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Veteran-Friendly Funeral Home

Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory

500 South Ohio Street · Salina, KS 67401

Veteran Services

Source: home enrichment record

Carlson Funeral Service, Inc. offers specialized services for honoring veterans, including assistance with navigating VA burial benefits and making arrangements for interment at national cemeteries like the nearby Northwoods National Cemetery. [cite: "Services" section in markdown, "FAQs" section in markdown, 8, 10, 18, 27]

Veteran services at Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory

Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory in Salina, KS supports veteran families with military funeral arrangements. In their own words: "Carlson Funeral Service, Inc. offers specialized services for honoring veterans, including assistance with navigating VA burial benefits and making arrangements for interment at national cemeteries like the nearby Northwoods National Cemetery. [cite: "Services" section in markdown, "FAQs" section in markdown, 8, 10, 18, 27]" On-site amenities include chapel, suited to flag presentation and honors ceremonies. Published pricing lists $5,150 for basic burial and $3,175 for direct cremation. Veterans may qualify for county or federal allowances toward these costs. What feedback exists is encouraging: 4.1 stars across 28 reviews.

Veteran-related services offered include burial, cremation, veteran services, memorial service, graveside service, and online memorials. 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 norview gardens cemetery and 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 Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory: direct cremation from $3,175. That places direct cremation roughly 20% above the Kansas median ($2,647). 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 Kansas Veterans Cemetery at Fort Riley / Manhattan in KS, approximately 53 miles from Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory. Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.

Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory holds a 4.1-star rating from 28 Google reviews, indicating consistent service quality reported by families who have used the home for veteran and non-veteran services alike.

Kansas has approximately 428 licensed funeral homes serving its population, of which a subset specifically lists military funeral honors and VA benefits assistance among their services. Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory is among them.

Frequently asked questions

What does a funeral at Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory cost for veteran families?

From its published general price list, direct cremation starts at $3,175. Eligible veterans can offset these costs with a VA burial allowance, and burial in a VA national cemetery is provided at no charge.

Where is Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory located, and can it coordinate a veterans cemetery burial?

Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory is located at 500 South Ohio Street in Salina, KS. You can reach the home at (785) 823-3456. Staff can coordinate burial with nearby VA national and state veterans cemeteries.

What services does Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory offer veteran families?

Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory provides burial, cremation, pre-planning, veteran services, traditional services, and can arrange military funeral honors for eligible veterans.

Does Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory help veterans with VA burial benefits?

Carlson Funeral Service, Inc. offers specialized services for honoring veterans, including assistance with navigating VA burial benefits and making arrangements for interment at national cemeteries like the nearby Northwoods National Cemetery. [cite: "Services" section in markdown, "FAQs" section in markdown, 8, 10, 18, 27]

Which faith traditions does Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory accommodate?

Staff coordinate services for All Faiths (General Service), Lutheran, Catholic families, among others.

How do families rate Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory?

Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory holds a 4.1-star rating across 28 Google reviews from local families and veterans.

What sets Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory apart

  • Fourth-generation family ownership, serving the Rhinelander community since 1926.
  • All professional staff are licensed funeral directors, committed to ongoing education and adherence to high professional standards.
  • Affiliations with the National Funeral Directors Association, Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association, and Wisconsin Valley Funeral Directors Association.
  • Offers Green Burial Services for environmentally conscious end-of-life decisions.
  • Features an on-site columbarium for the interment of cremated remains.
  • Provides comprehensive online pre-planning tools and personalized consultations to ease future burdens on families.

Military & veteran services offered

Veteran Services
Memorial Service
Online Memorials

Burial & cremation services

Burial

  • · Burial
  • · Graveside Service

Cremation

  • · Cremation

On-site facilities

· Crematory
· Norview Gardens Cemetery
· Chapel
· Piano
· Cameras For Webcasting
· Tent
· Chairs
· Artificial Grass
· Speaker Podium
· Bottled Water
· Tables
· PA System

Affiliations & specializations

Industry affiliations

  • · National Funeral Directors Association
  • · Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association
  • · Wisconsin Valley Funeral Directors Association

Specializations

  • · Veteran Services
  • · Grief Support

Religious traditions & languages

Religious traditions accommodated: All Faiths (General Service), Lutheran, Catholic. Languages spoken at the home: English.

What families have said

Recent reviews from families who used Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home & Crematory. Reviews are sourced from Google Places and shown verbatim — we do not edit or filter for sentiment.

