My brother in law passed away recently unexpectedly. My sister, as a former doctoral student and…read moregraduate of William & Mary College, chose to have his ashes interred in the Memorial Garden close by Lake Matoaka on the beautiful colonial style campus. Today was the day, after driving down from Bucks County on Thursday. It was very hard to find and follow the directions on the alumni website, but I stopped a Campus Police Officer and asked for help. He offered to have us drive behind him and take us to the spot. Above and beyond to be sure. The garden is framed by a low brick wall on one side, with a stunning statue of a large dove on wing arising toward Heaven. It is surrounded by a round flower bed and lower wall where I sat contemplating life and its fragility. This is a perfect spot for the occasion. The alumni association has realized a beautiful way to honor their history and the people who made it. Respect.

The Albert G. Horton Memorial Cemetery is a State Veterans Cemetery on Milners Road in a rural area…read moreof Suffolk. Its 2004 opening provided a military cemetery for the huge military community that chose to retire in Coastal Virginia. The cemetery is one of a number of regional cemeteries run by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, Eligible Veterans receive one free burial site & USDVA provided outer burial receptions/crypts & headstones. Should a veterans's wife predecease him, the headstone is inscribed with her information facing forward. When the veteran dies his information is inserted on the opposite side and the headstone rotated so his information faces the front, My Uncle had originally planned to be buried at Arlington. After his wife died, the funeral director mentioned Albert Horton. When we left my Uncle asked what I thought. We both had individually felt that it would be a place where we could more easily visit her. We toured the next day. Even the drive down Milners Road is picturesque. The cemetery itself was clean, new and beautifully laid out. The staff was friendly. The decision was made. At that time word of the beautiful Veterans Cemetery had not yet widely spread. She received a convenient plot near the drive through and near a bench. There appeared to be space for burials for many years. That hasn't been the case. The Cemetery filled over the years and has been expanded. When my Uncle died I had my first experience with the Pavilion, which is used to provide a military graveyard service with Honor Guard. It was a moving experience for the man I considered my second father. The Honor Guard was a special final recognition for the retired Naval Commander, buried in his uniform, who had served in WWII, Korean & Vietnam. Albert Horton Veterans Cemetery continues to serve as a valued source for a final resting place for those who have served our country. Wreaths across America places gorgeous holiday wreaths on each grave. The Horton Wreath Society places wreaths on military holidays. Contributions can be made and are encouraged. Whether the burial be a traditional plot with stone, a columbarium or in ground urn, there is no cost for those Veterans who qualify. Thank you to the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. Virginia Veterans Cemeteries are such a valued contribution provided to our Veterans.

It is a beautiful setting....My husband thinks it is too far out.... but, I don't think it…read morematters...to get a lot of land you have to go far out.

Words can not express the gratitude that my family and I have for how Chris Stone and his staff…read morehandled all of the arrangements for my father's viewing and funeral service. He paid attention to every detail and the event was absolutely beautiful! We could not be happier with the outcome! Each time we had a question, he had already thought about it and handled it. He was literally 20 steps ahead of everything. We thank the team for making sure that my father received his military recognition. What a beautiful and honorable ending to the celebration of his life. I know that he would have been so proud. Having to bury your loved one is such an emotional time for families and close friends. It is hard to continue to do daily tasks, yet alone plan a funeral. He took away the burden of having to think about the details and allowed my family and I to grieve but, still enjoy the ceremonies. We knew that he was on it and we didn't have to worry. This is a gift that he gives to families that seek funeral services and we are truly grateful.

Losing a love one is extremely hard. Especially when it's unexpected. Unfortunately, that happened…read moreto my family - literally out of the blue. Whiting's Funeral Home took amazing care of us from start to finish. We were expecting a cumbersome and difficult process and we got none of that. Whiting's was engaged with us from start to finish. As soon as we notified them that our loved one passed, they were able to connect with emergency personnel to ensure that our love one was brought into their care. They not only knew what to do, but knew how to treat us as a family. Chris was absolutely amazing, he was compassionate, caring, and as we requested was diligent in the process so our heartache was not prolonged. Our family member was a veteran, so those arrangements were coordinated. So we were able to honor our father with a military salute at the funeral, as he deserved. Our loss occurred during COVID, so we were able to celebrate our father's life outdoors and it was absolutely a beautiful ceremony. Chris kept us informed, asked us questions about what we wanted from the program, to the music, to attendees. Again, losing a love one is a terrible thing, but having a funeral home that allows you to feel comfortable, is patient, is supportive and helpful, provides guidance, and makes you feel like family made the process smooth and effortless on our end. I would recommend Whiting's and Chris was fantastic, he helped us through a difficult time and made a process that could have been extremely mentally and emotionally draining, one that I can say made our family more at peace with our loss during such a hard time.

I can not praise them too much!! They were amazing with my dad's funeral so I knew it would go…read morewell. They are very caring and professional. They walk you through everything. It's hard to choose this or that for a loved one gone on before. But Doral (rhymes with Coral) was an amazing help. His brother David also a tremendous help. You truly have to know how to comfort this who are grieving yet take them through each step in the process in a timely manner. Covid restrictions are in place, hand sanitizer stations. These people have the patience of saints. Everything was beautiful.

From the owner: Our Family Serving Your Family Since 1854. Family Owned and Operated....It makes a difference. W.J…read more Smith & Son Funeral Home was established by our family in 1854. We are the oldest family owned and operated business in the Tidewater Peninsula area. Our funeral home spans six generations and represents our family's commitment for over 170 years to the community that we live in and serve. We are dedicated to serving your family with care and compassion in your time of need while honoring the life and memories of the ones you love. We are a full service funeral home offering advance pre-need planning, traditional and contemporary services, memorial services, military services, cremation, and memorials.

We used them to cremate my wife's remains. They have a beautiful building and are very…read moreprofessional and considerate. Their prices are reasonable, and they were thoroughly reliable. The people who came of our home to pick up my wife were very personable, considerate of our feelings, & professional. I appreciated their assistance in getting death certificates and notifying Social Security of her death.

This company made the passing of my mother and fulfilling her final wishes an easy process. They…read moretook care of every aspect of the service with care and respect.