Dealing with the passing of a loved one is never easy; however, Ivy Lawn made everything simple. My mother-in-law was living at home with hospice care. We knew we would soon need funerary assistance, and I called Ivy Lawn to find out what to do when her time came. I had passed their cemetery in Ventura many times, but had no prior knowledge or experience with them. I spoke with a lovely woman (Dominique?), who shared that we only needed to call when the time came. They provide 24/7 service, and don't need any prior paperwork, no advance payment, etc. On the morning she passed, we called. Nick was there within 2 hours to take care of everything with such calm kindness. He provided such respectful service and informed us of the next steps. I was surprised at the small touches that he also offers, for example, he had an American flag covering for veterans. They have two locations: Camarillo and Ventura. We had an appointment with Nick a couple of days later at the Ventura location to sign papers, review information, order death certificates, etc. He walked us through all the options, answered all our questions, and we never felt like this was a "sale" in any way. Nothing was pushed at us, just straight information. We chose cremation and found their rates in line with those of others offering this service. We collected the remains at the Camarillo location. I believe this is where the cremation services happen. We could have also collected the remains at the Ventura location with advance notice. As we visited both locations in this process, I can state that they are both lovely options for funeral/memorial services as well. read more

I find it to be both predatory and in exceptionally bad taste that Ivy Lawn has a giant sign advertising their pet cremation services along the side of the road directly across from Horizon Vet Specialists/ER. People come here, myself included, and hear awful news, have to make gut wrenching decisions, and are scared and often devastated. Horizon, like most other vets, have knowledge of local pet memorial services and pet owners can make those arrangements at the vet facility or at home. I see no other giant signs placed on the side of the road to advertise their services. I am surprised Ivy Lawn does not have marketing materials outside of CMH or local hospices. read more

When my dad past away in 2018; it was very devastating to our family, ivy lawn did a wonderful job driving from LA county to Ventura picking up my dad. My dad chose Ivy Lawn because we have many family member buried there. He wanted to be near his parents.. the only down fall now are the restroom is closed on weekend as well as their office. Makes it very hard to talk to the office personnel during the week. Plus decorations are no longer allowed. no artificial flowers are allowed. What cemetery doesn't allow decorations?! I think this is very wrong. There should be Saturday hours as well. read more

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We have had issues on the beginning with this place. Right now I think it's terrible because they have the bathroom locked over the weekend. Not that we can stay there very late anyway, I think that 4 PM is ridiculous to close the gates... Everywhere else in this county is dusk , I don't know why Ivy Lawn can't be the same. But right now my problem is bathrooms being locked, we paid very very pretty penny to bury my brother there.... At least they can do is have to bathroom open for us on the weekends.... whatever the reason is , they need to address it and deal with it... they certainly make money off of us. read more

So where do I start? In late 2015 I buried my daughter here. At the time I was completely shattered and to be completely honest I'm not doing a whole lot better since then. However, now I'm able to talk about it. Not long after my daughter's death and subsequent funeral here I left for several years. In my absence things happened. Only one of which was I sent someone to settle the bill. After that was done I was told that the balance that was paid was $14,000, I was confused and quite taken aback because that was the total cost of the entire purchase plots and the funeral. I knew that some money had been paid upfront, and I was told that upwards of $1,4556 was already paid towards the bill in my absence before I had sent my associate to pay the balance off. When I returned to Ventura I went to Ivy Lawn And asked for a copy of the accounting, and was only given a copy of the invoice for the check that had been delivered in my absence. There was clearly something wrong, and the woman that I spoke to was dodgy at best... Money is missing. But I digress, It's only money. At some point I will delve into what happened with that. That's not what I'm most disturbed and upset about. Since I've been back in Ventura I have visited my daughters grave often. The entire look of the cemetery has changed since she was buried here. The bench that I was assured would remain under the tree next to her grave is no longer there. There are tacky statues and monuments placed throughout the cemetery with what amounts to For Sale signs placed about. Scattered amongst the graves are bits and pieces of mowed down flower arrangements and the wrapping the bouquets come in. Many of the headstones of other graves have fallen into disrepair. On many occasions I've been accosted by staff and treated like some kind of nuisance... The list goes on. What I'm saying is everything about this place has gone to hell in a handbasket. What used to be a beautiful and classy cemetery that is exemplified by the oldest section in the center of the property has expanded into A trashy park with tasteless decorations run by at best surly and at worst dodgy (possibly crooked) staff. Now that I'm somewhat back on my feet I will delve into what happened here and come back with any updates. The list goes on. read more

