Personalized funerals

The Burnaby funeral home is known for tasteful, traditional funeral services for people from Vancouver, Richmond, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, the Tri-Cities area and the Lower Mainland. 

Forest Lawn Funeral Home focuses on ways to personalize even traditional funeral services. Personalization can take many forms. From something as simple as displaying a favorite hockey jersey in the chapel to a contemporary celebration of life with a blowout barbecue, we want to help you with a service as unique as your special someone.

On-site crematorium

West Coast Crematorium is the funeral home's on-site crematorium. Having a crematorium on the property means your loved one never leaves our care. Should your family or religious tradition call for a witness cremation, West Coast Crematorium can accommodate that. The funeral home can design a service before the cremation or after—or you can opt for no service at all. If you wish, cremated remains can be memorialized at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in a cremation garden, ossuary, cremation niche and otherwise.

Forest Lawn Funeral Home chapel

Located in an elegant building in the center of the cemetery midway down the hill, the brick chapel has a distinct spire and an attached concourse that provides coverage from the elements. Inside, the chapel is largely wood, including the pews and ceiling, with a number of skylights. It seats up to 225 people.

The left side of the non-denominational chapel showcases stained-glass artwork of geometric shapes. If you would like religious artifacts, let our staff know. We can provide Catholic crucifixes, Buddhist offering tables and more.

A lounge and patio right outside the chapel is ideal for a reception after a funeral or memorial.

A place for all people

Forest Lawn Funeral Home serves families of many cultures and religions. The funeral home team is well-versed in traditional funeral services for Catholics, Christians, Buddhists and Taoists, as well as non-denominational celebrations of life. We understand that each one of us is unique, with our own life story to tell. That’s why you can depend on Forest Lawn's professionals to capture a loved one's essence with a service that’s both a fitting reflection and a memorable tribute. If your family is from another country or geographic area, our team is experienced in arranging the forwarding and receiving of remains.

Our top-notch associates are caring and dedicated to providing exceptional service to every family who comes here. All of our services are designed to help families through one of the most personal and challenging stages of life. We understand losing a loved one is an emotional and difficult experience, and we are committed to you. Please call us when you need us.

History

Forest Lawn Funeral Home was established in 1965 as a pair of chapels before emerging as a prominent and well-respected funeral home at the center of Forest Lawn Memorial Park. The chapels, which sat on the southern slopes of the cemetery, were sophisticated modernist structures designed by renowned local architects McCarter & Nairne. The larger of the chapels remains on the property, attached to the current funeral home, which recently received a major renovation.

A modern funeral home

Forest Lawn Funeral Home was built in 1978. Through the years, the mortuary has grown to accommodate the needs of thousands of families who have called upon us for personalized care. In 2013, we added a reception facility with a patio.

Scenic cemetery grounds

Forest Lawn Memorial Park cemetery was founded and designed by Albert F. Arnold, who wanted to design a memorial park that “would be a place of perpetual beauty and which would banish the ‘graveyard’ taint from such places forever.”

Situated on 118 acres, the landscaped property opened in 1936 as a garden that overlooked Vancouver and had a magnificent view of the mountains. Albert called it “God’s Acres.” Initially equipped with its own greenhouses, the park today has more than a million plants and continues to offer a peaceful and comforting environment with scenic views, 3 mausoleums and both flush-to-the-ground and upright monuments.

The cemetery is home to the graves of 37 Commonwealth Service Personnel of World War II, and it has considerable room for those who wish to be buried here in the future.

A pioneer in his field, Albert became a consultant to memorial parks all over Canada and the United States, and many of his innovations became standard practice in North American cemeteries.

Community involvement

Forest Lawn Funeral Home and Forest Lawn Memorial Park recognize their roles in making a positive contribution to Burnaby, Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

To that end, we support A Loving Spoonful, an organization that delivers meals for people with HIV/AIDS; the Dry Grads program, which encourages high school students to celebrate their graduations without alcohol; the Vancouver Men's Chorus; McLaren Housing Society, dedicated to helping those with HIV and AIDS secure housing and fight housing discrimination; Cultch Theatre, also known as Vancouver East Cultural Center; the Fillmore Family Foundation; Dress for Success, which provides low-income women with business attire in order to obtain jobs; as well as other worthy causes.

Holiday events

Forest Lawn Funeral Home and Forest Lawn Memorial Park host several events during the year.

On Mother’s Day, we provide flowers to visitors and hold a light reception with snacks. We have hot dog vendors on Father’s Day and invited dads and their families for a smokie, Bavarian sausage or hot dog.

We work together with a sister location, Ocean View, on All Souls’ Day. We provide the chapel space for Catholics to gather for the blessing service and then go out to the cemetery afterward to bless the graves. We have multiple services, including one for the Croatian community.

We help the Chinese community celebrate Ching Ming, the traditional grave sweeping ceremony. We hold open houses the weeks before for people to discuss and determine options for their own burial arrangements.

On the 1st weekend in December, we hold a holiday memorial. People come to remember their loved ones with music and a candle-lighting ceremony. We invite people to write messages to their loved ones and place it on our holiday tree. The ceremony is non-denominational and everyone is welcome.