Testimonials
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We invite you to use the form provided to leave your thoughts and comments for our testimonials. Upon reviewing, they will be added to the section below, where you can browse through all of our testimonials from the families we are proud to have been able to support during their time of need.
We appreciate your taking the time to write to us. Hearing success stories from the families we serve is what makes it all worthwhile!
Dia V. - West Hills, Los Angeles, CA
I'm one degree removed from the actual death. But I was in the thick of the funeral, and Lewis' caring spirit combined with his consummate professionalism eased the process. He was so super with every member of the immediate and extended family. In what often appears to be a money-centric business, it was exceedingly refreshing to deal with someone who actually put humans first.
Not that I ever wish to have to go through this again myself, if and when I do, I'll be reaching out to Lewis & Cheryl.Missy G - Redondo Beach, CA
I and everyone associated with our experience wish we could give Lewis and his wife way over five stars! They are a family business and are caring, efficient, and highly communicative. Lewis made a very difficult situation much easier to handle. We did not have to worry about all the bureaucratic obstacles that can occur when someone passes. They were so amazingly helpful - above and beyond as they did more than they needed to do- why? Because they truly care. I highly recommend them to anyone who doesn't know what to do during a difficult time because these caring folks are the real deal!
Ash S - Woodland Hills, CA
Being in a foreign country is hard enough, being in a foreign country and having to plan a funeral is much harder. My moms final wishes were to be cremated and have her ashes spread near Santa Monica pier at sea. Lewis and Cheryl were great in not only telling us exactly how to handle our situation but the care and sympathy and the personal touch they put on were so important at such a difficult time. I wish no one ever had to go through this stage in life but if you are in such a circumstance, you can count on beacon mortuary to handle your affairs with care, dignity and sympathy. Thank you for all you did for us Lewis and Cheryl. We appreciate you very much.
Laurie P - Los Angeles, CA
What every mortuary experience should be.
Lewis and Cheryl are so lovely, professional, straightforward, knowledgable, detail-oriented, accommodating and kind. They dropped everything on a Saturday to personally come get my brother John after his sudden death.
Thanks to Cheryl's industry experience, she was able to venture a guess as to possible cause of death, which was confirmed by the medical exam days later. Her willingness to share her thoughts lessened the stress of those initial days, brought comfort, informed some important family decisions and saved us money. Her knowledge and compassion were such a help, as were Lewis's.
They made difficult conversations easier and their language was respectful and refreshing. When Lewis talked me through the process, he would say things like, "Then John and I will drive to _____..." I felt like my brother had someone with him who would take incredibly thoughtful care of him. Another thing that made the process more gentle was not having to ever set foot inside a traditional mortuary.
They're completely transparent about their fees, which seem well below their competitors. This is a calling for them and an incredible gift to people like me.
As stated below, "Beacon Mortuary has a new vision of the funeral industry." I'm so glad and grateful they're leading the charge. Thanks, Cheryl and Lewis!
Judi F - North Hollywood, CA
I recently lost my husband and was referred to Beacon. I can not praise them highly enough to express how this part of a very difficult time was mitigated to an easy, stress free service. He was picked up within hours of my call. Each and every expense was listed on their website. Which allowed me to review all options before our first meeting and to know the expense of the funeral I had in mind. That meeting not being in a mortuary was such a relief. Cheryl asked when it would be best for her TO COME TO ME! My schedule was such that I met with her in her home. Her demeanor, grace and empathy immediately put me at ease and provided for a calm and respectful environment in which to make my husband's final arrangements. She led me thru the process to arrive at exactly what I wanted. And because they do not have the brick and mortar expenses of a funeral home, the savings were reflected in the cost.
When I buried my mother and father, I felt pressured and "guilt-ed" into spending more than I comfortably could. We all know salespeople count on "up selling" to increase their commission, but at such a vulnerable time, it seems quite unethical.
I am so impressed that Cheryl took her years in the industry and created Beacon Mortuary to provide a personal, professional, transparent and respectful process at a most vulnerable time in people's lives.Marc P - Santa Monica, CA
Dealing with the funeral arrangements around death is never easy. I first encountered this when my father died when I was 25. I still remember being led down into the basement of the funeral home and shown the "casket line up" and being told "I am sure your father would not want this plain casket but rather the most expensive one with the gold trim here under the lights." The funeral homes get you at your weakest moment and do their best to up sell you. It is a real racket.