Ivy Lawn Memorial Park - I cleared out and unburied my daughters flower vase myself. - Cremation Services Near Me - Ventura, California

It's a beautiful cemetery but the staff in the office have horrible customer service. Specifically a lady, whose name is Anna.

Losing a loved one is never easy. Now I visit my grandma and grandpa here and it's always clean, quite, and with pleasant scenery. Happy they have this beautiful resting place together. read more

Ivy Lawn Memorial Park - Cremation Services Near Me - Ventura, California

Mom and I visited my brother yesterday and the grounds look great! His stone and area are super clean. My brother loved to visit his loved ones at Ivy Lawn and loved the Ivy Lawn Family. We miss you Rudy! read more

Ivy Lawn Memorial Park - Cremation Services Near Me - Ventura, California

I have several relatives buried here. I haven't personally dealt with the office or staff, so I cannot add stars for that, but overall the park looks tidy. I don't understand the reviews complaining about the plant holders. Crab grass grows fast and is very strong. If the staff cleared them ALL out routinely they'd never get it done or get sleep. You have to request for a specific grave to be maintained at that level, like my grandma does. However, I do have one suggestion and that is to once in awhile give some tlc to the older graves. Just cause people may have moved or there might no longer be loved ones to visit the graves shouldn't mean they aren't somewhat cleaned up and restored. It's just depressing to think about some of the graves never getting love. read more

So many bad reviews. I was shocked initially, then I was understanding but I hope I can shed some light so this peaceful park doesn't get such a bad reputation. I have plenty of family members resting at Ivy Lawn. Most close to me are my mother and my brother. So this park is very important in my life. After my mom passed in 2016, I had no negative experiences. At the funeral they allowed me to stay for the closing and, while sad, I left knowing my mom was resting at piece. For a few years, at the holidays, the park would be lit up in decorations. Especially so on major holidays. When a couple years back I read that decorations were no longer allowed I reacted. I was sad... I was mad... I was confused. My routine was now off. Maybe if I reviewed blindly, I may have reacted with a low rating for this, but I held off for fairness. There is always two sides, and I generally lean towards there "is likely a reason." My brother passed away earlier this month. I got quoted at a mortuary, then proceeded to Ivy Lawn to find my brother a spot. Not only was I treated with respect, there pricing options for similar services were FAR cheaper than using a mortuary. Yes, it did seem that fees get tacked on, but in all honesty.. after burying my mom, I understand. Not for profit does not mean no profit. Some reviews cite this. But it does mean that there are no shareholders or owners to answer to. The fees are mostly endowment fees which are used to upkeep the park and keep it operating. That is a whole debate I don't want to participate in. Back to the decorations. Rather than posting a negative review, I merely inquired with the management on what caused the policy change. Once I learned that an employee was threatened at gunpoint by a visitor re: decorations, I fully understand the parks response. They have obligations...not only to those resting at the park, but also to the employees. Plus we live in California which is a strict state on employee rights. Rather than degrade the park, I hope people sit in peace and just hope and pray for those in our current society who are troubled enough the threaten staff armed. read more

