Colma Cremation and Funeral Services

Colma Cremation and Funeral Services was efficient, professional, and genuinely compassionate every step of the way. I felt confident that my brother’s remains were being treated with dignity and respect. And the impromptu grief counseling session with Joseph Stinson gave me some unexpected and incredibly helpful perspectives on what I was going through. Joe, you and your organization were a shining light in a very dark time. Thanks.

Situation:
My beloved grandmother passed away on a Sunday, and we needed funeral services promptly. Having decided to bury my grandma in the same cemetery that my grandfather was buried in, in Colma, we researched Unilocal for local establishment and were drawn to the reviews of Colma Cremation and Funeral Services (CCFS). We liked the five stars, but enjoyed more the fact that Joe is a grief counselor, which reassured us to some extent that he is not a grief profiteer. After speaking with Joe about scheduling, services, and price, my uncle, who’s my grandma’s son, gave the go-​ahead.
The Good:
1. From the start, Joe was very professional. He walked us through the paperwork, guided us openly and confidently through how he would handle grandma’s body, and gave us tips on how to have a funeral that balances mourning grandma’s death and celebrating her life.
2. From the time we signed up with Joe to the day of the service, Joe and his team were extremely responsive to all my emails and questions. They never seemed annoyed or negative.
3. On the day of the service, Joe and his team arrived early by 30 minutes, which was really appreciated.
4. Grandma looked great and very peaceful. Joe really took care of her.
5. Joe and his team were very respectful and patient during our service. They never looked bored or impatient. I admit that I feared that Joe and his team would rush us, or would, out of boredom, play on their phones or read a magazine. Nothing like this happened. We had water at the service and they didn’t take any, only doing so after I offered. In fact, they were so respectful that they seemed to be more participating than working. In fact, they were more respectful than some of our own participants. I can’t speak highly enough.
The Not So Good:
1. I really can’t think of any. As I’m not experienced with funeral services, I can’t compare.
Conclusion:
Thank you, Joe and CCFS, for the great job you did. You helped my family mourn in the right way and get the closure they need. Thank you for being respectful, patient, and humane. Thank you, really!

When going through something like this, many aren’t in the frame of mind to think of researching options. When my mom suddenly passed at home we were forced to pick a funeral home for her to be taken to right then and there. We didn’t know any better and ended up overspending and paying people who were noncompassionate and cold.
I researched three funeral homes this time but after talking to Desirée I cancelled my third appointment. She offered condolences several times, was compassionate, empathetic, and understanding. I got a warm feel from CCFS.
Their pricing is spelled out on their website. There are no hidden costs. There were no surprises at the end. After calling we met the following day. Desirée provided options and spelled everything out clearly.
I had special requests which were accommodated and I felt that was the added touch. Desirée went above and beyond here.
CCFS uses local facilities for services. Not having their own, this is how they are able to charge reasonable rates. Our viewing was at a local chapel in South San Francisco. It wasn’t as lavish as I’d hoped it would be, slightly disappointing visually BUT I could have paid double and gone somewhere else but I wasn’t entertaining that idea so I’m not so much complaining as stating an opinion. The viewing was very nice. Joe, the owner, was present. He’s also a grief counselor and took the time to speak with me for a bit to explain the grief process; let me know what to expect and gave reassurance.
I highly recommend CCFS for their pricing and for their warm family feel.

Really great service. Family own. When my dad passed few years ago. The owner gave me few pointers of what is needed to be done. N what other I can choose from. wonder should I purchase a package for myself? So one lag thing to worry about.

Professional, caring, and helpful. CCFS helped me through a difficult time. My mother passed @ a rehabilitation facility and I was in the process of completing paperwork with CCFS and I called them when I thought my mom wasn’t going to make it through the holiday weekend. I called them and CCFS assured me that dispite my incomplete paperwork, they would assist me in any way possilbe. An hour later, my mom passed away. They took care of me. I am truly grateful. Joe, Desiree and Amy are amazing. I have buried quit a few relatives. Wish I knew about this place.

I originally chose Colma Cremation and Funeral Services because I was on a budget and they were very upfront with all their pricing. (Everything is available on their website) Joe, Amy, Desiree, and Pam run a first class operation that makes you feel as though you are being helped by family friends. They really care about what they do and it shows in their work. When my father passed, I was so stressed out and overwhelmed by the thought of planning a funeral. Joe helped immensely with the stress. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to do something nice with the money I had, but that wasn’t the case. They did a great Job with everything and were very easy to work with. I couldn’t have been happier. I don’t do a lot of Unilocal reviews, but this well run family operation deserves every bit of gratitude I can give, and I will sing their praises to anyone I know that looses a loved one.

Joe, Amy, Desiree and Pam were great. I lost my dad and it was overwhelming to plan the services. I got on Unilocal and saw the reviews and went to visit Amy the day after my dad’s passing in Colma.
I will not go through all of the details, but everyone there was nice, supportive and helpful throughout the process. The pricing was clear, fair and there were no hidden fees. Their team was efficient and thorough. They made it much less difficult in a very difficult time for my family.
Thanks to everyone there and I hope to not see anyone there anytime soon (you know what I mean).