Unfortunately, I had to deal with these issues again last week on the death of my father-in-law. Prior to his death, he had gone to a funeral home out of town to make funeral arrangements. He was 87 at the time. The funeral home did their best to up sell him on all sorts of things I am sure he did not understand including a life insurance policy to pay the funeral costs, assigned in advance to the funeral home, a guest sign in book for $300 (at his age, he didn't have a lot of living friends to sign it!) and the like. At 87 and with his assets, he did not need a life insurance policy or prepayment plan (and certainly not a life insurance policy with no refund provisions in the event the policy proceeds exceeded the cost of the funeral) nor did he need to pay a commission on the sale of that policy.
When I questioned the funeral home, they got very quiet. I asked them for a copy of the contract and the life insurance to see how all of this was structured. Most people would have just accepted the contract as is. But that was not me. In going through the documents, I noticed a missing page. I called back and asked for that page. In the fine print, it was clear that the estate administrators could cancel the funeral arrangements and have the insurance paid to another provider. How convenient to leave out that page. Let's be real, the business of death and dying can be a sleazy business.
Long story short, somehow I found Beacon Mortuary and Cheryl Nazworth. What a breath of fresh air (and that's saying something in this business). Cheryl was personable, clear and kind. The costs of the various services were a fraction of what the other funeral home had proposed to charge. We met Cheryl in our house, not in a funeral home. There was no pressure or up sell. No line up of caskets. All of the costs of the funeral (including the costs of the caskets or casket alternatives) were clearly laid out on Beacon's website. Frankly, I walked away thinking, "this is how it should be".
In talking to Cheryl, she explained that she realized the heartbreak families encounter with dealing with the details of death. Cheryl decided there had to be a better way, a more kind way. Beacon delivers on that promise tenfold.
One last footnote to this story. It goes without saying that the funeral and the service went without a hitch. Everything was as it should have been. The only difference between using the original funeral home and using Beacon Mortuary was that the cost of the funeral services were reasonable and fair. Honestly beyond reasonable and fair (probably about 50% of the original cost estimate). I really can't give Beacon Mortuary and Cheryl a higher recommendation and I am happy to point others to her service in the hopes that they avoid having to remember an unpleasant funeral home experience, as I have with my dad, for the rest of their life.
Terri Q - Ventura, CA
Lewis and Cheryl were very kind during a difficult situation. My son called and spoke to Lewis a few times and they discussed what we needed. Never at any point did I feel that I was being taken advantage of.
Lewis even asked my daughter my husbands favorite music so he could play it after he picked him up from the hospital and took him to be cremated.
He explained everything to me even though I'm sure I looked as though I wasn't listening.
They made a rough week more tolerable.
Thank you!CJ - Los Angeles, CA
The epitome of compassion. When my dear Susan friend passed this week, we called Beacon Mortuary. Cheryl came to see us that same day...which was a Sunday...over Memorial Weekend. Who does that?! Not the other two Westside places we had called.
Anyways Cheryl was incredibly kind, caring, compassionate, knowledgable and informative. She had all the paperwork ready to go, and explained exactly what our options were. She explained all the pricing and then guided us through the process as we had many questions.
When it came to their services, she didn't try to 'sell' us anything. In fact, she explained why we didn't need certain options that they offered. It felt like a trusted friend was taking care of the arrangements for us. Beacon honestly made our grieving just a tiny bit less painful. I'd give them 10 stars if I could. They were an absolute bright spot during an otherwise difficult time. Thank you Cheryl. Thank you Lewis. Thank you Beacon Mortuary.
Nickette A - Canoga Park, CA
My dad, a retired Marine, and wonderful husband, father, and grandfather, passed away so unexpectedly. The pain of finding out he died suddenly at the hospital and having to tell everyone fell onto my shoulders, not to mention having to deal with the government, insurance companies and trying to fulfill the wishes of cremation and burial in the National Cemetery. Our home health nurse gave me the information for Beacon Mortuary and it was truly a blessing. Cheryl responded in a short time and was able to answer my questions over the phone and came to the house to fill out the paperwork and to choose the urn. She was caring and thoughtful, keeping me informed of what was happening, the process and all needed details. She and her husband Lewis are truly good people and we are blessed that they were present to make everything better in a time of pain.
Roberta C - Seabrook, TX
My daughter passed away on August 6, 2016 and Beacon was the first place I called to ask about services and the last place I called. No need to call anyone else. Lewis and Cheryl are such caring and compassionate people. My experience with them was one with compassion and understanding through a difficult time. We met at their home and not once did I feel out of place or being pushed into "buying" any unnecessary services. They asked me what I wanted for my daughter. Asked who she was and what type of person she was. When they went and got my daughter they played her favorite song "Here comes the sun" by the Beatles. They had the upmost respect for her and my family and I appreciated that. I can't say enough good things about them. When you're in need of services for a loved one that has passed away I hope you consider them. Thank you again Lewis and Cheryl for all that you have done for my daughter and for my family. Much love and peace to you all.