Ivy Lawn USED to care for the gravesites very well, but they stopped several years ago, and it continues to worsen. It seems that as they spend more on signs and upgrades, the care of the actual sites is suffering more and more. When I came this time, I literally needed shovels, clippers, and protective gloves; as they had failed to turn the vase over when they removed our flowers after our last visit here which (for LOTS of hard reasons) was over a year ago. For the amount of money you have to spend for a plot here, visitors should be able to come visit and NOT need yard tools to bring flowers to deceased loved ones. It's ridiculous! Imagine flying in from another state and not being able to leave flowers! Super frustrating. I'm very glad that I live close enough to bring tools with me because I have to care for 3 different flower vases. I just wish I didn't need them. read more

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RESPONSE TO Jean C's comment- Thank you for your response to my below review. There isn't a misunderstanding, mistakes were made on Ivy Lawn's part and there was a real lack of compassion there too. My brother already came into Ivy Lawn's on-site office after the funeral & tried to address the issues calmly and was met with defensive & deceitful excuses. We'd love to take you up on your offer to meet & discuss our concerns if you are willing to genuinely listen to us & truly try to rectify this painfully upsetting situation. Ana has my contact info. regarding our Jewish section burial on 8-14-23. I Look forward to hearing from you so that we may set up a meeting soon. ORIGINAL REVIEW- Julie B. * 4 days ago I am disgusted with Ivy Lawn, I wouldn't recommend this place if they were the last cemetery on earth. Ridiculously overpriced, our Mother's grave was not well kept despite the $800. endowment fee we paid and there was a great lack of compassion for our grieving family. On the business end of things, emails weren't returned promptly if at all, we were blamed for their errors and lied to with excuses. We were charged $200 for a service attendant that was MIA on the day of the burial and they were a half an hour late to the gravesite for my Father's burial. Ivy Lawn made a day that I couldn't have found more painful and somehow managed to make immensely worse. BUSINESS RESPONSE- Jeanne C. Business Owner Thank you for your feedback. There are obviously some misunderstandings, and we welcome a meeting to discuss your concerns. Come in or call and we will be available to listen! read more

If you care about your loved ones, just know that the office management here doesn't. Absolutely no consideration to visiting family members requests. Ps... I upgraded this review from a 1 star to 3 during my visit today. The office doesn't care but the staff does! At the last minute, a groundsman named Stuart was able to help us with our Mother's grave site. Beyond friendly and professional, he completely saved our day and the reputation of Ivy Lawn. If office management is reading this, you owe Stuart a big thanks. Maybe get off your high horse and learn to have heart like the boots on the floor read more

Had a bad experience with Anna on the phone. I was just asking her to verify some information and she said I had to pay her $100.00 to find out. What???!! read more

Jeanine you are lying I have receipts for the plaque inspection fees etc. we paid almost 1600.00 dollars just for you to "inspect" and install the plaque. You charged us for everything on the list that you sent us as depicted in photo from your email! You charged us for all the review and acceptance fees plus the endowment , the total was almost 1600.00 dollars. Gouging customers is pathetic and disgraceful. Ivy lawn charged us almost 1600.00 to "inspect" ,"accept" ,"approve" and "endowment" for a gravesite plaque (marker) for my Father that we had made from another outside vendor . They were malicious because we did not use their in house market service. Ana charged us an additional $5000.00 dollars to have the burial on a Saturday, that's on top of all the other costs!! Only two workers were there. That's gouging. The reason we did it on Saturday was because they had another large funeral too close to my Fathers burial site. Too much traffic etc. but $5000.00 dollars is extreme. read more

