Veteran services at Brown-Forward Funeral Home
Brown-Forward Funeral Home is a funeral home in Shaker Heights, OH that accepts veteran families and provides military funeral honors coordination through the Department of Defense honors program.
Published pricing at Brown-Forward Funeral Home: direct cremation from $3,875. 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 Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in OH, approximately 35 miles from Brown-Forward Funeral Home. Brown-Forward Funeral Home can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.
Brown-Forward Funeral Home also accommodates Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Secular Humanist, and Lgbtq Affirming traditions for veterans whose religious or cultural observance shapes the service. Military honors can be integrated into the family's tradition with no conflict — the honor detail observes the family's pace.
Brown-Forward Funeral Home holds a 4.8-star rating from 20 Google reviews, indicating consistent service quality reported by families who have used the home for veteran and non-veteran services alike.
What families have said
Recent reviews from families who used Brown-Forward Funeral Home. Reviews are sourced from Google Places and shown verbatim — we do not edit or filter for sentiment.
“Brown-Forward is an excellent funeral home whose owners and staff are customer service oriented, offering those in bereavement compassion, comfort and professional care. As a member of the clergy, I've had the privilege of working with their funeral directors numerous times over the past twenty years, performing well over 100 funerals. Each one has been done with sensitivity and care. In my experience Brown-Forward is one of the best funeral homes I've worked with.”
“There is a reason Brown-Forward is a Shaker Heights institution. Over the last 50 years BF provided professional, compassionate service for five family members during life's most difficult moments. Rob and Judy and now Brad have helped my family through arrangements for my grandparents, an uncle and my own parents always with patience and a loving demeanor. I would offer my highest recommendation for anyone experiencing such a loss.”
“I attended a service at Brown-Forward Funeral Home and was very impressed. The staff was kind and professional, and the facility was beautiful and well organized. They handled everything with care and respect.”
“Between 1977 and 2013 Brown Forward handled the final rites for five members of my family. Every time there was excellent individual care given to our needs. 4 funerals were held in Cleveland and the fifth in Detroit. Everything went well. The staff were always attentive to any special requests we had. When my brother died in NY two years ago we had them place his obituary in the PD and on their web site. Every time attention to details was outstanding Always professional for decades. Joseph G Blake”
“Bradley Forward and his father, Rob and immediate family run a wonderful, compassionate operation. They have taken such care of a family member and a couple of my really close friends funerals. I couldn't recommend anyone else but the Forward's for a funeral.”
EverSettled · After the Veteran Funeral
The veteran's spouse may qualify for VA Dependency & Indemnity Compensation.
DIC is a tax-free monthly benefit for surviving spouses, dependent children, and (in some cases) parents of veterans whose death is service-connected. EverSettled walks veteran families through DIC eligibility, survivor pension, life-insurance claims, probate, and the federal-account paperwork that follows.
Begin Veteran Estate SettlementHow 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.