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About

Whitehurst, Sullivan, Burns & Blair Funeral Home provides funeral and cremation services to families in Fresno and the Central San Joaquin Valley in a tradition dating to the turn of the 20th century.

Here to serve you

Our team provides a comforting and traditional atmosphere adaptable to meet the needs of individual families in a time of grief. We find great satisfaction in the number of clients who are referred to us by other families, and we are dedicated to serving every family with compassionate professionalism.

At Whitehurst, our hallmark is listening. We are honored to truly get to know the lives of those we celebrate, so that we can craft a memorial experience that genuinely reflects the life, times and passions of the individuals we serve.

We honor veterans

At Whitehurst Sullivan Burns & Blair Funeral Home, we understand the unique needs of America’s veterans and their families. As a Level One Founding Community Partner with We Honor Veterans, our staff is knowledgeable in the benefits available to veterans and their families. With respect, integrity and dignity, we will walk you through the steps of creating a veteran's memorial service that truly honors the life and sacrifice of your loved one.

Trusted provider

We're proud to be a member of the Dignity Memorial® network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers. Our client families receive hometown service from a local team that personally understands Central California.

Whether we assist you with an immediate need, guide you on a tour of our beautiful facility or a discussion about final arrangement planning options, we are honored to serve you.

History

Signage at Whitehurst Sullivan Burns & Blair Funeral HomeWhitehurst, Sullivan, Burns & Blair Funeral Home traces its tradition of caring, thoughtful service back to 1929. Originally founded as Sullivan, Burns & Blair, the funeral home initially operated in the Romaine Mansion in the heart of downtown Fresno. One of the original owners of the funeral home was California Senator Hugh Burns. Eventually, Senate duties took too much time away from the management of the Chapel, and the company was sold to the Whitehurst family.

Honoring traditions of all faiths

Founder Joel A. Whitehurst began offering funeral services in 1911. Together with his wife Anne, he purchased a partnership in the Stockton and Ives Funeral Chapel in Los Banos in 1921. The Whitehurst family bought out Mr. Ives, and eventually the Whitehurst brothers, Joel II and Bill, expanded the funeral home. In 1958, they took over management of Sullivan, Burns & Blair. As they became the premier provider of Fresno-area funeral services serving all faiths, they outgrew their downtown location. In 1964, Whitehurst built a state-of-the-art, full-service funeral home in the Fig Garden area of North Fresno.

Commitment to you

For nearly a century, Central Valley families have counted on the Whitehurst team. Our motto has always been, “Our commitment to serving you comes first.” Longtime employee Donald Cardell and his supporting team continue to uphold the Whitehurst tradition of exceptional service, “often imitated, never duplicated.” Today, we are proud to be a member of the Dignity Memorial network of funeral, cremation and cemetery providers, offering our clients an even higher level of quality and satisfaction.

Amenities

Cremation

Service

Religious & Cultural

Other

Plan a Simple Cremation

Simple can still mean exceptional. Let us show you how.

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Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

1-800-Flowers

View arrangements

Bouquet of flowers on a cemetery 

Remember the one you love

Honor the memory of your loved one with cemetery flower placement. You choose the flowers. You choose the months. We do the rest.

Learn More
Floral component background

Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

1-800-Flowers

View arrangements

Bouquet of flowers on a cemetery

Remember the one you love

Honor the memory of your loved one with cemetery flower placement. You choose the flowers. You choose the months. We do the rest.

Learn More

Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

View arrangements
Floral component background

Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

1-800-Flowers

View arrangements

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Unable to find an obituary?

Not finding what you are looking for? Search for your loved one's obituary across any of our other locations.

VIEW OBITUARIES
Floral component background

Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

1-800-Flowers

View arrangements

Vintage photos scattered

Unable to find an obituary?

Not finding what you are looking for? Search for your loved one's obituary across any of our Washelli locations.

VIEW OBITUARIES
A beautiful bouquet of flowers

Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

 1-800-Flowers

View Arrangements
Bouquet of flowers on a cemetery

Remember the one you love

Honor the memory of your loved one with cemetery flower placement. You choose the flowers. You choose the months. We do the rest.

Learn More
Vintage photos scattered

Unable to find an obituary?

Not finding what you are looking for? Search for your loved one's obituary across any of our other locations.

VIEW OBITUARIES

Ratings & Reviews

Verified Customer Reviews

Since 2005, many of our customers have taken the time to tell us how we did each year via our Voice of the Customer program. Our star ratings and comments from families come directly from these surveys.

"The facility was beautiful and Gilbert was very sensitive to our needs. We felt he did an outstanding job. The best thing I can say is when the time comes I would use Whitehurst and Sullivan again and recommend them to others"

jd-power-verified-checkmark Verified Cremation Customer

December 2021

"This was our first cremation and we are Catholic. We later learned the church (maybe it was just our church) doesn't allow ashes to be separated. We purchased 2 urns in order to separate these. Perhaps advise to check with the church. Our church also didn't tell us when I called to make ( out of town) arrangements. I'm not assigning blame to anyon

e. It simply would have been good to know during planning. The church also said ashes must be buried vs. kept at home. This too would have been a good detail to know during planning."

jd-power-verified-checkmark Verified Cremation Customer

December 2021

"Very compassionate and caring team."

jd-power-verified-checkmark Verified Burial & Memorial Service Customer

November 2021

"Absolutely first class service, and nothing less. This is nothing but the best…3rd time using them and will not go anywhere else."

jd-power-verified-checkmark Verified Burial & Memorial Service Customer

October 2021

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