Curlew Hills Crematory & Funeral Home

I wanted to write this review for Curlew, because when my Uncle passed I checked Unilocal first in order to find funeral homes. That may seem odd, but my husband and I recently moved to Tampa and were not familiar with any funeral homes in the area. As soon as I called Curlew, which was on New Year’s Eve by the way, I was connected with Paul who was very kind understanding and walked me through the process over the phone. We came for a tour the next day and felt very comfortable with the venue. A few days later we had a funeral for my Uncle, and Paul and his team were really on top of all of the details. I had never gone through the funeral process before and did not know if we would be pressured into purchasing certain things. Not the case here, this is all very professional. Paul and his team were available for questions all along the way– when to drop off clothing etc, all the details we don’t want to think about, but they make it easy. Thank you Paul and the Curlew team

My daughter and I found ourselves in very unfamiliar waters. Our loved one was in the final stage of Alzheimers at Hospice. We had been working with three other long distant funeral homes in trying to make arrangements — almost impossible to get them to commit to costs and logistics. I spent hours on the phones with them and although they all came well recommended (one of whom even handled my father’s funeral) none of them could hold a candle to Curlew Hills.
They were beyond professional, patient and extremely supportive. Every single detail was reviewed and confirmed. It’s just so personal at least for us. They left nothing to chance, were responsive to our questions, calls and emails. We decided to abandon the long distant arrangements based on the level of care Curlew extended to us. It wasn’t routine. It wasn’t just another client. It meant something! Our religious traditions were respected. We were speechless because for an entire month we had been dealing with funeral homes — where it meant nothing at all to them.
We were frequent visitors to Curlew Hills for the yearly 911 memorial and we will remain with them FOREVER! I recommend them without the slightest hesitation, because they came through for us in going beyond the call of duty. They were so gentle with my mum — everyone at church commented on how professional Curlew orchestrated my mothers funeral. We received so many praises on their professionalism. Thank you so very much for making this very difficult time in our lives so much more easier to cope.

My Mother had prearranged her cremation with Curlew. She was 87 and while she was certainly at an age where her death was not a total surprise, it was still unexpected. When she died suddenly I came to Florida to wrap up her affairs and my first order of business was to meet with a Curlew representative. Considering the circumstances we had a pleasant conversation. I related a couple stories about my mother who had a very good sense of humor. The last story I will be able to tell about her was that in the last 3 or 4 months before her death she had been in the process of getting new dentures. When she told me it was going to cost $ 10,000.00 I thought that was rather expensive. I wondered if, at 87, she would get her return on investment. But it was her money. She got them a week and a half before she died. Her friends have told me they looked fabulous. In retrospect I really should have had an open casket with a big smile on her face.
Since I had never been in a situation like this before I had some questions about cremation. I commented I had heard they removed pace makers prior to cremation and was curious as to why; perhaps they exploded? I was told they sell them to South America. Old buses, trolley cars and planes I knew about but pace makers were a surprise. We chatted a while longer and she asked if I’d like my Mother’s $ 10,000.00 teeth. I thought about it for a couple minutes and thought what the hell, those suckers would have put a new roof on my house. So I said yes, I’ll take them home with me and put them on display in my curio cabinet, They’ll be the most expensive collectible I have and I’m sure my Mother would have had a chuckle about it. I was told it would be take care of. So then I was given some forms to sign, typical stuff, signatures here, initial these items, yada yada yada. So I did, without reading as I’m sure most people do in those circumstances. I was told I could pick up her cremains in a few days.
When I went to pick up I didn’t think about the teeth. When I got home I looked in the tasteful blue tote bag the box of ashes were in but didn’t see the teeth. When I contacted the representative a day or two later to request a couple documents I asked about them. Her response only addressed my request for the documents. At this point I had my hands full with a lot of other stuff and the teeth and documents were not a priority. I figured I’d get them at a later date. When I emailed my contact in March I received an email from Steve Harris the funeral home director advising that the representative I had been dealing with was no longer employed by Curlew and that my request for the teeth had not been received until after the cremation. I responded that there was apparently a problem as I had been told it would be taken care of well before the cremation.
Mr. Harris’ immediate response was to send me a copy of the documents I had signed and initialed. He commented that «if» there had been such a conversation regarding the teeth it was never documented and then he stated I had signed «I/​We understand that if I wish to remove and/​or retain any items from the remains, I must do so directly or by authorized person prior to the cremation process». «You initialed that line and signed this document.» He concluded «It is an unfortunate circumstance that this incident has occurred. I hope that this will help to clarify our position.»
At best I can only regard this as a rather cavalier response to the situation. I replied that he had made his position crystal clear and it was most distressing. To say the least it is an unfortunate circumstance. And fortunately, or apparently unfortunately, I was in a situation I had never experienced before. I was totally relying on the integrity of Curlew’s staff for guidance. Trusting that I signed and initialed where instructed, obviously without thorough review. I am sure that is probably the circumstance with 99.9% of their customers. The potential for problems never crossed my mind. Had I known that the veracity of my conversation with their representative might even be questioned or require documentation I would have arranged for a videographer to record our meeting. When I was told it would be taken care of I assumed that it would be taken care of. I can only surmise that similar problems may well have led to this employee’s departure from employment at Curlew.
I can only suggest that if you have dealings with Curlew be very, very careful about reading thoroughly and understanding everything you sign. This certainly applies after the fact and probably more importantly when you make any arrangements with them especially if you are in a vulnerable state of mind.

Very nice layout that isn’t confusing like other cemeteries. Was here taking pictures for a friend and discovered that they have a 9 – 11 memorial with a piece of steel from the WTC.

The fairly sudden passing of a family member brought us the difficult question of where would be the best place to carry out the final wishes and internment. Several of us had visited Curlew Hills and were impressed by the beautiful grounds and options for internment.
When we contacted Curlew Hills, we were guided through the decision making process by their representative, who gave us thoughtful and useful recommendations while always considering the budget and other constraints of the decisions. For instance, while the family wanted a memorial service at a church for a large audience, afterwards Curlew Hills provided a small setting chapel viewing before internment for family and close friends at no cost. This small touch was greatly appreciated, and helped greatly through this difficult process. We also came to appreciate the universal kindness shown by every single employee of this family-​owned business.
I’ve never seen a more beautiful setting for a final resting place than Curlew Hills. And while I’ve never been one to visit remains at a cemetery, the gorgeous tree-​shaded park-​like setting is so peaceful it invites you to stop in for a time for thoughtful reflection. The grounds are so nice it’s not unusual to see one or more visitors bring a lawnchair to sit in or even bring a small picnic. And the fact it’s so safe and open ²⁴⁄₇ makes a visit at any time not just possible but inviting. I’ve stopped by at midnight, and the quiet of a star-​filled night was a special moment.
Curlew Hills is big enough to have different sections that are separated by different amenities, but those sections are small enough to always make it feel intimate. In short, it just feels right. And that alone gives me peace.