Bernice Thomas.

I am in Arizona and was long distance arranging a burial (inurnment) and graveside service for my…read morefather. I would like to thank Mates, Scott and MaryAnn for their help in making this a seamless and peaceful process. They were all wonderful via phone and in person. Very caring and professional. I very highly recommend McLaren's. Much of my family rests there in their wonderful care.

During the time our family is grieving, Funeral Director, Traci Johnston, provided exceptional…read moresupport and guidance as we navigated the process. As a stellar professional, Traci asked questions and listened as we described our loved one. The attention to details for the visitation, service, and luncheon were a true reflection of our loved one. Traci, her team, and Iles Funeral Homes are highly recommended.

Death is by far not easy to ever deal with. I live in Las Vegas & my Mother lived in Des Moines,…read moreIa. On September 19th, 2021 unfortunately my Mother passed away in the comforts of her home. This company from the moment their people arrived at my Mothers house. They were so loving, gentle, respectful & caring to say the least. I sat on FaceTime and watched them care for my Mother in such the most loving way. Bethany Fast was appointed to my family for ALL her last wishes. I have to say this woman NEEDS A BIG RAISE. She is truly an Angel. Bethany took care of everything despite the many challenges she came up against with dealing with my family. Bethany went above and beyond for us on numerous occasions. She remained calm and loving through it all. Mind you she was pregnant and due at any moment. Yet she remained such a gentle soul. With the upmost customer service. This company is by far the place to have your loved ones final arrangements taken care of. I truly truly appreciate everyone there that played apart of everything going well. We will NEVER forget you Bethany Fast. Nor this company for giving us the very best care and service at such a time. Thank you!!

My brother passed away and the nursing home he had been residing at suggested Merle Hay Funeral…read moreHome to perform his cremation. Blair Overton called me the following morning after my brother passed away to discuss the arrangements. I was grieving and extremely emotional. Our family had dealt with a lot over the last couple of years and we had been struggling financially. I expressed to Blair that I was concerned about the cost and I was unsure how to pay for the cremation. His response was, "I have a business to run and we are not a charity Kristin. After all he was YOUR brother. " This was approximately 10 hours after my brother had passed. Such compassion. I couldn't believe it. At that point, in the state I was in, I handed the phone over to my husband and he continued to speak to Mr. Overton. After learning that my brother had a little bit of money set aside and that we could pay for the cremation my husband called and spoke to Blair about this and Blair's response was "How much money did he have?" This was none of his business. They are there to make money. They don't care about the fact that you've lost a loved one. They will only be nice if you spend a lot of money. Pathetic. I never received a personal apology for his extremely rude and insensitive behavior. Instead, he just told my husband to tell me he was sorry.

Blair and Alex were professional, knowledgeable, and went above and beyond when my brother passed…read moreaway unexpectedly. They handled my brother with care and respect. They were a great resource for my family to lean on doing this terrible time. Blair, Alex, and their team helped make the process as seamless as possible.

Being a fourth generation funeral director myself, I know what it takes to comfort a family…read more Debra's knows more! Lol Her concept of not building a Taj Mahal and have a fleet of cars is what Ankeny and the surrounding communities need.. This concept of using the community resources helps everyone out. Not only cost effective but she keeps the service standards high! Funeral Service is about helping and directing people at a time when a person needs a complete stranger to guide them. Debra will take good care of you and your loved one!

We had to drive from California to Iowa, and as we were driving through and I pulled up mortuaries…read more This one was the first to show up. I am so thankful that we stopped for a beautiful experience. Debbora is an angel sent from the gods to help people that are so lost. Even after all was said and done, and we were back in California, she was still willing to lend her help. I can not say thank you enough for your help and kindness.

At first it was the cost with being two hours from a metro area. Then it was the ease of filling…read moreout the forms and paying. What really won me over was the personal services and making you feel like each person is special. We were kept informed through out the process. When we were not getting the death certificates Ryan helped us track them down to the local doctor who was on vacation. Then I picked up the copies at the local county recorder's office. For less than $2,000 I was impressed... they are a subcontractor for the local funeral homes, go direct and take out the middle man. You can still do church services, celebration of life at your local church and burial at the local cemetery.

