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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

 

Read more: Cremation Services

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

Howard William Bauer

of Chelsea, Michigan, age 91, died unexpectedly Friday, August 17, 2018 at his home. He was born March 27, 1927 in Ypsilanti, Michigan, the son of Clarence Carl & Ethel (Schock) Bauer.

Howard lived in Chelsea for 30 years, coming from Ypsilanti.  He retired from Ford Motor Company in Ypsilanti. Howard was a long-time member of Tri-county Sportsman's Club in Saline. He loved to visit with everyone he saw.

Read more ...

Thomas Matthew Ford

of Dexter, Michigan, age 86, passed away on August 10, 2018, at the Cedars of Dexter. He was born September 11, 1931 in Cambridge, Ohio, the son of H. Barton & Grace (Mathews) Ford.

Tom was raised in Battle Creek, MI. He attended Michigan State University and received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1957 with a M.S. degree in 1959. Tom entered the United States Air Force flight training program in 1953 and was part of the class 55K and the Veterinary Corps. In 1964, he became part of the University of Michigan Animal Care Unit and was granted Diplomate in Laboratory Animal Medicine status. Soon after he was hired by Abbott Laboratories in North Chicago, IL to be Manager of Animal Care and remained there until his retirement in 1995. Tom enjoyed flying, sports, and military history. He was an avid tennis player his entire life and played actively until his death.

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Robert W. Couch

of Chelsea, Michigan, formerly of Birmingham, Royal Oak, & Spring Hill, FL, age 99, died Saturday, August 4, 2018 at the Chelsea Retirement Community. He was born November 25, 1918 in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Walter and Grace (Arnold) Couch. Robert graduated from Cass Tech High School with Highest Honors in the science curriculum. After high school, he graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. Robert worked as a research chemist for M&T Chemical, American CAN, DOW Chemical, and Union Carbide. Robert then became the Plant Manager for Henkel Corporation in Detroit. He has been a member of the American Chemical Society for 75 years. While living in Florida, he was a tutor in math for the GED program at Spring Hill Schools. Robert was also an AARP safe driving instructor for 15 years in Florida. He was involved in Boy Scouts for 23 years in the Detroit Area Council.

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Gordon D. Campbell

There will be one less funny fellow telling stories at the kitchen table. Lymphoma may have claimed his life at 87, but laughter is his lasting legacy.  This “all around nice guy” grew from a grinning red-headed boy born in New Albany, IN to serve in the Air Force and then settle down as an optician at Monfried Optical in Lexington, KY with his wife, Betty.  They joyously adopted their daughter, Pam, and Gordon raised her with the motto, “Go to college and be sure to get a job!”  Widowed in 1976, he rediscovered his joy in flying by owning a Cessna. He started his own business, Southland Optical.  He loved being “Poppy” to Emily and Rosie, nearly wearing out I-75 driving to Chelsea, MI to visit.  After a stint at Simpson Optical, he retired to Chelsea. He joined his son-in-law, Paul, in his quest of growing lots and LOTS of trees.  He was an early morning fixture at McDonalds, enjoying breakfast with friends. 

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Leslie Sloat

of Manchester, MI, age 49, died Friday, July 27, 2018 at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor. She was born September 5, 1968 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the daughter of James & Diana (Culp) Sloat.

Leslie graduated from Manchester High School in 1986. She went to school to become a medical assistant. Leslie enjoyed providing home health care for several elderly people in Manchester. She was compassionate, patient, and empathetic to everyone she cared for. She loved to read, and most importantly spend time with her family. Leslie had a contagious laugh, great sense of humor, and bright smile.  Leslie was always willing to support anyone in need and lend a helping hand. She had a strong spiritual belief. She was a loving mother to her children, a devoted daughter, a beloved sister, and a loving spouse. She also loved spending time with her nieces and nephews.

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