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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

Doris Elaine Kope

of Ann Arbor, MI, age 82, died Friday, July 19, 2019 at St. Joe Ann Arbor. She was born March 15, 1937 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the daughter of William H. & Sophia (Oesterle) Winter. Doris was a member of Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor. She was a paralegal and secretary - receptionist at several law firms and for Alpha Solutions.

She married  Paul E. Kope on Nov. 3, 1956 in Grass Lake and he preceded her in death on March 10, 2009. Survivors include a son, David Bryan Nickerson and his wife, Lori; a daughter, Dawn Marie Gray (Kope); three grandchildren; two great grandsons; several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by five siblings, Victor Winter, Herman Edwin Winter, Irene Harrison, Betty Moon, and Marie Riplow.

Read more ...

Mary Woodruff

of Brevort Township, MI, formerly of Monroe, age 73, died peacefully at the cabin she loved in the U.P. with her family surrounding her on July 15, 2019. She was born in Havana, Cuba on December 24, 1945 to Evaristo and Maria Teresa (Garcia) Rodriguez.  She and her family moved to Detroit, MI in 1951 where she graduated from Holy Redeemer High School in 1963 and then from the University of Michigan in 1967.  She taught Biology at Airport High School for more than 30 years.  She was a life-long learner and loved everything about nature especially plants, frogs, and birds.  She loved the cabin that she built with her husband and was grateful to spend her last month there surrounded by many family and friends, hummingbirds and loons.  

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Gene LeRoy Swank

Of Tecumseh Twp, MI, formerly of Grass Lake and Jackson, age 68, passed away Friday, July 12, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was born December 13, 1950 in Jackson, Michigan, the son of Harold “Red” & Dorothy Jane (Beck) Swank.

 Gene went to Grass Lake schools, and graduated from Scottsburg High School in Indiana in 1969. He attended Jackson Community College. Gene was an ordained minister. He coached youth sports for many years. Gene played slow-pitch softball for Manchester Stamping. He was a drummer, and played at many locations. Gene loved walking. He brought up four kids by himself, and would do anything for them.

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Kathy Anne Freyre

of Chelsea, MI, age 71, died Wednesday, July 3, 2019 at Henry Ford Allegiance Hospice in Jackson. She was born July 14, 1947 in Monroe, Michigan, the daughter of Harry & Virginia (Taylor) Smith.

Kathy was an Estimator for Edwards Brothers for 37 years.  She was baptized in the First Congregational Church in Dundee.  Kathy loved watching NHRA drag racing. She enjoyed collecting recipes. Kathy did a lot of reading. She was a big fan of Jeopardy, and could have competed. Kathy liked to participate in lake adventures, especially water skiing. When younger, she enjoyed snowmobiling in the winter.

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John Alden Cook


of Gregory, Michigan, age 84, passed to his heavenly home on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at his North Lake home. He was born on February 21, 1935 to Ruth and Alden Cook in Traverse City and moved to Ann Arbor at 3 years, calling it home until 1956. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Marilyn; daughter, Susan (John) Schnitzel; sons, Robert (Peggy), David (Jacque), and Steven (Julie); as well as 10 grandchildren and 1 great-granddaughter.  He is predeceased by his oldest son, Kenneth; parents, Ruth and Alden Cook; sister, Mary Cook Geddes; and brothers, Richard and Daniel. During his life, he served as a Marine, Real Estate Agent, Lumberman, and for many years as owner of Parent's Pride Diaper & Laundry Service.  

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