Colma Cremation Funeral Services is a family-​own business which I cannot praise highly enough. My husband had died suddenly at SFO the previous night and my family and I were in a state of shock. Grandkids in tow, we arrived at our appointment with our take-​out lunches, which Joseph and his staff graciously welcomed. Their guidance, compassion, respect and patience was unsurpassed. While tending to the necessary legal and financial requirements, they also took care to address the children’s emotional states as well as ours. (Joseph and his wife are grief counselors, among other things.) In short, their service was exemplary and most sensitive. I recommend them without any hesitation.

If you ever have the unfortunate task of burying or cremating a loved one, work with Colma Cremation and Funeral. I know there already are quite a few reviews but I felt compelled to post another one. Joe, his daughter Amy, grief couselor Pam, and assistant Desiree are wonderful people. They are understanding and compassionate. Their focus is not the bottom line or to get it done and move onto another client. They seem to care about each family and understand that this is a hard process. They let you cry and help you the best they can. When I repeated myself multiple times, they told me it was ok and reassured me I was doing a great job handling the affairs. On the day of the funeral, they were professionals and while they were always there to help, they also faded into the background to let the family grieve. I can’t say enough good things about them. Joe even thanked us for allowing him to be there. I can’t put into words exactly what I mean but I would highly recommend this family owned business to anyone who has this need. It’s hard enough when a loved one passes, they made the process less complicated and held our hands through it.

Colma Cremations — very professional in all ways. They made what was a very difficult time in my life easier by being exceptionally supportive, excellent with communication and making sure that emotional needs were also met. Out of many, many people I met Joe was the only person who took the time to explain how people feel during a death and how to take care of myself. Something no one else did. I truly appreciate Colma Cremations. Thank you Joe and Desiree.

When my Father-​in-​law passed away in San Francisco we needed to make arrangements for his cremation from where we lived in Southern California. I went on line and used Unilocal to assist me in making a choice of companies. I read wonderful reviews about Colma Cremation and decided to engage their services. Thank you to those who took the time to post reviews. I can’t tell you how accurate the reviews were. Working with Colma, and especially Desiree, was the best experience we could have hoped for. I liked that it is a family owned and operated company. I found that they give personal attention to each customer, which is wonderful if you have never been through the process before. They walked us through each step with expert knowledge and were always available to answer question and kept us up to date on what was going on. I can’t adequately express my thanks to them for making the process easier than I could have imagined. I felt that I was treated as a person and so was my Father-​in-​law. I highly recommend this company to anyone who has to go through the painfully process of losing a loved one. The expert knowledge, personal service, and respect that I received from them is invaluable during a trying time.

Colma Cremations was a referral from a business associate. I called Joe and knew he would be able to handle the services for my Dad. We only had a few days to plan the services and Joe guided us through the pick up from the hospital to the grave site ceremony. I love businesses that are owned by families because they really appreciate the sales more than corporate run ones. The prices and quality of service are going to keep them in business for a long time. I am going to refer anyone I can to Colma because of our experience with them. Joe, you made a very sad day for me today a brighter one.

As I sit here to write this review, I find myself thinking of words like awesome, wonderful, outstanding, etc. Not words normally associated with these type of services. But that’s exactly how I would describe Joe and his employees. The prices, quality of service, & compassion is like no other funeral service I have used. I have had Colma Cremation help us with 3 of our family members, and we will continue to use them. If you need these services, go here. If your not sure what do do, because you have never done this before and are under a lot of presure from the loss of a loved one, go here. They will walk you through it and are very compassionate. No sales pitches, no pressure. In the end, you will walk away feeling like you have made new friends.

What can I say about Colma Cremation… PLENTY!
In this age of corporate greed and non-​service, I find Colma Cremation to be an oasis in the desert of an impersonal world.
I recently lost a very good friend of mine. I knew this man for fifteen years; he was a fourth generation San Franciscan, retired San Francisco motorcycle officer, and all around great person, he was 82 years old. He entrusted to my care the ability to make funeral and burial arrangements for him upon his passing. His wish was to be cremated and placed in the local cemetery. I called almost every cremation society and funeral director in the area, and what an education I received. Prices ranged from the unreasonable to the outrageous, I finally called Colma Cremation. I met with a Joe Stinson, who was the Funeral Director/​Proprietor for Colma Cremation; I have not met a more caring and understanding person. He walked me through every phase of the arrangements to which I knew with confidence that my friend was in the best hands. The staff was very kind and accommodating, I could not have been more pleased.
To this day I cannot believe how these corporation that have taken over almost all of the funeral homes and cemeteries around the city, feel that they can charge the prices that they do, almost TWICE what I paid at Colma Cremation.
I’ll say this if you’re ever looking for a down to earth funeral home with down to earth prices, and high-​level service, Colma Cremation is YOUR place.
Great Work Colma Cremation!

This funeral home was referred me by another service provider. They are a local «mom & pop» with local prices. When my mother in law died, they handled her cremation. They have a web site and I believe at under $ 800 for cremation, they are some of the most reasonably priced around town.