In a hard time Celebration of Life helped answer every question and made the process as easy as it…read morepossibly could be. The care they gave after our loved one passed was very comforting.

It's not what you think! I was privileged to get a tour of…read morethis wonderful establishment. I did come to this funeral home at one time in the past. A family friend passed. His visitation here was amazing. He had a love for Maid-rite sandwiches and I remember they had Maid-rite cater in. The large building was packed full of people there to pay their respects. However, today, was a guided tour. Robin who is a funeral director met with us in the lobby. She gave us the history on this building many of you pass everyday going downtown. It used to be two homes and when it was converted into one they left the fountain and very nice décor right in the center to have as a great atmosphere as you come in. Also set up in that area was some memories of a service that was to take place later. There was a lot of time and effort put into putting this They had a serving bar with coffee and some delicious cookies. We started the tour by looking in the big visiting/viewing room. Room for lots of people/chairs. We made our way into another type of viewing room. This one was more of a parlor style. Couches and chairs for intimate meeting or group. The room was very pretty and comfy. After going over more about the funeral home and the history of Dunns we made our way upstairs. We stopped midway to be shown copies of paintings done by Grant Wood for the Dunn family. I thought this was really cool and will look for these the next time I am at the DSM Art Museum. We made our way upstairs to where they keep coffin, urns and vault selections. This was really cool that they had all these options in house and are apparently the only one in their branch that does. I was in awe of the options you can get with cremation. There can even be jewelry for the family after the person is taken care of. She spoke of lots of options for all people and religions. She talked about how lots more people now are taking care of their arrangments before that day comes so the family does not have to worry about things. Speaking of taken care of, from there we moved to the room where embalming and caring for your loved one happens. It was really interesting and everything was really clean. The last stop of the tour was downstairs of the building. They have a crematory on site. She explained that it is set up that family can be present or even start the process if their beliefs need it. With all the information she provided I think what stuck the most was how much they will accommodate and help the family through this process. I left the tour feeling that this location would really bend over backwards to help a family through this tough times. I would really recommend them. I hope I would not need to use them but if I did, I would choose them. Thank you for the great tour. I learned a lot.

Dunn's recently handled my mother's funeral. I was so impressed with every aspect. Randy handled…read moreeverything beautifully taking so much of the burden off me. Every part of the funeral was perfect. I can't say how much it means during a difficult time.

We lost my sister unexpectedly. We have never planned a funeral before. They was beyond helpful,…read moregenerous and kind during this process. My sister looked peaceful for her viewing. The staff was incredibly kind and considerate. They make you feel like you are home. I needed that in my time of need. Thank you so much. I would recommend them in your time of need. Also the pricing is way cheaper than others and you get that family feeling.

Donna is one of the most genuine people I have ever met. You can tell from the moment you come in…read morecontact with her, you and your family will be taken care of. I would recommend her to anyone in need of her services!

I don't know what it is but I love me a pretty cemetery. To be more specific, I love me a pretty…read morecemetery with rolling hills, brick driveways and flowers blossoming in the spring or trees turning over in the fall. Woodland Cemetery is no exception to this rule. Located just down the street from my boyfriend's house, we tend to go here for strolls when I'm in town. The markers are impressively old and the orphan section always tugs on the heart strings. The next time I visit I need to do some research to learn more about the cemetery's history as a whole. The winding brick paths and dense tree canopy always leave me feeling refreshed when I walk away.

Being the oldest municipal cemetery in Des Moines, Woodland became an important part of my initial…read moreforays into the world of the uniquely dead. Beautiful, historical and unique-this place tells the story of many Iowan pioneers, ancestors, and founders. I've heard there's a guy who will take you on a tour if you call him up-anyone ever done this? Walk through this place and as an Iowan, it's hard not to feel something important about your history.