Valley Memorial Park
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When we learned that Valley Memorial Park in Novato has a cemetery, funeral home, on-site crematory, and reception event center on its premises and offers prices that are affordable for families, we wanted to learn more.
And what we discovered is that this unique cemetery and funeral home does indeed offer families a better experience.
Full-Service Cemetery, Funeral Home, On-Site Crematory and Reception Event Center at Valley Memorial Park in Novato CA
In sharp contrast to most other cemeteries and funeral homes, Valley Memorial Park Cemetery and Funeral Home is both-and includes a reception and event center and crematory right on site.
Sherri Richardson, marketing manager at Valley Memorial Park, explains that the full-service venue takes pressure off of grieving families. “Families who have just lost loved ones are grieving, and they 
have to go to the funeral home where they’ll sit for hours, asking and answering questions, while their brains are numb, they’re sick to their stomachs, and they haven’t slept. Then they leave the funeral home and go to the cemetery and ask and answer all of the same questions again. Then they have to go to the place where they’ll have the celebration of life and do it yet again,” she says. “But here, you can make all of your plans just once and we can take care of the entire day for you from the first hour through the funeral to the celebration of life.”
And the all-in-one location helps families stay together while remembering their loved ones. “You lose a lot of guests when you have to drive from the church or chapel to the cemetery and then to the reception hall,” Sherri Richardson says. “And there’s the worry and hassle of giving directions and mapping out the route. With us, that’s a burden families don’t have to bear. They can park and walk to the location of the service, to the cemetery, and then to the reception center without ever having to leave the property.”
The reception center seats 130 guests and has a caterer’s kitchen, tables, chairs, and video technology for slide shows. “All the families have to do is get a caterer or plan the food and bring tablecloths,” says Richardson.
That single-location service is also key to helping families who have chosen cremation. With other cremation services, a bus usually comes to the funeral home once a week to take remains to an
offsite cremation area, where they are treated before being returned to the funeral home two or three weeks later. But this can be stressful for families because of the long wait times and vagueness over who is taking care of their loved ones and whether they are being treated respectfully.
Instead, families like the security and care offered by Valley Memorial Park Cemetery and Funeral Home. Their onsite crematorium means that loved ones stay on the premises and can be returned to their families within 24 to 48 hours. And the fear of remains being lost or swapped out is nonexistent. “Here, we have a cremation viewing room with a private view to the side of the chamber,” Richardson says. “Families can know in their heart that the cremains they get back are really those of their loved one and they’ve been handled with dignity.”
In fact, Valley Memorial Park offers families a choice in how their loved ones are remembered, including live funeral webcasting for faraway family and friends, immediate burial, visitations and viewings, funeral and memorial services, celebrations of life, graveside services, and committal services offer a variety of memorial choices. Burial options include ground burial; mausoleums; and cremation urns, niches, and scattering gardens. Funerals for veterans can include full military honors, military chaplains, flag presentations by the American legion, and a final salute, and veterans can be interred in memorial plots, have headstones or markers provided by the Veterans’ Administration, burial in a veteran’s cemetery, and more.
And while Valley Memorial Park Cemetery and Funeral Home isn’t affiliated with any denomination or religious group, its employees treat all families with respect and care. Services and memorials can be altered to fit religious or personal preferences, and burials or cremations can be handled in specific ways to meet family and individual needs.
Valley Memorial Park: Cadillac Service without a Cadillac Price
Funerals are expensive. And while family members may want to provide their loved one with a memorable celebration of life, limited finances and overwhelming final expenses can get in the way.
Compared to competitors that are big corporations, Valley Memorial Park Cemetery and Funeral Home is family-owned, meaning they can keep costs down and give families a better value. “We offer a Cadillac service without a Cadillac price,” says Sherri Richardson. “Families are having the
worst day of their lives, and we would never take advantage of them.”
She explains that most corporation-run cemeteries and funeral homes have set prices and set packages that cannot be adjusted. But at Valley Memorial Park, families are in control. “We have packages with listed prices, but if a family chooses not to use all of the items in the package-if they want to supply their own flowers or thank you cards, for example-we can omit them and deduct that from the package prices.”
