Serving all areas of Oregon and Washington
Cornerstone
Funeral Services & Cremation
Where Compassion Guides
Welcome to Cornerstone Funeral Services and Cremation.
Never hesitate to reach out by phone or send us an email. If you want to come into the funeral home for assistance, please make an appointment as we are often not in the building. Often times, we are out in the community helping families and certainly don't want to miss your visit.
When it comes to planning a funeral, burial or cremation, we understand the process can be difficult for those who have experienced a great loss. We are here to take care of everything for you, no matter what type of needs you have in mind.
Browse our site to learn more about our services and how we try to invisibly hold your hand throughout the process. We proudly offer some of the most affordable prices in the area, and we work with a local company to provide a Free Cremation those who cannot afford the fee.
When a loved one passes away, it is easy to focus on the grief that everyone feels. However, it’s extremely important to stay on track and get everything done in a timely manner. We have provided a document called A Helpful Checklist of Things to Do for some gentle guidance after someone passes away.
Read through this Funeral Consumer Rights Pamphlet for a state-specific look at Oregon’s funeral protocol. And do you know in the states of Oregon and Washington you can act as your own funeral director? Learn about this and many more important facts on the very informative website, Oregon Funeral Resources and Education.
Cornerstone is also proud to be the first funeral home in the nation to oversee a form of disposition called Natural Organic Reduction for a loved one. For more information, please click the underlined text for the story narrated by photos.
Cornerstone is proud to be the first sea burial certified funeral provider in Oregon! Did you know full body burial at sea is legal... and green? Learn more here.
Please refer to our current General Price List if you are interested in current costs.
ABOUT CORNERSTONE
Since our establishment in 2002, Cornerstone Funeral Services has been built upon a foundation of care with kindness. The cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
Despite amazing advances in medical science and technology, the mortality rate for human beings stands at a whopping 100%. It's a fact: All of us are going to die someday. Yet in the face of this statistical reality, we are often unprepared when death arrives. When death claims those we love, we struggle with our grief, see comfort from relatives and friends, and search for ways to celebrate and memorialize a person's life all while managing the unfamiliar stressful tasks the final arrangements.
Cornerstone Funeral Services was acknowledged as the first green funeral home in the Portland metropolitan area. Our funeral home is located in a repurposed goat barn in a serene setting with park-like acreage. Our funeral director, Elizabeth Fournier, is a leader in sustainability and the author of the Green Burial Guidebook.
Read more about Cornerstone Funeral Services here.
GREEN BURIAL SERVICES
Families who are interested in learning about environmentally friendly funeral alternatives, referred to also as green burial and natural burial, need only ask us. We offer some specific services and environmentally friendly funeral products.
VISITATION
Close family receives relatives and friends, typically, but not necessarily, with the casket present. This may be for one or two days before the service. A visitation may include an evening prayer or scripture service, and offers a time for eulogies and sharing of memories.
GIFT OF LIFE
We support the gift of life that organ donations enable. When chosen by the family, we work closely with the organ donation organization to coordinate the compassionate and dignified care of the deceased. Following organ donation, families may choose whatever funeral or memorial services they desire.
CREMATION SERVICES
Cremation only refers to the manner in which you or your loved one has chosen to deal with the physical remains. We want you to know that this decision doesn’t limit the ways you can honor your loved one's life. Please click below for our current URN CATALOGUE.
(Please note this company unfortunately lists urns from most expensive to economic.)
ECO-FRIENDLY CREMATION
There is a way to perform a flameless cremation. Water cremations’ technical name is "alkaline hydrolysis." Others refer to it as "bio-cremation." This is a gentle alternative to traditional cremation or burial. It doesn’t require the burning of the body which causes air pollution. The end result is exactly similar to traditional cremation, with cleaner ashes.
Our Aqua Cremation process is an eco-friendly alternative to flame cremation and burial. It uses water instead of fire to return a body back to Mother Nature.
BURIAL SERVICES
If burial has been selected, usually any ceremonies we design revolve around the casket, shroud or alternative container being present. You may choose to follow tradition, with a viewing, and a funeral service in a church or memorial chapel. Or you could decide to have a more relaxed service, even in your family home.
FUNERAL SERVICES
Gathering with friends and family gives everyone the opportunity to share memories, express emotions, and find comforting support. Whether you choose burial or cremation; whether you select a formal funeral or a more relaxed memorial service, the need for acknowledgment of the loss with family and friends is ever present. We can help you create a unique and meaningful ceremony to express the genuine individuality of your loved one.
WITNESS CREMATION
Immediate family can gather together in the crematory with their loved one and ceremoniously say farewell while witnessing the cremation.
MILITARY HONORS
At the request of the family, every eligible veteran may receive a military honors ceremony. This includes the folding and presenting of the United States burial flag and the playing of Taps. Please visit this link for a full explanation of Veterans benefits and eligibility.
NATURAL ORGANIC REDUCTION
This is an accelerated decomposition process that turns bodies into soil within weeks. Read more here.
