Veteran services at Greer-McElveen Funeral Home
Greer-McElveen Funeral Home serves veteran families in Lenoir, NC with military funeral planning. In their own words: "Greer-McElveen Funeral Home & Crematory facilitates services for veterans, as indicated by a testimonial mentioning the involvement of the Caldwell County Veteran's Honor Guard." On-site amenities include ample parking and on-site chapel, suited to flag presentation and honors ceremonies. Published pricing lists a quoted rate for basic burial and $895 for direct cremation. Veterans may qualify for county or federal allowances toward these costs. Local families rate the firm 3.7 stars across 31 Google reviews.
Veteran-related services offered include cremation and burial. 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 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 Greer-McElveen Funeral Home: direct cremation from $895. That places direct cremation roughly 52% below the North Carolina median ($1,850). 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 Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in NC, approximately 52 miles from Greer-McElveen Funeral Home. Greer-McElveen Funeral Home can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.
North Carolina has approximately 845 licensed funeral homes serving its population, of which a subset specifically lists military funeral honors and VA benefits assistance among their services. Greer-McElveen Funeral Home is among them.
Frequently asked questions
What does a funeral at Greer-McElveen Funeral Home cost for veteran families?
From its published general price list, direct cremation starts at $895. 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 Greer-McElveen Funeral Home located, and can it coordinate a veterans cemetery burial?
Greer-McElveen Funeral Home is located at 725 Wilkesboro Blvd. NE in Lenoir, NC. You can reach the home at (828) 754-4521. Staff can coordinate burial with nearby VA national and state veterans cemeteries.
What services does Greer-McElveen Funeral Home offer veteran families?
Greer-McElveen Funeral Home provides cremation, funeral service, preneed services, burial, mausoleum entombment, and can arrange military funeral honors for eligible veterans.
Does Greer-McElveen Funeral Home help veterans with VA burial benefits?
Greer-McElveen Funeral Home & Crematory facilitates services for veterans, as indicated by a testimonial mentioning the involvement of the Caldwell County Veteran's Honor Guard.
Which faith traditions does Greer-McElveen Funeral Home accommodate?
Staff coordinate services for Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, Episcopal families, among others.
How do families rate Greer-McElveen Funeral Home?
Greer-McElveen Funeral Home holds a 3.7-star rating across 31 Google reviews from local families and veterans.
What sets Greer-McElveen Funeral Home apart
- Family-owned and operated by the McElveen family, providing local expertise and personalized service.
- On-site crematory, offering convenience and direct oversight for cremation services.
- Extensive pre-planning options, allowing individuals to make arrangements and potentially lock in costs.
- Comprehensive grief support resources, including the Griefwords Online Library with articles from Dr. Alan Wolfelt.
- Modern and accommodating facilities with a chapel, ample parking, and reception areas.
Military & veteran services offered
Burial & cremation services
Burial
- · Burial
- · Committal
Cremation
- · Cremation
On-site facilities
Affiliations & specializations
Specializations
- · Traditional funeral services
- · Cremation services
- · Memorial services
- · Pre-planning options
- · Grief support and counseling resources
Religious traditions & languages
Religious traditions accommodated: Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian. Languages spoken at the home: English.
What families have said
Recent reviews from families who used Greer-McElveen Funeral Home. Reviews are sourced from Google Places and shown verbatim — we do not edit or filter for sentiment.
“My daughter's father had pre-paid for a cremation, grave side service and left 50 dollars toward his obituary many years ago. Sat May 4th he died in a tragic car accident. It would be Monday before Greer received the body. The attendant on the phone was extremely nice. She made sure to return my call, informing me of the prepayment he had made in detail. She even let me know that he was viewable but since being cremated, would be covered with only his head visible should our daughter wish that final goodbye. We then scheduled the meeting at the funeral home. The following day the meeting was with the Funeral Home Director. She went over the prepaid burial, took information for the obituary confirmed the obituary written, corrected her now 2nd time mistake on the date of death, and took the $52.00 additional charge for the obituary as the price had gone up since purchase. Then she asks if anyone wanted to view the body. I explained I would be before Lauren to ensure she would be ok seeing her Dad in his current condition. She then stated $ There is a $250.00. Yes $250.00 charge for Alan Greene's daughter to see and say a final goodbye to her dad!!!! We are talking a matter of minutes. They didn't have to prepare him for this viewing, only walk her to the room and wanted $250. I told her that if she wanted this that I would make it happen but she chose to not give in to this ludicrous charge and remember her dad at their last visit. She feels like they held her father hostage and would not give in to their demands. This funeral home nor the hospital never once asked a family member to even identify the body, so we can only assume they have the correct person. Never heard of that before either. What we have learned after that day: pre-paid funeral money is held by the state, not the funeral home but they don't have to share this as they greedily want their money. So please know you can choose ANY funeral home at their time of death!!!! Because I would NEVER even take a dog to Greer McElveen Funeral Home. Such a disrespectful place to expect a any one much less a disabled daughter cough up $250.00 for a last visit with her Dad Shameful!!!!”
“We had a viewing today on May 6, 2020 for a relative of mine that passed very sudden and left the family devastated. When we first drove into the parking lot we wondered if we were at the wrong place since the parking lot was being repaved and the whole front parking lot was under construction. We realized we were at the right place and had to park in the back and went in from behind the building. We were told to wait outside in the front since covid19 only allowed 10 people in at a time which there were only 7 people in the building. I mentioned the fumes were unbearable from the work on the parking lot and we could not wait in the front. The assistant was very rude and replied “well we had to re-pave the parking lot.” I replied that the timing was very unprofessional and not fair to the people paying for the time. He did not re-direct us or try to help with our concerns at all. Then when another person complained and got very upset about the construction the parking lot the assistant then called the police and 4 cops showed up to settle the argument. Unbelievable that this kind of conduct and customer service is acceptable with people that are mourning and should be consoled. I would never recommend this establishment to anyone. I could not believe their attitude and treatment. Why would you order construction on the same day and time that someone has paid for their loved ones viewing.”
“Absolutely the worst funeral home that I’ve ever dealt with. Disrespectful to say the least. They broke several state laws, including denying our family the right to see the deceased. On the day of the service, they acted like we were ruining their day. The lady who represented the funeral home sat around while we, the family of the deceased, ran around trying to make sure everything was done. Won’t ever deal with them again.”
“In 2018, I buried my husband, the staff at this funeral home were very kind, very considerate, and extremely helpful ,easing the many details with the lose of a loved one. A remarkable show of sincerity, was a card of rememberance on the date of the death a year later. Remarkable!”
“My family member had the funeral expense covered in FULL then they proceed to saydue to inflation it's going to be 3000 more dollars, not only that but they put his money in THEIR bank and was drawing interest on it which would be more than enough to cover expenses. So not only charging more but embezzling money untill you die and they can reap all the benefits. Them drawing interest is supposed to cover any expenses due to inflation but not only did it not cover but they must've kept the remaining and charged more. As if losing a loved one isn't hard enough thays supposed to cover all expenses but they claim it doesn't and draw interest on money they get to keep plus some.”
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.