Know your rights before you ring. The Federal Trade Commission requires funeral directors to give you price information over the phone if you ask for it—without you first having to share your name, address, or phone number. And if you visit in person, the funeral home must give you a general price list that is yours to keep. We reached out to some local operators to get the lay of the land. Note: “Basic services” include the initial meeting with a funeral director, death certificate paperwork, and the funeral home’s overhead costs; prices below do not include such particulars as embalming (anywhere from $900 to $1,600) or urns and caskets, which can send the final bill soaring into five-digit territory; read Choose Your Own Adventure: After Death Edition if you’re interested in bringing your own low-cost option.
Black & Clark Funeral Home
Samuel Black founded this funeral home in 1914 with a mission to serve Black communities during a time when segregation and racism were still issues even in the afterlife. The current CEO, Linda A. Mitchell, has more than 40 years of experience in the funeral industry, and under her leadership the 15,000-square-foot facility has been remodeled and refreshed. 2517 E. Illinois Ave. 214-376-8297.
Basic services: $2,010
Immediate burial: $3,335
Direct cremation: $3,185
Calvario Funeral Home
For many, the intended location of the burial or scattering of ashes may be a plane flight away. For more than 40 years, the bilingual staff at this Bishop Arts staple has specialized in the transportation of remains to Latin American countries. 300 W. Davis St. 214-946-8165.
Basic services: $1,490
Immediate burial: $1,320
Direct cremation: $1,495
Eternal Rest Funeral Home
This Black- and family-owned funeral home has expanded to a total of four locations: Dallas, DeSoto, Ennis, and Plano. Owner and pastor Gerald Weatherall Sr. ventured into the funeral business in 2004. Services range from simple burials to customizable and elaborate crowning ceremonies. Multiple locations. 2830 S. Ervay St. 214-421-9906.
Basic services: $2,600
Immediate burial: $2,995
Direct cremation: $1,995
Laurel Land Funeral Home
Laurel Land has been serving families out of its South Dallas location since the 1960s. The funeral home can easily accommodate larger crowds in its 300-seat funeral chapel. Its adjacent 300-acre cemetery is the resting place of Grammy Award winner and Dallas native Stevie Ray Vaughan. 6300 S. R.L. Thornton Fwy. 214-371-1336.
Basic services: $3,475
Immediate burial: $5,020
Direct cremation: $3,060
Moore Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens
One in five of the funerals here are for members of the Vietnamese community. The staff is experienced in both Catholic and Buddhist traditions, and there is a ventilation system for the burning of ceremonial incense. The Moore Memorial Gardens have been designed with two sections dedicated to Vietnamese Catholics. 1219 N. Davis Dr., Arlington. 817-275-2711.
Basic services: $6,040
Immediate burial: $6,620
Direct cremation: $3,635
Restland Funeral Home
Describing itself as “one of the largest funeral homes, cemeteries, and onsite crematories in the Southwest,” this nearly century-old business has three large chapels and a 375-acre cemetery. In addition to offering signature services like a horse-drawn hearse, Restland hosts annual community events for families for Día de los Muertos, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day. 13005 Greenville Ave. 972-238-7111.
Basic services: $5,180
Immediate burial: $4,382
Direct cremation: $2,396
Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home
The list would not be complete without the Beverly Hills of Dallas funeral homes, where Tom Landry and Mary Kay Ash rest in peace. You’ll find private estates with custom mini-mansion mausoleums and perfectly tended gardens. Plots start at $21,995, and you can upgrade to the 700 Masterpiece mahogany casket for a mere $75,000. If you thought life was priceless, Sparkman/Hillcrest is here to remind you that death is not. 7405 W. Northwest Hwy. 214-363-5401.
Basic services: $8,740
Immediate burial: $8,420
Direct cremation: $7,035
Turrentine Jackson Morrow Funeral Home
This family-run operation is currently under its fourth generation of ownership. The 65-acre Ridgeview Memorial Park includes a veteran Field of Honor garden, and the property maintains sections for faith- and non-faith-based burial grounds. Multiple locations. 2525 N. Central Expwy., Allen. 972-562-2601.
Basic services: $5,320
Immediate burial: $5,695
Direct cremation: $4,470
The Key to a Great Obituary
By Julia Heaberlin
The most complex and interesting fictional characters to write are the ordinary ones who do extraordinary little things. That’s how I feel about obituaries. It’s the smallest details that tell the story of a person. I love it when an obit is not just a formal recitation of achievement but includes something funny or heartrending. Here are some lines I would write about real people:
He always stopped and gave money to the homeless on the street whether they asked for money or not.
He was the only man in a 95-percent Republican county in Texas who could put a Beto sign in his front yard and stay alive.
She was a brilliant scientist but a terrible cook who once made a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving out of a real pumpkin that her guests had to spit out in chunks.
He was the favorite uncle who could be counted on to pick up family at the airport with a smile even if the plane was delayed and arrived at 2 am.
She wrapped presents so beautifully that no one ever wanted to open them. Her corners would have passed military inspection.
People always tell me, “I can’t write.” First, of all, that’s not ever true. If people are writing from the heart, it’s always beautiful. I think that “I can’t write” thought ingrained from a terrible third grade teacher stops people from writing more than the basics in an obituary when they have so much to say. Anyone can write a great obituary. It isn’t about sentence structure. It’s about love. It’s about telling the rest of us how that person made their spot on earth a better place.
Julia Heaberlin, based in North Texas, is a journalist-turned-thriller writer. The most recent of her six novels is titled Night Will Find You.
This story originally appeared in the November issue of D Magazine with the headline “Life Is Precious; Death Is Pricey.” Write to aileen.jimenez@dmagazine.com.
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