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Unless you absolutely have to, like we did, do not use Ivy Lawn as your cemetery service. When you are distraught and so upset over the loss of a loved one you need people to understand, be patient, cooperative, clear, and supportive. At Ivy Lawn there was no compassion. I realize like any business, the goal is to make money, but this is not like any other business. People are distracted and hurting so they are more vulnerable to the salespeople's influences than any other industry. That means the staff would need to be trained to lead with their heart and not with upsell tactics. The prices and fees are astronomical. For example, if you would like 10 additional chairs, that would be an additional $100. Moving on to the staff. We worked directly with Ana (The Manager) and what we were told and agreed to was not at all the service we received. We were forced to pay for an extra hour of time when we only needed 10 additional minutes. There was supposed to be an attendant that we had to pay $200 for that was nowhere to be found. Our Rabbi had tried calling the office twice with no answer or assistance. We were told to wait 30 minutes for the crew to come to lower my Dad into the ground with seniors and handicapped guests. When we reached out to Ivy Lawn, we were blamed for their lack of follow-through, and told half-truths and lies. We are still waiting for Jean to call us back and rectify the situation which has now been two weeks. It could look like we are the one in the bunch that fell through the cracks, but if you look at the other reviews, you will see that lies, high prices, lack of compassion, and more are simply the way Ivy Lawn conducts business. It is a shame. read more

The only reason(s) I am giving this place a FIVE is because the service I received from Grounds Keeper, ISAAC, two days ago on Saturday. I called the office, they answered, yet told me they could not help me because they are closed on the weekends. All I needed was a location to place flowers; had not been there in a long time. He apologized and said he could not help me. I told him, "I sure wish I had your job back then and was paid". ISAAC showed up soon in the caddy and rather than giving me excuses, he used his phone to look up the resting place. I not only followed him, but he dug up the vase and showed me where the water was. Great employee, yet I hope he stays in school for as good customer service he gives. I thank him. read more

Thank you for your comments. Unfortunately they do little to ease my disappointment with your management style. I'm sorry your staff has been threatened. I looked up police reports for the incidents you seem concerned about. Could only find one. It seems all of your customers are being punished by the actions of a few. I'm not in anyway promoting these actions, however a good management team should be able to manage a few bad apples without spoiling the bunch. You need to review your management skills and learn some conflict resolution techniques. read more

Ivy Lawn Memorial Park - My moms head stone looks a bit worn. If you can't decorate for Christmas, can't you at least take care of items within the contacts. - Cremation Services Near Me - Ventura, California

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Jeanne, thank you so much for responding, even though your feedback is totally off base. First, there wasn't 60 people, there was 25, I have the list right here in my hand would you like me to send it to you? Also there wasn't any table and the tent you are referring to was a toddler tent where i kept my three month old protected from the sun. Yes people brought food , a box of donuts and chips but definitely not 60 people's worth because there wasn't 60 people. And lastly my complaint isn't with rules, I understand rules, my complaint is with how rude and abusive your acting manager was. She had no right to speak like that and you have totally missed the point! read more

5 stars all the way.. if I could of given more I definitely would!! They did a great job with my grandfather's funeral today. My grandfather is a Navy Vet and they went WAY beyond for his service. It was so beautiful it was hard to hold back my tears. My great grandparents are also buried here and I'm glad to know a place that takes good care of our passed loved ones. They take good care of the grass, trees, and whole outlook of this place. Thank you for the great job and hard work you all did. read more

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Please do not use this business, they call it a non profit business but it is not. It's all about how much money they can bill you for. I had to pay an additional Consultant charge!? They charged me an $125.00 , so they could tell me about the markers they would sell me!! I ordered 2 vases when I payed them over $7,000.00 . Come to find out they did not include them, why? I have no idea. Now they want me to give the them another $500.00!! I tried to express my disappointment with them, and the general manager was so damn rude, my sister and I left with our mouths open.... read more

The worst place to lay to rest your loved ones. Rules change! No decorations!! Please don't consider this place, it's devastating that you can't show your love to your loved ones and place holiday decor. Especially if it's a child. read more

