Higginbotham Funeral Home

Veteran services at Higginbotham Funeral Home

Higginbotham Funeral Home serves veteran families in Cross Plains, TX with military funeral planning. In their own words: "The funeral home assists families with contacting the Veterans Administration to determine eligibility for death benefits or service options for active or retired military personnel." On-site amenities include spacious chapel and reception hall, suited to flag presentation and honors ceremonies. Published pricing lists $3,000 for basic burial and $1,995 for direct cremation. Veterans may qualify for county or federal allowances toward these costs.

Veteran-related services offered include burial, cremation, and graveside/committal 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 spacious 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 Higginbotham Funeral Home: direct cremation from $2,200. That places direct cremation roughly 10% above the Texas median ($1,995). 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 Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Abilene in TX, approximately 44 miles from Higginbotham Funeral Home. Higginbotham Funeral Home can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.

Texas has approximately 1,496 licensed funeral homes serving its population, of which a subset specifically lists military funeral honors and VA benefits assistance among their services. Higginbotham Funeral Home is among them.

Frequently asked questions

What sets Higginbotham Funeral Home apart

• Over a century of continuous operation in Cross Plains, initially as an undertaking department within a general store.
• Part of a larger family corporation, Higginbotham Funeral Homes of Texas, Inc., serving Central Texas since 1881, with a fifth generation of family involvement.
• Provided the area's only 24-hour ambulance service until 1976.
• Offers specialized grief resources, including guidance for children experiencing loss.
• Staff members like Scarlett Harrell Russell have deep family ties to the funeral home's history in Cross Plains.

Burial & cremation services

On-site facilities

Affiliations & specializations

Religious traditions & languages

Religious traditions accommodated: Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ. Languages spoken at the home: English.

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.