Williams-Kampp Funeral Home

My mom, at age 82 passed away this past Friday. Fortunately for her three daughters she had her entire funeral planned already, we had her personal notes to guide us with her arrangements. She specifically wanted her visitation at Williams-​Kampp Funeral Home in Wheaton. This is where she said goodbye to my dad 27 years ago.
We met with Tom William’s this past Saturday afternoon for hours. He was so supportive and kind. He helped guide us in our selections and was so honest with his suggestions. We could not have planned a better tribute to my mom without his expertise!
The room we selected was beautiful, we loved the wallpaper, location to the coffee room, the brightness, and the size. It was perfect for our large group of family and friends. The entire funeral home was beautifully decorated and felt warm and welcoming.
My mom had specific instructions for her funeral program, Tom suggested we contact Alphagraphics in downtown Wheaton for assistance. We met with Barbara and she helped us to design the most beautiful program any one has ever seen at a funeral mass. My mom would have been so pleased, I’m only sorry she never got to see it. They even delivered them all to the funeral home for us.
I will always remember the day of my mom’s wake. The immediate family all assembled at the funeral home an hour before the visitation. My sisters and I were the first to go into the parlor to see my mom. When Tom opened the doors to the room it was breath taking. There she was in the elegant coffin we selected surrounded by the most amazing flowers ever. I was overwhelmed by how many friends and family members sent arrangements. The spray of flowers on her coffin was gorgeous and my mom looked absolutely beautiful and at peace. Her hair, makeup, and outfit perfect. I had almost the same feeling I had 20 years ago on my wedding day when I first entered my wedding reception, in awe at how beautiful the room looked.
The staff the night of the visitation were experts. They made sure we had everything we needed, and gave us reminders to hydrate and eat.
The morning of the funeral, again we met at William’s. Tom helped organize our pall bearers (Nana’s 7 grandchildren) and we pinned their yellow rose boutonnieres on. (also in my mom’s plans) The procession to St. Joseph’s was impressive. At the church, the staff from William’s helped direct the pall bearers and our families. They even called the restaurant to give them the approximate count and arrival time for our luncheon.
The last two days could not have been a better tribute to my mom without the support, guidance, and understanding of Tom William’s and all of the staff at Williams-​Kampp Funeral Home. My mom was right in choosing William’s as her funeral home.

I never realized how important a funeral home review could be until I needed to help choose a funeral home. My (step)dad, Pete, passed away just over two weeks ago. When we knew that the time had come to start gathering information and called the usual family funeral home, we were unprepared for the answer that we received. Basically, a prominent businessman had just passed away and during a holiday week, there was no way to get the two day wake-​funeral experience that we desired on the days that we desired because of the number of mourners that they expected for this gentleman.
My mom looked to me for my thoughts and since the plot was at the Wheaton Cemetery, I started racking my brain for an appropriate choice. I recalled a visit to Williams-​Kampp for my best friend’s grandmother a couple years ago and suggested we call. I am so glad that we did. From the initial phone call that my mom made and through each & every interaction and countless calls that I made at all hours, Mike, Linda and Tom were amazing! Their after hours phone staff were kind and easy to deal with. Every single person expressed empathy without coming across as phony-​bologna.
We met with Mike and he was tuned in to what our family expected. Williams-​Kampp delivered and exceeded the expectations. When I remembered a small detail mid-​morning on the day of the wake and I called, they took care of it without batting an eye.
A plus. If you can call it that, Pete looked wonderful! He arrived with a lot of fluid in his tissues and they did a beautiful job on making him look more like he did a few short months ago. They did a marvelous job on his skin tone and his facial expression was very appropriate. It’s honestly so weird to be typing these words.
I was involved in every aspect for the first time in my life. It was very eye opening to me. My only real complaint is about the industry and not specifically this funeral home. Basically, you need their services and you’re usually under a time constraint, so you don’t often have the luxury of finding the best deal. For me, seeing the individual costs for some things seems crazy. But, you get what you pay for and overall, we were very pleased.
I believe there are three viewing rooms. A, B and C. My mom liked C. They encouraged B. We should have taken their suggestion. C could be a bit noisy during quiet afternoon times from the traffic. The facilities were immaculate. The coffee room/​kitchen we used was well-​lit and well-​stocked. There was plenty of seating, plenty of parking and plenty of staff on hand to attend to our needs. Their staff even helped carry in the food, pop, water, etc that our friends brought for the wake. Every single interaction was made easier because of their thoughtfulness.
Sadly, we will be back at some point in the future as we have chosen our new family funeral home. Hopefully, it won’t be for decades. I hope you don’t need to call them, but if you do, hopefully my notes will give you some peace of mind for making that first call. Call anytime. They will promptly call you back and take care of your family with care from start to finish.