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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

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Standard Cremation Package

Cremation with Public Viewing & Funeral

Cremation Packages - Price list

 

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 indicated 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.

A cemetery marker is not just a way to mark the grave, but it can tell the story of that person's life.  We enjoy helping you design a special cemetery marker to remember your loved ones.   We also recommend families place a stone on their graves before it is needed, so you can plan your design together.  We work hard to create quality monuments for the families we serve, and offer many choices, and easy ways to personalize the marker.  Let us make a design and give you an estimate with no obligation.

Patten Monument web site

Recent Obituaries

LaVerne "Jake" Chester Leonard

age 96, passed away Saturday, June 22, 2019 at the Chelsea Retirement Community. He was born August 8, 1922 in Saline, Michigan, the son of Chester & Marie (Vedder) Leonard.  LaVerne was a farmer most of his life.  He loved fishing, playing horseshoes, and making stained glass.

On March 21, 1945, he married Mary J Zurlinden, and she preceded him in death on Jan. 15, 2000. Survivors include three children, Gary (Linda) Leonard of Grass Lake, Judy (Dennis) Chambers of Grand Coulee, WA, Terry (Belinda) Leonard of Gladwyne, PA; 6 grandchildren, Craig (Lisa) Leonard, Kevin (Jen) Chambers, Kristi (Jolene Smyth) Chambers, Brianne (Michael) Grubbs, Neal Leonard, Chelsea Leonard; 8 great-grandchildren, Olivia Leonard, Mikaila Leonard, Emma Leonard, Jasmine Smitko, Landon Smitko, Maximus Smitko, Nolan Leonard, Tyson Smyth-Chambers.  He was preceded in death by his brothers and sisters, and special friend, Dorothy Gray.

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Lambert "Bert" Dexter Davenport

of Dexter, Michigan passed away at Birchwood Retreat in Chelsea, Michigan on June 23, 2019. He was 87 years old.

Bert was born on March 1, 1932 to Dexter and Eleanor (Lambert) Davenport in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Bert graduated from Ann Arbor High School in 1949.  Upon graduating, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served in the Korean Conflict Era from 1950 to 1954.  Bert served on the U.S.S. Coates (DE-685), and U.S.S Robert L. Wilson (DDE-847) as a Boiler Technician working in the boiler room, firing the engines.  Bert was very proud of his service in the Navy and remained in contact with his former shipmates for many years.

After he was honorably discharged in the Spring of 1954, Bert began working at the University of Michigan Power Plant as a boiler, fireman and crane operator.  While on the roof of the plant, he saw a lovely red-headed woman walking down the street. He was determined to meet this woman and with the help of a waitress at a neighboring coffee shop, he did. Bert and Betty Mae Elliott were married on July 14, 1956 at Bethlehem U.C.C. Church in Ann Arbor and moved to Dexter.

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Donald E. Schleede

of Ann Arbor, age 88, died Friday, June 21, 2019 at home with his family at his side. He was born January 19, 1931 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the son of Ernest and Marie (Redies) Schleede. On August 16, 1958, he married Marjorie Stolp and she preceded him in death November 3, 1970. On August 7, 1971 he married Jeannette Lamb, and she survives.

Don attended Ann Arbor High School. Don and his identical twin brother, Doug, were top notch athletes, playing four years of American Legion Junior baseball. He was captain of the cross country team in 1947, and he played baseball, track and basketball. Don was affiliated with the Michigami Womens Track team. Don and his brother joined the US Air Force in 1948 and spent 4 years at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas during the Korean conflict. He was a 67-year Life Member of the American Legion Post 46. He was also a Life Member of the Michigan Bow Hunters. Don was an avid hunter, fisherman, trapper, golfer, bowler, and University of Michigan basketball and football fan. Don retired from the American Broach Tool of Ann Arbor as a machinist broach maker. He spent many summers and falls at Black River, Michigan, a special place on Lake Huron.

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Juanita Ann Payne

of Gibraltar, age 87, passed away Sunday, June 16, 2019 surrounded by her family at Angela Hospice Home Care in Livonia. She was born April 17, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Orin John and Dorothea Albertina (Berndt) McPherson. 

On March 23, 1956, Juanita married Stanley Alexander Payne. They shared 63 wonderful years together and raised 8 children. She was a kind, loving, giving, and dedicated mother and homemaker, always leading by example and instilling her moral compass in all of her children and grandchildren. Juanita was a quiet, strong, soft spoken woman who loved her family more than anything. She loved all kinds of crafts, especially doing them with her grandchildren. 

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William Clark Lounsbery

of Jackson, MI, formerly of Chelsea, Michigan Center, and Napoleon, age 68, passed away after a 3 ½ year battle with pulmonary fibrosis on Sunday, June 16, 2019 at his home in Jackson. He was born October 6, 1950 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the son of Elliot Joseph & Alice C. (Lee) Lounsbery.  Bill lived on Waters Road in Chelsea, then he moved to Michigan Center in '77 & Napoleon in 89.  He  spent 12 years as a painter for Delf Painting in Ann Arbor and 4 years with B & C Painting in Ypsilanti.

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