Read the reviews! Then go visit. The Shepherd Memorial Park looks abandoned. It was a nice looking place. It has struggled the last 11 years. The staff continuously changes. And yes, they have been very rude at the park. Always act like you shouldn't be there.
I recently received a bill from Thomas Shepherd & Son regarding my uncles service from 2019. They would not let us hold the funeral service until they were paid in full yet 3 years later sends me a letter in the mail stating I still owed them money. I sent them copies of the receipts; horrible way to do business families should not have to re-live their loved one's funeral service 3 years later!!
We are from out of town and had Shepherd's do the funeral for my mother. They were very compassionate and understanding of the emotions that we had during this difficult time. They were also very accommodating in allowing us to use the chapel in the funeral home for the memorial service. Also, when we had a problem with the burial site, they helped resolve the problem. During this emotional time, Shepherd's was very understanding. We never felt rushed to get things done. At the burial site, we spent a long time after the burial service talking to relatives. Never once felt like we had to leave. We really appreciated the "not feeling rushed" attitude. Their communication was excellent. If we had a question, we never felt like the question was too stupid to ask. Also, any question that needed some time to resolve was promptly resolved with a very quick call-back. My family and I really appreciate everything that they did to make this time less stressful so we could concentrate on my mother's passing into heaven.
Go elsewhere for funeral services. My grandparents were cremated and interred together on May 18, 2018. On that day, the flowers I had ordered were not at the cemetery. The Shepherd representative on hand did not look at or speak to any of us, and when asked about the flowers, he said he knew nothing about them. He did not bother to call the office to inquire. The men who could complete the burial after our graveside service stood by their van in full view of the family, seemingly impatient to finish their job. My aunt was handed the wrong funeral certificate for my grandmother on one of her trips to their offices. Phone calls were either not answered at all or answered rudely. It is now over seven months since their service and there is no marker on their grave. The one star on this review is for the woman at the cemetery who promised me a call back when she learns more. My initial call to the Shepherd main office got a curt "you'll have to call the cemetery for that" response.
If I could choose zero stars I would. Father in law passed away on 10/30/20, called Shepards to pick him up. When we met with them on 11/2/20 to discuss cremation we were told it could take up to 5 weeks by one employee and another said 5 days . At this meeting we paid the bill in full. A death certificate has to be issued within 5 days in this state. The one that said 5 weeks said they had to go in order of the bodies received. So we waited, then on 11/9/20 we received a phone call saying the state had shut them down and we had to find another funeral home. We immediately contacted Jackson's and met with them on 11/10. We received his remains and death certificate from Jackson's on 11/13. Shepards continued to receive bodies knowing they were not equipped to handle them. What a disgrace this place is to not honor the dead and treat grieving families this way.
Our family has worked with Shepherd’s Funeral Directors in the past, but after our last experience I would never recommend or use their services again. My grandfather recently passed away and was cremated there. From beginning to end their staff was cold and unfeeling. They didn’t even let us finish the service in their chapel – the director in charge walked in when our time was apparently up, interrupted and said that the family would be exiting to the left. There was no condolence from the staff at the funeral home. They rushed us through everything telling us we had to respect other’s time because they wouldn’t want to spend too much of their day at a funeral. Seriously? As we left to go to the grave where the ashes were to be interred, no one even gave out directions on how to get there, much less set up a car line. The Shepherd's representative at the grave site was actually very kind. The obituary distribution was a mess. I’m not sure what happened, but nobody could find the information. Overall they made an already sad event even worse, and all of the mourners were upset with the way we were treated at Shepherd's.
When my mother passed away at Elizabeth House hospice, we again called Shepherd and Son as we did for my father almost 10 years earlier. We worked with Amber and it went very smoothly. We were from out of state and had a timeline we wanted to achieve prior to our departure. I asked a lot of questions to set my expectations for the timelines needed for all the processes and Amber was terrific about providing answers signatures, death certificates, cremation scheduling, bringing the remains on a plane, etc.. I highly recommend working with Amber and our family has had a great experience with Shepherd and Son. Not only this time, but also with my father's passing. Back then, they asked us what we desired, and from there, they provided us with numerous options when I asked how to lower the total cost. The transport of my father's casket to out of state also went very smoothly. While there is some competition in the area, I'd recommend asking a lot of questions before and during the need for funeral services to set your expectations and understanding that these services are "a process," much of which is required by law. You might be able to nudge the timelines in your favor, but it's still a process. Our experience with Amber and Shepherd and Son went really well.
I have to say Melody Shepard is an angel! This funeral home has been nothing but amazing to my family and I. They supported us in an emotional time and I would highly recommend them to handle your loved ones arrangements. We will only do business with this funeral home going forward when taking care of my families burial arrangements. Best funeral home in the area, hands down. Thank you melody for going above and beyond, to help me and my sister get closure in our unfortunate situation, there needs to be more people like you in this world.
I just buried my mom on 05/20/2019. Thos Shepherd was the most disruptive place I have ever seen. Melody Shepherd will not call anyone back to see if family needs anything. It took over 24 hours to get obituary online and the man that was our Director Ryan Shipley he is not a human being. For me to call and have complaints and him call me a CRAZY WOMAN..is very uncalled for. Please do not let Thos Shepherd Funeral do anything for your loved ones.. They put my mom in a dark room where the hair dresser couldn't even do her hair without a flashlight.. THEY ARE VERY SORRY..
Thos. Shepherd & Son provided first-rate service for our family this past week. Melody Shepherd and her directors were kind, sympathetic to our loss, and as determined as we were to give my father the honorable and respectful ceremony he deserved. Because of the pandemic and restrictions, Ms. Shepherd and staff became quite creative in Daddy's accomodations. They problem-solved by having a private family visitation indoors, and his funeral on the back lawn of Thos. Shepherd & Son, allowing family and friends to attend. The whole process was so smooth from beginning to end. I highly recommend using Thos.Shepherd & Son if you want high quality customer service and a top notch service for your loved ones.