We have used this funeral home, 3 times. We have ALWAYS been thoroughly Satisfied, with their services. They treat you like family. They put you at ease, and want you to be totally satisfied, with everything. They are a Great Family, that runs this funeral home. I wouldn't dream of using anyone else!!!!
Karla Spiller★★★★★5 years agoVet-related
The staff were kind knowledgeable and attentive from the moment they arrived at nursing facility till weeks after the service. Our needs were always met and questions answered in a timely manner. We had to travel a couple hours for burial and had a large group of great grandkids and we appreciated the calmness and care we were provided.
LaVeda Montgomery★★★★★6 years agoVet-related
I was with my best friend throughout her whole journey with this company. None of which was easy for anybody. This establishment claims that they have compassion and care but since day one they did not prove this. No sympathy for the situation whatsoever. They treated my friends mother like another numbered body. That being said, we picked up her mother and the number was wrong. Sending everybody into a panic because we had already been through enough. They assured us that it was human error and was entered wrong. Now, the death certificate she received had missing information. This has not been a great experience at all. They showed no compassion, care or sympathy in a time that was already hard enough. The death of a loved one is the hardest thing to endure and to add in extra stress is absolutely ridiculous. Especially since their prices are outrageous and they claim to have great customer service.
Tannya Merriman★★★★7 years agoVet-related
My mother had died suddenly and we all were devastated from our loss. She passed away around 5pm. They told us that we had to make a decision by the next morning 8am. So, we were rushed into cremating her. We get there and they denied us a loan (credit scores of 700+) so we had to raise money to cremate her. We asked them what do families do when their loved one has no life insurance, retirement, and lives off a disability. They said you just have to raise the funds. We went through obstacles to get her cremated. Then, I would constantly check in to make sure things were getting done. I stopped by with cash payments and updated the maiden names on the death certificate and obituaries. I picked up my mom and found out later that day that the number on the box didn't match the number on the ashes. So frantically I called them to make sure that I had the right body! They assured me that I did. Then, we had to pay the balance off and we discussed IN ADVANCE what to do with the new donations. She didn't do that and the family was shorted funds to pay for the service. You think that would be the end, it isn't. Today, I received my mother's death certificate which was missing my grandmother's maiden name. The one that I provided 2x. They said that I would have to CERTIFY MAIL IT BACK TO THEM and they will issue an amendment. I have to pay them to mail it back to them. After I confronted them, all they could say, I"m sorry you feel that way. I would NEVER RECOMMEND USING THEM!!! They have no sympathy, apologies are a slap in the face, and don't care about their clients at all. Update: With their response, I wanted to clear somethings up. We had to sign the "death certificate" approval the day after her death. I provided the maiden name and they failed to inform me that it was "too late" to update the certificate and didn't offer to amend PRIOR to ordering them so we wouldn't be inconvenienced on having to pay certified mail and send them back to them. I don't live in Salina so either I would have to hand deliver it or certify mail it to them. They failed to update us on this process after we made it clear that we needed their professional guidance on how this works. It is frustrating that I have to find out by opening a letter instead of them informing me what will be on it. The comment about "we can't force people to pay more than the balance" is something that not only I, but 4 other people talked to them about directly in their office. We agreed to hold the donations until the GOFUNDME deposit went through. That fund was setup to pay for the cremation and we ALL AGREED to hold ALL DONATIONS until after that money was deposited. If it is something that couldn't be done, don't agree and OFFER to do that. After contacting them, they said "it isn't our fault that you didn't communicate that with your family." Very professional. I work in a customer service field and I know how to treat people, and this company lacks accountability and compassion. I usually don't post negative reviews because everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, however, there are several opportunities where these mistakes could have been prevented and weren't. The only reason why I'm sharing my experience is to help other people who are experiencing a loss like this for the first time to find a company that will walk you through and lay out all the options. A company that won't make you feel pressured and lost. I felt pressured the morning after her death and left their upset. You shouldn't leave an appointment with more questions than answers. After reading other reviews, we are not the only family that has been hurt by them.
Michelle★★★★7 years agoVet-related
They were wonderful during such a sad time for me and my family. They were sincere and considerate, sweet and very understanding. They didn't rush us and explained everything for me and my sister at the time. Every person I met through them was phenomenal and super nice. When visitation time came they made it seem so smooth when we were all so very sad.
Caitlyn Niemczyk★★★★★7 years ago

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 Settlement

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.

After the Service · Veteran Family

Estate settlement is the next chapter for veteran families.

DIC, survivor pension, and VA educational benefits run alongside probate, life-insurance claims, and account retitling. EverSettled guides veteran families through every step at no cost.

Begin Veteran Estate Settlement