Today My 8-year-old grandson and I went out to visit the site where my son is buried as today is his birthday. His remains are in the crematory garden. I went into the office to request help because the grass had grown over the cup that holds the flowers. The woman that we spoke with was very helpful and said she would have somebody come out to assist us. A very nice young man by the name of Izac, using two shovels was able to not only cut away the excess grass but also cleaned the cup out and brought over a grill block to clean the granite. He then took the excess grass and spread it around the cup leaving it to look like nothing had ever been cut away. This young man went over and above. He was kind, respectful and helpful. Very good customer service skills in a situation that is very painful for many. I spoke to Izac's supervisor and let him know how impressed I was. read more

When we buried our loved one they charged us a fortune and were not kind or emphatic to our family. When they lowered him into the ground the groundmen dropped the casket. When trying to get a hold of the manager of the manager she was unavailable and the office staff refused to answer our questions or offer us any help. We received a call back 4 hours later and Jeanne was very rude and disrespectful, instead of saying how can she help us or assist us, she says what are you calling about and ignoring our complaints. She also told us to settle our problems else where and that she has nothing to do with this. She also does not respect the documents or the rules. read more

If I could give lower than one star I would. This was the one of the worst experience I have ever had experienced in my life. If you lose a loved one , you know how hard it can be. Your family is going through so much. But no matter what my family was kind and polite. We showed up and the lady that they gave us, I'm not sure if it was her first day. She couldn't answer any of our questions and she was unable to explain anything. She talked in complete circles and made no sense. She made a mistake that she didn't apologize for until I asked her. Then she goes and gets her manager who is the most unprofessional person I met. Zero sympathy. Zero customer service. Zero compassion. If you can go somewhere else for your loved one. I would suggest that. I would never ever ever want what they did to us to happen to another family.... In this profession they need to learn compassion. I pray hard that what happened to us never happens to others. To the Owners. You can do better. And you should. read more

I have never experienced or witnessed such disrespect for a grieving family. I came down from Los Angeles to visit a friend who was Laid to rest at this cemetery. The lack of respect of the grave is overwhelming. The grounds keeper is one of the rudest and scariest people ever. He yelled at me and my friend for sitting at the grave. We were quite and respectful of our surroundings. I swear I thought he was on drugs the way he was acting. The grave site wasn't being maintained as well. I would never use this location or recommend it. I feel sorry for the love ones that have to deal with this crap. read more

This cemetery is no longer allowing families to put up holiday decorations on their loved one's gravesites. The management there are heartless and uncaring people and will not listen to reason. Their excuse is to bend to the will of 2 families that are unhappy with their policy of removing decorations after the allotted period of time and instead of dealing with them, they are punishing the hundreds of other families that had no problem with their former rules. Although I seriously have my doubts about that story as well. The management there have become uncaring and heartless and should be removed. Do not put your loved ones in this horrible place. read more

My son has been at this cemetery for over 4 years and I'm getting myself mentally ready to ask to remove him.... ever since the beginning they would take his stuff off his grave an throw any decoration away I would leave him .... now they are telling us that we can no longer decorate anyone's graves just flowers in the vase .... my son was never given a life to live and now I'm being told I can't try to be there as a parent for him by leaving him gifts and decor especially on special occasions ?! It's not cool that they trick you you into spending your money with them by being so nice and great with you but once your loved one is finally buried they turn and are no longer nice to you all I've ever seen is the gardeners with their attitudes like that don't like their job... my sons gravestone at one point was able to be picked up out of the ground! I'm really reconsidering my son being buried here and now I have to make the decision to throw away thousands of dollars and take home with me or leave him there where they don't care about him read more

For a business to show any compassion, this place has zero. Especially the GM of the place. She is one of the rudest, most unprofessional people I have ever met. She even went as far to tell us that we "didn't have to bury (the deceased) here"-Seriously? With two other family members buried at Ivy Lawn? Also, they demand that one pays for some grave site finding web site. Total rip off. Not an option. But an additional $250. Still waiting for a "sorry for your loss" comment, but all they could come up with is "Here is your bill..." read more

