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Cole Funeral Chapel
Cole Funeral Chapel is a family-owned funeral home committed to caring for your family. An independent funeral home in Chelsea, Michigan, our mission is to meet your needs whatever they may be. We provide a wide range of services, from sitting down with you to discuss future needs to grief counseling after the death of a loved one.Our funeral home was founded in 1898, and was purchased by Donald Cole in 1977. His son, Allen, bought the funeral home from his father in 1999, continuing the tradition of service to the Chelsea area.
We know that making funeral arrangements can be difficult, so let us help you every step of the way. We have a professional staff equipped with many resources that can provide assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please feel free to call anytime, or e-mail us at staff @ ColeFuneralChapel.com
Cremation Services
We offer choices in cremation service, including:
- direct cremation with no services
- cremation followed by a memorial service or visitation time
- a complete viewing and funeral followed by cremation
We want to help your family choose services that fit your needs. We will walk you through your options without pressuring you, and we will help you to compare the costs of different options. Regardless of your choice, we will treat your loved one with respect, we will help you write and place obituaries, we will obtain death certificates promptly, and help you chose the final resting place for your loved one's ashes. We will not try to sell you services or merchandise you do not need.
Cremation with Public Viewing & Funeral
Cremation Packages - Price list
Read more: Cremation Services
Steps for Planning Ahead
We understand how difficult it is to plan funeral services, so our staff is available to help you in any way that we can. Please call us and we will walk you through every step of planning, and we will offer choices to make the services just right for your family. To help you understand the process, here are some of the steps you can choose to do ahead of time:
Funeral Planning
☐ Fill out basic pre-arrangement information sheet. 15-20 minutes, no charge. This provides the basic information we need to write obituaries and fill out the death certificates. It gives us some information about the type of services you want. Click here to download the Pre-Arrangement form
☐ Fill out funeral service information sheet. 10-15 minutes, no charge. This provides information about the funeral / memorial service you would like: who should lead it, type of music, readings, etc. Click here to download the Funeral Service Information Sheet
☐ Itemize funeral goods and services. 30-60 minutes with funeral home staff, usually at the funeral home, no charge. You choose the goods and services you want, and we will create an itemized funeral bill so you can know the anticipated costs. This is an estimate only, but lets you make many of the decisions in advance, and guides us and your family as to your wishes.
☐ Pre-pay your funeral invoice. 15-30 minutes with funeral home staff. After itemizing the services you want (see previous choice), you may pay for the funeral in one lump sum, or in payments, and lock in the prices for your funeral bill. This saves your family from worrying about paying for your funeral.
Memorial Planning
☐ Choose your cemetery marker. 30-60 minutes, cost vary greatly. You may choose the type of stone or gravemarker you want, and lay out the exact design for your stone. You may wish to save the information until after the death, or have the stone cut and delivered.
☐ Plan a memory slideshow. 30-60 minutes, $95. Choose 30-70 photos to be put into a slideshow that can be played at the visitation and/or funeral. You may put sticky notes on back to indicate an order to the photos if you wish, or to label slides. You may choose to narrate the photos in your voice.
☐ Write a letter to your loved ones. No cost, time will vary greatly. You may write a letter to your spouse or children to be read and re-read after your death. It could be read publicly, or just given to those you choose after your death. We will be happy to file it with your pre-arrangement. Please put in sealed envelope with the name of the recipient on the outside.
Recent Obituaries
John Wayne Wilson
of Manchester, Michigan, age 81, passed away Monday, December 30, 2024, at Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital. He was born February 1, 1943, in Petoskey, Michigan, the son of Wayne and Ida (Martinson) Wilson.
John was a quiet kind man who was loyal and incredibly giving to all of his friends and family. He worked most of his career as a machine repairman at NSK. The same day he retired from NSK, he started working with his wife at her company, Ginger's Cameo. Though he would grumble, he would do anything for his wife of 60+ years, even be her pit crew when she decided she wanted to learn to race cars. Raising three daughters with incredibly different personalities and interests also caused much grumbling, but he loved and cherished each of them the same.
Read more ...Shelby Jean (Castle) Wolford
of Ypsilanti, Michigan, age 87, went to be with Jesus on Sunday, January 5, 2025. She was surrounded by her loving family, who read scriptures, played hymns, and prayed over her until she was peacefully at rest.
She was born March 8, 1937, in Stone, Kentucky, to Arthur and Melvina Mae (Palmer) Castle, and attended Belfry High School and graduated in 1955. On September 23, 1957, she married Gory Gale Wolford in Williamson, West Virginia. They resided in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where they built a beautiful family and life together. She worked as a Telephone Operator for Michigan Bell.
