Bishop-Hastings Funeral Home

Veteran services at Bishop-Hastings Funeral Home

Bishop-Hastings Funeral Home serves veteran families in Selbyville, DE with military funeral planning. In their own words: "Bishop-Hastings Funeral Home provides specialized cremation, funeral, and burial services for veterans and their spouses. They offer guidance for interment at the Eastern Shore Veterans Cemetery in Dorchester County, Maryland, and the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Millsboro. The funeral home assists families with the application process for veteran benefits, which can include free burial space, vaults, grave markers, and cremation niches or burial options for eligible Delaware and Maryland resident veterans and their spouses." On-site amenities include ample off-street parking, chapel, and valet parking, suited to flag presentation and honors ceremonies. Published pricing lists $4,070 for basic burial and $1,295 for direct cremation. Veterans may qualify for county or federal allowances toward these costs.

Veteran-related services offered include cremation services, memorial services, burial services, and personalized cremation service. 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.

Published pricing at Bishop-Hastings Funeral Home: direct cremation from $3,550. That places direct cremation roughly 42% above the Delaware median ($2,497). Veterans who served on active duty for at least 24 months may qualify for VA burial allowance to offset funeral costs — this home accepts assignment of those benefits where eligible.

The nearest VA national cemetery is Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery - Sussex County in DE, approximately 12 miles from Bishop-Hastings Funeral Home. Bishop-Hastings Funeral Home can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.

Delaware has approximately 68 licensed funeral homes serving its population, of which a subset specifically lists military funeral honors and VA benefits assistance among their services. Bishop-Hastings Funeral Home is among them.

Frequently asked questions

What sets Bishop-Hastings Funeral Home apart

• Over 126 years of continuous operation, established in 1896 by Paynter F. Watson.
• Independent, locally owned and operated by Bryan and Amy Bishop since 2014.
• Specialized expertise in veterans' funeral, cremation, and burial services, including assistance with benefit applications for free burial options at state veterans' cemeteries in Delaware and Maryland.
• Serves a broad regional area including Southern Delaware, Wicomico County, MD, and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
• Offers comprehensive pre-planning services, including options for pre-payment and burial insurance to mitigate future costs and family decisions.
• Provides extensive online grief resources, including articles by Dr. Bill Webster, and information for youth regarding funerals.

Military & veteran services offered

Burial & cremation services

On-site facilities

Affiliations & specializations

Religious traditions & languages

Religious traditions accommodated: Catholic, United Methodist, Pentecostal, Episcopal.

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.