Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home & Cremation Center

Veteran services at Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home & Cremation Center

Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home & Cremation Center, located in Chambersburg, PA, assists those who served and their families. In their own words: "The funeral home has staff members who are U.S. military veterans (Air Force and Army) and members of veteran organizations like the VFW. They have experience arranging services, including interment at national cemeteries such as Arlington National Cemetery, indicating their capability to provide veteran-specific funeral and cremation services." On-site amenities include chapel, suited to flag presentation and honors ceremonies. Published pricing lists $6,385 for basic burial and $3,975 for direct cremation. Veterans may qualify for county or federal allowances toward these costs.

Veteran-related services offered include cremation, memorial service, graveside service, 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 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 Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home & Cremation Center: direct cremation from $3,975. That places direct cremation roughly 67% above the Pennsylvania median ($2,375). 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 Rocky Gap Veterans Cemetery in MD, approximately 55 miles from Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home & Cremation Center. Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home & Cremation Center can coordinate transport, scheduling with the cemetery's interment office, and the timing of military honors with the receiving committal shelter.

Pennsylvania has approximately 1,623 licensed funeral homes serving its population, of which a subset specifically lists military funeral honors and VA benefits assistance among their services. Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home & Cremation Center is among them.

Frequently asked questions

What sets Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home & Cremation Center apart

• Operates an on-site crematorium, providing complete care without third-party involvement for cremation services.
• Four generations of continuous family ownership and operation in funeral service, dating back to 1919.
• Implements a strict cremation process that includes a positive identification viewing for family members.
• Offers funeral financing through a partnership with LendingUSA, providing flexible payment schedules.
• Deeply rooted local, family-owned business with extensive community affiliations and a focus on personalized service for area residents.

Military & veteran services offered

Burial & cremation services

On-site facilities

Affiliations & specializations

Religious traditions & languages

Religious traditions accommodated: Lutheran, United Brethren, Non-denominational Christian, Free Methodist, Presbyterian, Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Mennonite, Baptist, Church of the Brethren. Languages spoken at the home: English.

Branches of service supported

Based on the home's stated services and specializations, Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home & Cremation Center 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.