Home

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 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.

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

Carol A.  McLaughlin

of Harbor Springs, MI, formerly of Chelsea, MI, age 78, passed away Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 at her home with her family at her side. She was born November 18, 1942 in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Howard E. & Pauline A. (Hayes) Olm.  Carol graduated from Redford Union High School in 1960. She then graduated from Virginia Farrell Beauty School. Carol and Jim moved to Harbor Springs in 2000, coming from Chelsea,  Carol ran a successful ceramic business for 20 years, and sewed for 15 years for pediatric patients at McLaren Hospital. She enjoyed planting flowers in the yard, mowing the lawn, and NASCAR.
Read more ...

Fredrick Ramsey

Of Chelsea, Michigan, age 74, died Thursday, February 25, 2021 at his home in Chelsea. He was born August 31, 1946 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the son of Paul & Eunice May (Woltz) Ramsey.
 
  Fred graduated from Muncie High School in Indiana, then attended Ball State University. He served in the Army Infantry as a helicopter door gunner from 1964-65 during the Vietnam War. Fred worked for U of M for 15 years, and was a self-employed carpenter. He worked for Chelsea Architectural Millworks, with whom he helped restore the Michigan State Capital building. Fred was a leader in Chelsea Boy Scouts for many years. He enjoyed restoring their historic home in Chelsea, and he enjoyed traveling locally in his Honda Shadow. Read more ...

Randal Ponitz

of Chelsea, Michigan, age 61, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, February 25, 2021 at home with his family. He was born June 12, 1959 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the son of Dr. Robert & Frances (Webster) Ponitz.  Randy earned a Masters degree from U of M, and also earned several IT certificates. He loved planes since he was a boy. Randy earned all pilot certifications, and was a member of the Ann Arbor Fliers. He was a charter member of Peace Lutheran Church, where he was an usher, and took care of the church IT needs. Randy worked in Church Extension at the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church District Office in Ann Arbor.
 
Read more ...

Albert F. Anderson

Of Chelsea, Michigan, age 86, died Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at Silver Maples of Chelsea. He was born April 29, 1934 in Yale, Iowa, the son of Albert Frank & Agnes (Leo) Anderson.
On Feb. 6, 1959, he married Charlotte Ann Houston in Sedalia, MO, and she preceded him in death on October 9, 2015. Survivors include two sons, Albert F. “Andy” (Margaret) Anderson III of Muskego, WI, Paul (Faye) Anderson of Ann Arbor; a son-in-law, Dennis Higgins of Chelsea; and 5 grandchildren, Albert F. “Bert” Anderson IV, Vincent Anderson; Leela Anderson, Frank Anderson; and A.J. Higgins. He was also preceded in death by his daughter, Mary Higgins.

Read more ...

Phyllis Virginia Stepp

of Howell, MI, formerly of Chelsea and Jackson, age 88, died Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at Medilodge of Howell. She was born August 7, 1932 in Chelsea, Michigan, the daughter of Kenneth R. & Harriet J. (Stofer) Piatt.  Phyllis graduated from Chelsea High School in 1950. She retired from Chelsea Milling Company after 40 years, and during many of those working years she also served and bar tendered at Stiver's Restaurant. Phyllis was the rock of her family, Early on as the sole breadwinner of the family in the 60’s and 70’s she worked long hours to provide for her children. Later in life she continued to stay in close contact with and continued to support her family in numerous ways until she was no longer able. This loving and generous lady will be missed by all she knew.

Read more ...