Burial Services - Modesto & Ceres, CA

We provide professional and compassionate burial services in Modesto, CA with reputable and licensed funeral directors.

Burying a loved one is always an emotional experience. The nature of the service itself can be modified in accordance with the deceased’s wishes, or with the general preferences of the family. 

We do not take a one-size-fits-all approach to our burial services, but rather we create the kind of mood that families request—while ensuring that, regardless of the particulars, each burial service is intimate, affirming, and beautiful.

• Graveside funeral services, which can include involvement from a religious leader, masonic rites, military ritual, or readings from family members.
  
• Committal services, in which loved ones gather to commit a loved one to the Earth—a symbolic gesture of healing.
  
• Immediate burials, for families who have a sudden and unexpected need to bury a loved one.

For unexpected deaths please call 911.

The basic Military Funeral Honors (MFH) ceremony consists of the folding and presentation of the United States flag to the veterans' family and the playing of Taps. The ceremony is performed by a funeral honors detail consisting of at least two members of the Armed Forces.

You can learn more about veteran funeral services and if you are eligible here.

Having a permanent place - in a cemetery, mausoleum, or cremation garden - that can be visited regularly by family and friends is an essential part of the time following a death. 

You can learn more about memorialization options here.

Tour our facilities and meet our friendly staff.

Our firm was founded by Lew Franklin Sr. and Saxon Downs in 1946. In 1972, Lew Franklin, Jr. and LeRoy J. Hart partnered to provide services to the surrounding Modesto Community. In the late 70s, Franklin & Downs acquired the McHenry and Ceres locations. The Colonial Chapel was built in 1887 by George Perly Stone, a local banker; the home was his primary residence for over 30 years.