I have given Ivy Lawn a great review 5 years ago. I was visiting my father's grave and one of the workers offered to help me clean off his head stone. But this time, it wasn't such a pleasant experience. My brother, sister in law and I all went to put flowers on my father, aunt, uncle, and grandparent's graves. We were unable to remove the cup for flowers on my uncle and grandparent's. We drove to the office to ask if they could remove them for us. Not that day, but when they had time, so that next time we visited, we could put flowers in their cups. Mind you, I had driven 3 hours from San Diego to visit my family, so it's not like I can visit often. They had the audacity to tell us we had yo pay $20.00 for the first one, and $10.00 for each additional one!! Are you serious right now?!!! We're not asking for them to dig a new hole, just pull up the cup that's already there!! Shame on them for this. Disgraceful and unacceptable! I know people are struggling because of Covid, but really? So, we will return with tools and get them up ourselves. read more

I own a burial plot and a preneed contract for my cremation. These people are caring professionals. Their price for direct cremation is excellent and accomplished in VENTURA at Ivy Lawn. Remains are not shifted to Los Angeles or another mortuary. read more

Kind, and understanding. Helpful and supportive. Our experience has been comforting. The landscape is peaceful and beautiful. It's quiet, and a quick drive from LA. They recently expanded so there's lots of room for family. read more

I have always found this to be the best cemetery services in Ventura County. In fact, both of my parents and my brother are interred there. They have just about every service available to meet every need. read more

Over priced MAJORITY of the staff is rude and in professional But there are one or two God ones. Up keep is crap One way roads are dumb The extra stuff they added is not pointless. Put money into up keep not a statue in the middle of the grass. read more

When I stop by to take My Mom flowers I always find myself just wondering around the grounds it's so beautiful, thank you to management for truly caring about us the family. read more

Boy do I hate tis place. Yes just needing a cemetary is sad but this place is ridiculous. You might as well be at Target buying everyday purchases. I walked up to the sales cou ter where I met Kathy. She was so loud and harsh that I was truly bummed that I had to deal with her. She made iit a worse experience than it already was going to be. I did the mortuary business at Pierce Brothers in Thousnd Oaks where everything was dignified and lovely. I would have used there cemetary if I we didn't already have the plot at Forset Lawn. So if you have a choice try Pierce. If you don't have a choice have a stiff drink before you go. read more

It is weird to "rate" a cemetery - really weird. It should give my family 5-stars for adding our war hero, my grandfather, to the many loved ones there. read more

I am a huge fan of this cemetery. They offer beautiful grounds and kind service. I am amazed at how people can make ugly comments or poke fun because this is a very sacred place. The people that take care of it deserve a thank you. Not everyone can do the job they do, My experience included witnessing rude and loud and obnoxious cutomers that took their grief out on the wrong people. Try a little kindeness and see what you get back. read more

Buried my aunt weeks ago. My family and I were shocked at the high prices and displeased at how the workers were joking and laughing as they walked up to lower my aunt to the ground. Visited 2weeks ago and saw the same 2 short guys and black man joking and laughing while others worked. They must be supervisors. Went over to visit my grandfather and his headstone was completely covered by grass as if that certain part of the cemetery is completely neglected. Went back to visit yesterday and couldn't believe this place had their workers out in the park working in this toxic air due to the Ventura fire. Spoke to one worker about working in such toxicity as he used a weedwacker and he simply said its management who makes the call, he just does as he's told. And sure enough saw that same black man just driving around not doing much. But this place is what aunty wanted... THIS PLACE NEEDS NEW MANAGEMENT! read more

Ivy Lawn Memorial Park - Headstones.. Lack of maintenance. Very sad. Very unprofessional. - Cremation Services Near Me - Ventura, California

After 4 years visiting, I received the most humble and superior customer service by Javier. He edged the water site where grass grew over and introduced the grill stone, making the headstone shine like a new penny! My Mom and I would like to thank you for making our day. read more