Shelby was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She was feisty and would tell you bluntly what she thought you needed to know. As a longtime member of Faith Community Church in Belleville and supporter of Evergreen Church in Ann Arbor, Shelby was a prayer warrior and a great woman of God. She enjoyed thrift shopping, board games, baking with her great-granddaughters, and watching her favorite TV shows. The true loves of Shelby’s life were her grandchildren. She loved spending time with them and was very pivotal in each of their lives. She leaves them with many special memories.
Read more ...Ronald “Ron” Lee Vollmer
Ron passed away peacefully on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was born on March 7, 1969, in Grand Haven, MI, the youngest of five children to Stuart Sr. and Helen (Koscinski) Vollmer. Ron was the loving husband of Marie (Jungslager) Vollmer and the proud father of 4 daughters. He will be remembered for his love for and commitment to his family and his devoted parenting.
Ron is survived by his wife Marie; four daughters: Wilhelmina (William) Fry of Spring Lake, MI, Lilian Francisco of Grand Haven, MI, and twin daughters Delanie & Els Vollmer of Chelsea, MI. In 2024 Ron was blessed with a beautiful granddaughter, Astrid Fry. He is also survived by his three brothers: Stuart II (Lynnell) Vollmer of Spring Lake, MI, Jon (Sheila Keady) Vollmer of Naples, FL, Ross (Dawn) Vollmer of Bradenton, FL and his sister Luanna Vollmer of Litchfield, NH. Ron was preceded in death by his mother Helen, father Stuart Sr. and his beloved mother-in-law Molly (Kinkema) Jungslager.
Read more ...Young Ai Lee Shinn
of Chelsea, Michigan, formerly of Latham, New York. Age 90, passed away Monday, December 30, 2024, in Jackson, Michigan. She was born January 31, 1934, in Namyang, North Korea, the daughter of Chunsuk Lee and Soon Hee Kim.
Young Ai married Rev. Dr. Samuel H. Shinn on May 10, 1948. He preceded her in death on April 5, 2015. She is survived by two sons, Andrew (Elizabeth) Shinn of Los Angeles, California, and Timothy (Elizabeth “Liz” Pielsticker) Shinn of Dexter; two grandchildren, Nathaniel and Brendan Shinn; three siblings, Young Kwan Lee in Los Angeles, California, Young Sun of Seoul, Korea, and Young Uk Lee of Seoul, Korea. She was preceded in death by her parents; and two brothers, Young Chang Lee and Young Da Lee.
Read more ...Isabelle May Miller
91, of Jackson, formerly of Marshall, died Thursday January 2, 2025, at Jackson County Medical Care Facility.
Isabelle was born on December 15th, 1933, in Detroit, Michigan to Irene (Elliott) and Ralph McGhee. She was married to her beloved husband Gerry for over 70 years.
Isabelle was a mother of 8 children, numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson. Her life was devoted to raising her children and taking care of her husband. She was tough when she needed to be, very resilient, and she always had an abundance of love for everyone. The kindness she shared was beyond measure. In later years she enjoyed crocheting, taking care of their birds, going for walks, working out at the Life Improvement Center and visiting the clerks in the downtown Marshall stores. She truly loved spending time with Gerry especially when he was playing guitar at “The Respite” in downtown Douglas. She loved the music and their desserts. She was his greatest fan. She liked attending plays and musical performances at the local theatre in Marshall. She also enjoyed being at their property in Saugatuck, visiting with the neighbors and going for boat rides on Lake Michigan. For relaxation, she loved working word find puzzles, eating peppermints and watching Wheel of Fortune.
Read more ...LaWanda “Wanda” Daphine Wright
of Fort Myers, Florida, formerly of Chelsea, Michigan, and Bonita Springs, Florida, age 90, died Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at Gulf Coast Medical Center in Ft. Myers. She was born February 18, 1934, in Pollard, Arkansas, the daughter of James Edward and Ruby Lara (Shreem) Davis.
LaWanda enjoyed being a homemaker and raising her children. They would take trips to Arkansas to visit her family and frequented the Chelsea Bakery. When her kids were still young, she worked for a bit in the lunchroom at Beach Middle School in Chelsea. She loved to spend time with her friends and family, and traveling to Northern Michigan with her grandchildren. LaWanda and Don moved to Florida in 2017, where she enjoyed the warm weather, palm trees, and watching the beautiful sunsets and thunderstorms. Seeing different animals, especially the dolphins and birds on their boat rides was a favorite of hers. She also enjoyed eating out with the variety of foods Florida has to offer and the outdoor atmosphere.
Read more ...Toni Casey
Age 73, died Thursday, December 26, 2024 at her home in Manchester. She was born March 26, 1951 in Detroit, the daughter of Edward and Ancie (Ealey) Shoemake.
Toni was a homemaker who focused on raising her children and adoring her grandchildren who lovingly referred to her as “the warden”.
Read more ...