Eidsness Funeral Home

Veteran services at Eidsness Funeral Home

Veteran families in Brookings, SD can turn to Eidsness Funeral Home for honors and benefit coordination. In their own words: "Eidsness Funeral Chapel has staff members who are U.S. military veterans, including a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a U.S. Air Force veteran who is also a member of the American Legion. The funeral home works with local facilities like Brookings Hospital Hospice, which accepts VA payments, indicating an ability to assist veterans and their families with specific service needs and benefits." On-site amenities include volga chapel, elkton chapel, and white chapel, suited to flag presentation and honors ceremonies. Published pricing lists a quoted rate for basic burial and $2,945 for direct cremation. Veterans may qualify for county or federal allowances toward these costs.

Veteran-related services offered include cremation services, veteran services, graveside service, and memorial 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 volga chapel, elkton chapel, white chapel, and on-site 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 Eidsness Funeral Home: direct cremation from $3,700. That places direct cremation roughly 24% above the South Dakota median ($2,992). 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 South Dakota Veterans Cemetery in SD, approximately 47 miles from Eidsness Funeral Home. Eidsness Funeral Home can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.

South Dakota has approximately 116 licensed funeral homes serving its population, of which a subset specifically lists military funeral honors and VA benefits assistance among their services. Eidsness Funeral Home is among them.

Frequently asked questions

What sets Eidsness Funeral Home apart

• Specialization in postmortem reconstructive surgery for advanced embalming techniques.
• On-site burial vault installation and monument sales, with a dedicated specialist.
• Facility includes a chapel seating 120, with an overflow area for an additional 100 guests and a luncheon space with meal preparation facilities.
• Employee ownership eligibility offered to funeral directors, fostering long-term commitment.
• Extensive grief support resources, including an online library with articles from Dr. Alan Wolfelt.
• Staff members are deeply involved in local community organizations and churches.

Military & veteran services offered

Burial & cremation services

On-site facilities

Affiliations & specializations

Religious traditions & languages

Religious traditions accommodated: Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran (ELCA), Lutheran (Missouri Synod), Wesleyan. Languages spoken at the home: English, Spanish.

Branches of service supported

Based on the home's stated services and specializations, Eidsness Funeral Home has documented experience supporting the following branches:

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.