Page A28 December 2022 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A 125th Anniversary Celebration The mayor presents a certificate of appreciation to Alhiser-Comer Mortuary at their Anniversary Celebration. Alhiser-Comer Staff Alhiser-Comer Mortuary Celebrates 125 Years in Business Continued from Page A25 built toward,” says Megan. “It is something I was called to do; it was just never on my radar that all my experiences would equal this.” Megan became the current owner and president of the funeral home before her father passed in 2018. “I’m just trying to keep his legacy going,” she says. The Comers also own and operate Lakepointe Crematorium, which was opened in Riverside County, about 40 minutes north of their current location. The crematorium Chapel at Harrell Funeral Home of Kyle Veranda at Highland Lakes Staircase at Highland Lakes Continued from Page A24 Harrell Funeral Home Introducing Highland Lakes Cremation Center In 2021, Harrell acquired Cremation Advocates and is making significant changes to this business model. The name is officially changing to Highland Lakes Cremation Center effective immediately and it will be the only cremation center operating in the Highland Lakes area. The cremation center will offer customers a modern experience they will not find in a traditional funeral home environment: convenience, intimate service options, and an affordable cremation. “Family members need an easy way to secure cremation arrangements when a loved one passes at a distance,” said Jason. “We are introducing new technology to make this happen. Burnet County received an influx of 13,345 people in the past two years, according to Economic Development Corporation, many coming for retirement. Our cremation center will be the only cremation center in Highland Lakes with the ability to complete all the necessary forms and make payments online. This technology is easy to use and reduces the arranging process to the same amount of time it takes to order your groceries curbside. We will also personally deliver cremated remains within a 25-mile radius of the cremation center.” New research shows not everyone desires a large service in a church or traditional setting. “At death, the question about where to gather often becomes complicated to answer,” said Jason. The Highland Lakes Cremation Center is not what you think of when you think of a funeral home. Instead, it is a new, modern vibe specializing in hosting small intimate gatherings. “We crafted new offerings around the idea of families gathering for an experience and having the flexibility to host services at places that bring special meaning to them,” said Jason. “Our new offerings include water burial on the lake, intimate dinners, memorial gatherings, or come and go events at the cremation center, your home, or other community venues.” “Gathering around a table for many families signifies connection because that is where they shared life and stories,” said Jason. “We took a different approach and hired a local award-winning Chef, Renee Riddell, to create unique menu selections that bring comfort and allow families to pause, connect, share stories, and toast their love for each other. We can even host dinner on the patio of the Cremation Center featuring made-to-order brick oven pizzas.” Highland Lakes Cremation Center provides the lowest-priced cremation within a 56-mile radius partially because all of the planning is completed online, which reduces overhead costs. “Our cremations are not outsourced to a discount provider located almost an hour away,” said Jason. “We operate with transparency, so our customers know exactly where their loved one is and when they will be cremated. Some families desire to have a moment of silence when cremation occurs, so we want to provide them this opportunity.” All offerings are scalable for a simple cremation. Families can add unique service options to a simple cremation to customize their experience. Harrell Funeral Home is the largest family-owned funeral home with an excellent reputation in Central Texas, the fastest-growing metropolitan area in Texas. In 2019, 2020, and 2021, Johnson Consulting Group recognized Harrell Funeral Home as #1 in providing excellent customer service among funeral homes serving 300 plus families in the United States. Harrell received the 2021 “Best of the Best” award in Austin for the funeral home category. Additionally, Harrell is among the top 2% of funeral homes invited to be a Selected Independent Funeral Home and recognized for high-quality service, fair pricing, broad portfolio, and strong reputation. In 2021 they served over 1,000 families in Texas between all their locations in Austin, Kyle, Kingsland, and Dripping Springs. The Harrell brand also encompasses Angel Funeral Home and ATX Cremation, an online cremation business, and Highland Lakes Cremation Center in Marble Falls, TX. To learn more about Harrell, visit www.harrellfuneralhomes.com. has the special license required to serve individuals over 500 pounds, making it able to help mortuaries in San Diego County. “Dad was adamant that we serve our families from start to finish,” says Megan. “We wanted to ensure the same level of service all the way through the process.” The funeral home has received considerable recognition for its service to the Escondido community, including being Escondido’s Chamber of Commerce 2017 recipient a cold morgue on a slab of concrete,” she says. So, they came up with a room right off the morgue that has a water feature and trees and greenery on the wallpaper that is a little more comfortable for such a situation. “If a family needs to identify a loved one, the room offers a better experience during a horrible time,” Megan says, adding, “Families deserve to be cared for.” Hospitals may not think about things from the family’s perspective, but “we as funeral directors do,” Megan says. She says they were glad that the hospital felt as if they could ask about it and that they listened to their input. Alhiser-Comer Mortuary donated the room to be installed in the new hospital as a “family viewing room.” Megan says that this room “wouldn’t traumatize them further. Hopefully, it gives a little bit of peace to the situation.” The 125th anniversary celebration was open to the community and was more like a big birthday party. There were bouncy houses for the kids, tents with cotton candy and kettle corn, a photographer, food trucks and goody bags. They moved loved ones to the crematory so that they could open the whole building to the public. “People don’t really know what goes on in a funeral home or what our building looks like – we wanted to remove the veil,” says Megan. They had their history on boards for people to view and 3-D printed replicas of the building throughout the years. The police and fire department were on hand and had their vehicles open for the kids to explore. Almost 400 people showed up for the event. The funeral home received a certificate of appreciation from the Mayor and the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, who made a proclamation that it would be considered Alhiser-Comer Mortuary Day in Escondido and San Diego County and Congressman Darrell Issa also made a similar proclamation and flew a flag above the state capitol building in honor of the mortuary’s long-standing service to its community. “It was a fun day celebrating with the community,” Megan says. Megan says she plans to continue her current corporate sponsorships and relationships that they have built, along with doing more things to connect with the community. “Goody bags on holidays, continuing education, use of the reception hall to do luncheons,” she mentions when considering the future. In addition, she’s considering opening another funeral home and expanding into areas outside of Escondido that they already serve. The funeral home was at 265 funerals per year when she started there, but they are on track for 700 this year. “Our success is all due to the trust of the community and the integrity of our staff. We keep the Alhiser-Comer family legacy at the forefront and keep building on it,” says Megan. “Our goal is to continue helping families.” of the Family-Owned Business of the Year award. The funeral home’s extensive contributions to their community include serving as a Life Changer Sponsor in the Boys and Girls Club of Greater San Diego and a Corporate Sponsor of Palomar Medical Center. The medical center used to be a block from the funeral home but opened a new facility ten minutes away. While building the morgue, the hospital approached Alhiser-Comer Mortuary for suggestions. “We asked them, ‘Where do people see their loved ones?’ and they responded, ‘In there,’” referring to the morgue itself, says Megan. “We suggested that they build something a little more family-oriented, calmer, more peaceful. Not just
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