Veteran services at Staples Funeral Home
Staples Funeral Home is a funeral home in Gardiner, ME that accepts veteran families and provides military funeral honors coordination through the Department of Defense honors program.
Published pricing at Staples Funeral Home: direct cremation from $2,695. 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 Central Maine Veterans Cemetery - Civic Center Dr in ME, approximately 8 miles from Staples Funeral Home. Staples Funeral Home can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.
Staples Funeral Home also accommodates Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Secular Humanist, and Lgbtq Affirming traditions for veterans whose religious or cultural observance shapes the service. Military honors can be integrated into the family's tradition with no conflict — the honor detail observes the family's pace.
Staples Funeral Home holds a 4.7-star rating from 51 Google reviews, indicating consistent service quality reported by families who have used the home for veteran and non-veteran services alike.
What families have said
Recent reviews from families who used Staples Funeral Home. Reviews are sourced from Google Places and shown verbatim — we do not edit or filter for sentiment.
“From my initial meeting with Brock, then after my dad’s graveside service with Danny to the aftercare phone call with Melissa, this is an amazing crew. They were awesome to work with, responded to questions and concerns very fast, provided an excellent service I know my dad was proud of. They were attentive to the smallest of details. The aftercare call with Melissa was phenomenal. I have nothing but praise for everyone at Staples Funeral Home and I can’t thank them enough for such an amazing service for my dad.”
“The staff at Staples Funeral Services were extremely knowledgeable and attentive to the needs of our family. Brock made us feel supported. The aftercare call with Holly was wonderful. I almost didn’t participate with the benefit thinking there would be a fee popping up and we were pleasantly surprised by the benefits available. Holly was knowledgeable and very helpful! Thank you for making a difficult time a bit more bearable.”
“Staples Funeral Home - Brock Thomas and the After Care Service Provided - Abide & Full Circle (Probate, Financial, Grief Resource, etc.) are invaluable resources that are most helpful during a stressful time. The majority of people are unaware of all the steps in the process to take care of the personal effects and financial resources and obligations of their loved one and the After Care Services provides services to handle all the questions to finalize all the processes. This is a nice benefit that Staples offers and extended professional assistance at a very reasonable cost is well worth the peace of mind in the end during a sad time. Thank you Staples and After Care services.”
“Brock and the ladies from Staples Funeral home were wonderful!! Very helpful and caring!! Carol from the aftercare was superb as well! Highly recommend them.”
“Danny greeted us at the door when we went to Staples to discuss my mother's arrangements. He gave us all the time we needed and showed great empathy by relaying his own experiences with losing a parent. I appreciated how available the staff made themselves whenever I had a question. Thank you!”
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.