Becker & Son Funeral Home Ltd

Veteran services at Becker & Son Funeral Home Ltd

Becker & Son Funeral Home Ltd, located in Mount Olive, IL, assists those who served and their families. In their own words: "Becker & Son Funeral Home provides comprehensive support for military funeral honors. This includes arranging for the folding and presentation of the United States flag to the veteran's family, and the playing of Taps. These honors are performed by a funeral honors detail, typically comprising at least two members of the Armed Forces, with one member representing the veteran's branch of service. The funeral home can also arrange for military funeral honor teams to serve as pallbearers upon request. They assist families in establishing veteran eligibility, with the preferred method being the DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. Guidance is provided for obtaining this and other necessary discharge documents from the National Personnel Records Center. Eligibility extends to active duty military, Selected Reserve members, former military with honorable discharge, and former Selected Reserve members discharged due to service-related disability. The firm also assists with information for Commissioned Officer Corps of the Public Health Service (PHS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) personnel." On-site amenities include chapel, suited to flag presentation and honors ceremonies. Published pricing lists $5,395 for basic burial and $3,835 for direct cremation. Veterans may qualify for county or federal allowances toward these costs.

Veteran-related services offered include cremation options, memorial services, graveside services, military services, veterans headstones, and veterans burial flags. Each service is coordinated with the family and, where applicable, with the deceased's last unit or branch honor detail.

On-site facilities of note include chapel. These spaces accommodate full military honors details, family gatherings before and after the service, and the placement of the United States flag during the visitation period.

The nearest VA national cemetery is Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in MO, approximately 50 miles from Becker & Son Funeral Home Ltd. Becker & Son Funeral Home Ltd can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.

Illinois has approximately 1,192 licensed funeral homes serving its population, of which a subset specifically lists military funeral honors and VA benefits assistance among their services. Becker & Son Funeral Home Ltd is among them.

Frequently asked questions

What sets Becker & Son Funeral Home Ltd apart

• Four generations of family ownership and operation since 1906.
• Founder Edward H. Becker was among the first in the area with a degree in funeral services.
• Offers a year of daily grief support messages via email, in addition to external resources.
• Provides comprehensive assistance with military funeral honors and veteran eligibility documentation.

Military & veteran services offered

Burial & cremation services

On-site facilities

Affiliations & specializations

Religious traditions & languages

Religious traditions accommodated: Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Southern Baptist. Languages spoken at the home: English.

How honors are coordinated

Military funeral honors are guaranteed at no cost for any veteran discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. The funeral home arranges the honors detail by contacting the deceased's last unit or the nearest active-duty installation of the appropriate branch and submitting the DD-214 to verify eligibility.

For requests less than 72 hours from service time, families can call the Department of Defense's expedited honors line at 1-877-MIL-HONR (1-877-645-4667). See the full honors protocol.