Families also like that the prices at Valley Memorial Park are set and publicly listed, including guidelines of cemetery prices. That way there’s no question what the fees will be, and it’s obvious that the prices are being represented honestly and clearly. And they find that the costs are much lower than at most other cemeteries and funeral homes. In fact, the reception facilities are rented for half the price of other similar venues, and direct cremations are also around half the price of cremation services provided by competitors. “We are sensitive to our families’ needs, and we want to take care of them and give them the best services regardless of their finances,” Richardson says. “Having a memorable celebration of life and a beautiful place to come back to to remember your loved one should be a possibility for all families.”
Additionally, Valley Memorial Park also offers preplanning and preneed insurance. “Preneed insurance follows you through your life and is a gift to your family,” Sherri Richardson says. Individuals can purchase preneed insurance and property either upfront or on a monthly payment plan with no interest. They can also preplan their service or memorial, from music to pictures. “Then, on the day they need it, their family members can walk in, and we’ll have the file and everything is already handled for them,” Richardson says. “The area is picked out, the service is planned, and it’s your last gift to your family.”
Summers in the Bay Area are dry, and many cemeteries get brown by midsummer. But not Valley Memorial Park. “Were the only cemetery in Marin County that stays green all year long,” says 
Richardson. “We use reclaimed water to maintain a beautiful, park-like setting for families when they come to visit.” In fact, families and are known to visit often, even having picnics on the manicured grounds. “We’re not right off of the freeway. We’re in a green valley, so it’s quiet and beautiful here,” she adds. “Our grounds are meticulously maintained and our crew of grounds staff are constantly working to keep it looking good for our families.”
We were heartened to find Valley Memorial Park Cemetery and Funeral Home in Novato CA, where families can find a one-stop venue for funerals, celebrations of life, burials, and cremation services that also offers fairly priced services and a great value. And after talking with them, it’s comforting to know that Bay Area families in Marin, Sonoma, San Francisco, and the surrounding areas have an option where they and their loved ones can be treated with kindness and respect during a difficult time.
| Company Name | Valley Memorial Park |
| Facility Address | 650 Bugeia Ln Novato CA 94945 |
| Phone Number | (415) 897-9609 |
| Alt Phone Number | – – |
| Office Hours | M-F 8am-4:30pm, 24-hour phone service available for urgent funeral matters |
| Email Contact | Send an email to this Company |
| Areas Served | San Rafael CA, Larkpur, Woodacre, Sausalito, Mill Valley, Novato, Tiburon, Kentfield |
| Owners | Lauren Elkin, CEO; George Estes, Cemetery Manager; Ron Henderson, Funeral Director |
| Owner’s Years in Industry | – – |
| Number of Employees | – – |
| Licensing | FD #2295, COA #377 |
| Insurance | Liability insurance in-force with The Hartford. |
| Insurance | – – |
| Insurance | – – |
| Education Credentials | – – |
| Certifications & Memberships | Prime Buyer's Report Top Ten, Chamber of Commerce-Novato, Chamber of Commerce-San Rafael, Rotary Club |
| Awards | – – |
| Area of Expertise | All-inclusive funeral services, including pre-planning, celebrations of life, military funerals, memorialization, on-site crematorium |
| Key Brands | – – |
| Key Equipment | – – |
| Customers Served per Year | – – |
| Type of Customers | Families and individuals |
| Warranties & Guarantees | – – |
| Pricing | Fair pricing |
| Credit Cards Accepted | – – |
| Financing | – – |
Valley Memorial Park Super Review
Valley Memorial Park offers a peaceful and beautiful location for funerals and burials, supported by kind and knowledgeable staff who care about families and their needs during times of grief.
Valley Memorial Park “guided us through the process, answered all of our questions, made sure we understood everything, and most importantly … was a source of comfort and confidence,” wrote Madeline M. in a Yelp review. Her positive review sounds a lot like the rest of the reviews I read during my research. To start, I visited all four source review sites and read every single review, a total of 29 reviews.
In total, Valley Memorial Park has a 5-star average score on Google from 11 reviews, 4.5 on Yelp from 5, and 4.3 on Facebook from 12 reviews, adding to evidence that they’re one of the most highly rated funeral homes and cemeteries in the Bay Area.
Location and Facilities
It’s important to many families to choose a peaceful and beautiful place to lay their loved ones to rest. Nine reviewers across all four review sites described the grounds as “beautiful” and “gorgeous,” and nine others used the words “peaceful,” “serene,” and “quiet.” In a Google review, Maika L. said, “It is a beautiful and quiet place to visit with loved ones interred here.” On Yelp, Kevin J. described it as “a very peaceful quiet place. It is close to town yet it feels like it’s way out in the country.” And on Facebook, Juan C. shared that the grounds are a “peaceful place to visit and have … contact with nature.”
