There's a first for everything. My review is from the point of view of attending a funeral remotely…read moreand using Conway-Markham Funeral Home's streaming feed. A dear friend of mine had her life cut short. She passed away a week ago from Leukemia, a blood cancer. Her family arranged her funeral with Conway-Markham. Her funeral was yesterday. My friend did was she does best. She was a planner. If you are a planner, I likely love you as a friend, because I work the same way. She planned her entire funeral. It's not that she was a control freak. It was what she did best and she wanted to take care of others. She always thought of others before herself, which happened right up to her death. She was truly one of a kind. She had lived most of her life in Iowa, which is where she was born and raised. However, she had stints living in Minneapolis and Boston. I know that she wanted her friends in these cities to be able to participate and celebrate her life from afar. Then, there's me. I was her only friend across the border in Canada. I am thankful that Conway-Markham invested in the best equipment to stream their funeral services during this pandemic. The Canada-US border has been closed since mid-March of last year. If we weren't in a pandemic, I would have flown down to see and support my friend. Instead, we got through this obstacle by communicating with each other through e-mails and text messages right up until her passing. The service was wonderful. It highlighted how selfless she was and how much joy she brought to everyone in her life. Staff at Conway-Markham skillfully and carefully shifted a few items before closing the top part of my friend's casket when transitioning from the visitation to the actual funeral service. They shifted the video camera to make sure that remote attendees got the best view during the service. The streaming quality was excellent. There was no lag or issues. It was my first time attending a funeral online. I would have been devastated if I couldn't attend my friend's funeral, but it was realized through technology. I was able to grieve properly, while celebrating how wonderful of a person she was. There were songs that were played. The audio was excellent. At one stage, my friend had recorded a voice message to all of us. The person who was trying to play it was experiencing some technical issues. A staff member from Conway-Markham swooped in to fix the issue. It was great. The voice message was poignant and many of us lost it, including me. It was also comforting to hear her voice again. My friend was a foodie. She made sure that everyone left the service with a packed lunch when it was over. It made me smile. It was so her. They were available from a different room at the funeral home where the reception was held later on. The service lasted for an hour. It stopped with the funeral director talking about everyone heading over to my friend's final resting spot. The service was smooth and it had everything that my friend had wanted. Conway-Markham made things as stress-free as possible for my friend's family and guests, so they could all focus on grieving and reflecting about such a special person. I appreciated the staff's professionalism throughout the service. Thanks to Conway-Markham for holding a modern service during a pandemic and allowing me to say goodbye to my friend a country away. (5)

From the owner: Conway-Markham Funeral Home & Cremation Services read more

Our beloved Dad, John Derr passed away February, 2018. He was "One of the Good Guys" and we love…read moreand miss him very much. When Dad passed away, we called Jamison-Schmitz Funeral Home in Oelwein, IA. We had done some preliminary planning with them and they were so helpful and knowledgeable in completing Dad's service. In December, 2010 they had helped us with Mom's service as well. At a very difficult time, Paul and staff were kind, caring and very professional. They took care of all the details from getting flowers taken to share with nursing facility after the service to putting together a lovely memory CD with pictures that played during the viewing. They periodically are sending us bereavement information which we appreciate. We are grateful for Paul and the staff at Jamison-Schmitz.

From the owner: Funeral Home Providing Personalized Funeral and Cremation Services, Affiliated with Floral Hills…read moreMemorial Gardens Cemetery Products: Urns, Vaults, Monuments, Caskets, Register Books, Candles, Memorials, Folders, Personalized DVDs, Grave Placement, Thumbies Keepsakes (Fingerprint Keepsakes). Services: Funerals, Memorials, Cremation, Pre-Planning, Interment, Grief Support. Brands: Granite-Bronze, Coldspring Memorials Location Facts: Located on the Main Highway Going North and South. Highways 150 and 3 in Oelwein on the North Edge of Downtown. 3 Other Locations: Maynard, Arlington and Hazleton. Hazleton Has a Cemetery.

When you are in need this is a very professional funeral home. Jen was a particularity attentive…read moreand helpful with all the requests we gave her, If we had a wish she granted it. They gave personal service with the family love feel. Many thanks from the family of Rebecca Whitney.

From the owner: We recognize what a privilege it is to walk with families during a time of loss. We feel that our…read morejob is to make life a little easier as you make decisions about how to acknowledge and celebrate a lifetime in one special occasion. It is a joy when we are able to help give back dignity to your loved one that may have been lost due to injury, illness or aging. No matter the service, we are committed to a personalized experience to fit the unique needs of each family we serve. All of this is brought to you in a comfortable, spacious facility with ample parking and a convenient location.