On-Site Cremation Services

We have owned and operated our own crematory since 1984. This affords us the opportunity to provide the highest levels of care & dignity for your loved one, and also ensures that your loved one never leaves our care.

The Billow family has cared for Summit County families since 1875. In 1984, we became the first funeral home in Summit County to build and operate our own crematory. Our staff benefits from over 40 years of experience operating our own crematory.

Knowing exactly what happens, and exactly who is caring for your loved one, is what provides clarity and peace of mind for your family.

One unified, trustworthy team

Every person who moves your loved one is a professionally trained and credentialed member of the Billow staff, and your loved one will always be transported in a Billow vehicle. Your loved one is never released to an outside cremation company or to a third-party contractor.

One crematory location

Cremation takes place at our own crematory, which is located in the cremation chapel of the Billow Fairlawn funeral home located on North Miller Road. Families are encouraged to book an appointment to tour our facility.

One answer, whenever you ask

At any hour of any day, we can tell you exactly where your loved one is and who is with them.

What to Expect at The Billow Funeral Homes & Crematory

From the first call notifying us of the death until the moment we entrust your loved one’s cremated remains back into your hands, you will know exactly what happens, and exactly who is doing it.

STEP ONE

Entrusting your loved one

into our care

When we bring your loved one into our care, whether from a hospital, a hospice facility, a nursing home, or a residence in Akron, Fairlawn, Cuyahoga Falls, or surrounding communities, they are brought into our care by our own staff.

The funeral director who takes the first call will also likely be the same funeral director who handles the arrangements and who stays with you every step of the way. You will never be handed off to a stranger or have to wonder where your loved one is.

STEP TWO

Preparation & care

Because dignity, gentleness, and respect are owed to every member of our community, we gently wash, dress, and prepare your loved one with the same care we would provide to a member of our own family.

This is not a formality, and it is not an extra. It is what we do for every person who is brought into our care, every time. We recognize the dignity of their humanity.

STEP THREE

A private goodbye

We believe families are endowed with the basic human right of being able to say goodbye meaningfully and honorably. Being afforded the opportunity to experience this physical form of closure is what allows you to take leave of the physical body of the person you love. Realization is the first step that puts all of us on a good path forward during our grief journey. It is how we, as humans, say goodbye.

Our private family viewing rooms give your family quiet, unhurried time together, without the formality of a traditional service. Even when no ceremony is planned, you are welcome to honorably say goodbye in the peaceful and tranquil confines of our beautiful funeral homes. There is no charge for it.

STEP FOUR

Walking the final steps

Some families find meaning in walking alongside their loved and taking these final steps to escort their loved one to the cremation chapel. This powerful ritual is no different than the way many families walk together with pallbearers as they escort their loved one to a place of rest a cemetery.

You are welcome to accompany your loved one to our cremation chapel, and are also welcome to invite a leader from your faith community to offer prayers and final words before the committal. You will not be standing apart. You are permitted to walk with your loved one to the very end of their journey so that they are not alone.

STEP FIVE

Entrusting your loved one

back into your care

After the cremation services are completed, our professional staff will coordinate with you to set a time to return your loved one back into your arms. When the time comes, you can trust that we will return your loved one’s urn to you with the same dignity, gentleness, and respect that has guided us along every step of the way. At this time, we are also honored to arrange for other rituals or ceremonies that will bring your family comfort, such as a short prayer service, full military honors, the presentation of a United States Burial Flag, fraternal honors, or professional honors like a Nightengale Tribute.

The second question families ask

My loved one just wants cremation. Why not use the lowest cost provider?

You may have heard the term “direct cremation.” Or you may have simply told us that cremation is what your family wants. It is worth knowing what that means, because it does not mean the same thing everywhere. Cremation is a form of disposition; it is not something that prevents you from having a service, gathering, or ceremony.

At a low-cost direct disposition provider, direct cremation means what it sounds like: your loved one is picked up, held in refrigeration, and cremated. Nothing else happens. No washing and dressing, no private goodbye, no chance to escort your loved one to the crematory, nor the personalized care of a licensed director who knows your name. Those are either unavailable or billed as additional enhanced service offerings.

At The Billow Funeral Homes & Crematory, everything we describe here is included. We believe in service to a standard, not service that has been negotiated down to a price. Dignified care and the highest levels of service are what every human being deserves, and it is what every family receives.

Tour Our Privately

Owned Crematory

If you would like to walk the final steps with your loved one, our privately owned crematory makes it possible. Come and tour both our newly renovated Fairlawn funeral home and cremation witnessing space.