Burial locations aren’t the only reason families want to choose a beautiful location. Some also choose a funeral home and cemetery that can accommodate memorial services, visitation, and other events and visits. The facilities and grounds at Valley Memorial Park also received high praise, which can be a comfort to families choosing an interment location. Imee B. wrote, “Their facility is so comforting and modern. The grounds are well-kept … peaceful and beautiful.” And Bill C. said, “Outstanding facility, well kept, very solemn, peaceful.”
People
Reviewers also wrote about how much they liked the staff members who served them and their families during emotional times of grief and remembrance. In a five-star review, Madeline M. said the staff was “so friendly and welcoming.” Kevin J. said, “the staff was wonderful.” Eddie S. praised the staff for taking “a huge weight off my family’s shoulders so we could focus on the important things, not paperwork and red tape.”
Across all ratings websites 11 reviewers commented that the staff at Valley Memorial Park was “professional,” “caring” and “informative.” This is important, especially for families and individuals that don’t have experience choosing a funeral home or burial service. Finding a facility with knowledgeable and patient staff who take the time to explain options and answer questions can be comforting, and the reviews about this company’s ability to do so is further proof that it’s a quality service.
Quality of Care
Other reviewers appreciated the quality of the care they received during a difficult time. Eva H. said, “They made our grief so much easier by taking care of so much for us.” Marie R. wrote, “Not only do they take care of the entire family during time of grief, but they are so involved in our community and giving back.” That means families are more likely to find a personal touch that makes their grieving process easier, and the community focus helps keep the company accountable by being involved with individuals who live in the area.
Timing
Reviewers across all four major review websites I researched commented on the responsiveness of the staff. Madeline M. said the service was “streamlined and organized.” Eva H. wrote that the staff eased the transition after her parents passed away two months apart: “The staff made sure Mom’s brass plaque was up in time for Dad to be placed beside her.” And Eddie S. explained that the facility staff helped him despite difficult logistics: “We even had some minor delays due to the hospital staff, but Mark was personally involved and went out of his way to make sure we got everything done in less than a week, as we had to go to New Jersey for the final resting place.”
The only two-star review on Yelp was written by Le Deesse D. While she praised the facility for having a Muslim burial area, she noted that the company wasn’t able to “accommodate Islamic needs to bury a Muslim as soon as possible; within 24 hours of death.” She explained that her loved one “passed on New Year’s Eve, which was a Friday, and we couldn’t get him buried until the following Tuesday.”
Services
Families liked that the facility was able to handle a variety of services. Imee B. wrote, “Love that they are a one-stop shop.” Other reviewers commented on the site’s ability to host gatherings. Andrew E. said, “They’ve recently built a very nice hall that would be the perfect place to host a reception.” In a testimonial on the facility’s website, Chris and Larry H. and family wrote to commend the “service and arrangements for our mother’s funeral,” calling their experience “so perfect.” Two more reviewers mentioned the peace of mind they got from working with the staff to pre-arrange funeral services.
Now that I’ve read all 29 reviews of Valley Memorial Park across four review sites and analyzed the responses, I see that the facility and staff consistently provide the personal care, services, and type of environment that families are looking for when dealing with the death of a loved one. Although funeral homes and cemeteries can make claims about their own services, facilities, and grounds, real clients are the best resource for accurate information. While individual reviews and experiences can vary, the number of positive reviews across different major and minor ratings review sites shows that this facility is providing quality services in a kind and approachable way.
Two reviews summed up the predominant customer experience and sentiment: Eddie S. wrote, “The beauty of the facility and friendliness and prompt services of the staff that made me choose Valley Memorial Park.” And Madeline M. said, “I am happy that I chose this beautiful place to lay my mom to rest.”
Written January 2020
We want to thank you for making the service and arrangements for our mother’s funeral so perfect. Every detail was exactly right, and you helped to make the arrangements so easy. Our family was so pleased, and we know that our mom “approved.” Thank you for your personal attention to every request and for your compassion during this difficult time for us.
With much appreciation, Chris and Larry Harrison and family
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for all of your compassion and caring for our parents and family. You and George are very professional and have made our difficult times more manageable for sure.
Best Regards, The Jaret Family
