Veteran services at Luce Funeral Home
Luce Funeral Home, located in Gettysburg, SD, assists those who served and their families. In their own words: "Luce, Luze & Reck Funeral Homes provides comprehensive veteran services, including assistance with securing all applicable benefits such as Presidential and Governor’s Memorial Certificates. They coordinate military honors, including 'Taps' and American Flag presentations, and offer the option for ceremonies at local War Memorials. The staff assists with completing all required Veterans Administration paperwork, provides information on eligibility, application materials, and burial in national and VA cemeteries (including Black Hills National Cemetery). They also help with securing headstones, medallions, and markers, and offer special cemetery discounts." On-site amenities include chapel and reception center, suited to flag presentation and honors ceremonies.
Veteran-related services offered include cremation, traditional burial, veterans benefits, military honors, family plot burial, and personalized memorialization. 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 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.
The nearest VA national cemetery is All Nations Veterans Cemetery - Fort Yates in ND, approximately 75 miles from Luce Funeral Home. Luce 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. Luce Funeral Home is among them.
Frequently asked questions
Does Luce Funeral Home publish funeral prices?
Luce Funeral Home has not posted a full price list online. Under the FTC Funeral Rule it must provide itemized pricing on request — call (605) 765-9637, and ask how VA burial benefits apply.
Where is Luce Funeral Home located, and can it coordinate a veterans cemetery burial?
Luce Funeral Home is located at 502 East Commercial Avenue in Gettysburg, SD. You can reach the home at (605) 765-9637. Staff can coordinate burial with nearby VA national and state veterans cemeteries.
What services does Luce Funeral Home offer veteran families?
Luce Funeral Home provides cremation, traditional burial, veterans benefits, military honors, celebrations of life, and can arrange military funeral honors for eligible veterans.
Does Luce Funeral Home help veterans with VA burial benefits?
Luce, Luze & Reck Funeral Homes provides comprehensive veteran services, including assistance with securing all applicable benefits such as Presidential and Governor’s Memorial Certificates. They coordinate military honors, including 'Taps' and American Flag presentations, and offer the option for ceremonies at local War Memorials. The staff assists with completing all required Veterans Administration paperwork, provides information on eligibility, application materials, and burial in national and VA cemeteries (including Black Hills National Cemetery). They also help with securing headstones, medallions, and markers, and offer special cemetery discounts.
Which faith traditions does Luce Funeral Home accommodate?
Staff coordinate services for Catholic, Lutheran (ELCA), Bible Church (Non-denominational evangelical), United Methodist, Presbyterian families, among others.
What sets Luce Funeral Home apart
- Four family-owned locations across South Dakota, providing localized service.
- Ownership and operation by Certified Funeral Service Practitioners (CFSP), Mandy Luikens-Spilde and Tiffany Pape Hofer.
- Extensive personalized tribute options including certified celebrant services, bagpiper services, memorial webcasting, and wildflower keepsakes.
- Comprehensive assistance with veterans' benefits and military honors, including familiarity with Black Hills National Cemetery.
- On-site monument design services through Sunburst Memorials with a dedicated consultant.
- Active community involvement by owners and staff, including coroner roles in multiple counties.
Military & veteran services offered
Burial & cremation services
Burial
- · Traditional Burial
- · Family Plot Burial
- · Graveside Ceremony
Cremation
- · Cremation
- · Urn Garden
On-site facilities
Affiliations & specializations
Industry affiliations
- · Selected member
Specializations
- · Veterans Services
- · Personalized Tributes
- · Monument Design
Religious traditions & languages
Religious traditions accommodated: Catholic, Lutheran (ELCA), Bible Church (Non-denominational evangelical), United Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Church of Christ, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Languages spoken at the home: English.
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.