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About

Virgil T. Golden Funeral Home has served generations of Willamette Valley families since the mid-1900s. Located in Salem, Oregon, about an hour south of Portland, our funeral home provides comfort and convenience when planning a funeral or cremation with the highest level of personalized service and compassionate care possible.

Your dedicated Salem funeral home

Founded in 1949, Virgil T. Golden Funeral Home is committed to serving families in and around Marion County. Situated on Commercial Street Southeast, across from the Salem Public Library, it is a warm and special place to honor and celebrate your loved one. Whether you want an intimate service or a grand remembrance, our versatile chapel is a peaceful space and can be easily configured to accommodate your needs and wishes.

Interested in hosting a reception? We have areas for both small and larger gatherings, plus full catering capabilities before or after a service. The funeral home also features a coffee lounge, flexible event spaces and visitation rooms. Both in-home and overnight visitations are welcome.

The building has all the latest technology to allow for personalized memorial tribute videos and slideshows and an onsite piano for live music. We are handicap accessible and offer ample parking as well.

Personalized memorials and celebrations of life

At Virgil T. Golden Funeral Home, we believe that every service should be as unique as the life lived. We capture the essence of your loved one to create an event that honors your special person and gives friends and family a chance to come together and remember.

Perhaps it’s a lively game of bingo for your beloved bingo fan with proceeds going to charity or a remembrance hike on her favorite trail overlooking the most beautiful views. No matter your wish, no matter the detail, we handle it all.

Whether you want to arrange a traditional funeral service or modern celebration of life, large gathering or more intimate service, we will work with you one-on-one to ensure your needs and budget are met. From floral arrangements to music selections, décor, mementos and more, we guide you through your choices with care.

See how we celebrate life.

Onsite crematory

Not everyone knows that there are many cremation options. If you're interested in cremation, we can explain the process and your various choices. From a simple cremation without a memorial service to witness cremation or a full funeral service followed by a scattering and catered reception, we help you understand this increasingly common choice and handle all of the cremation arrangements.

Virgil T. Golden Funeral Home includes an onsite private crematory, so your loved one never leaves our care.

Learn more about our cremation options here.

Planning in advance

In addition to assisting with an immediate need, we specialize in working with families to make final arrangements in advance. When you plan ahead, you relieve your family from financial and emotional burdens while ensuring your wishes are fulfilled. We offer in-person and virtual consultations, as well as a free Personal Planning Guide.

Find out everything you need to know about prepaid funeral plans.

Veterans and public servants programs

We deeply appreciate those who have sacrificed for our freedoms and specialize in serving the veteran community. It's our privilege to honor veterans and their families in need of funeral services.

We are participants in the Dignity Memorial® Homeless Veterans Burial Program, a cooperative effort with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, local medical examiners, coroners, veterans’ advocates and veterans’ organizations. Through the Homeless Veterans Burial Program, homeless and indigent veterans who have no family to claim them are identified and provided with a proper military burial.

Through the Dignity Memorial Public Servants Program, we provide dignified and honorable tributes, at no cost, for career and volunteer law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency services personnel who fall in the line of duty.

Watch a video to learn all about our services and get a free veterans planning guide.

Here for you

Thank you for considering Virgil T. Golden Funeral Home for your funeral and cremation needs. We are here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Contact us if you need immediate assistance or would like more information about our services.

Reach out now.

History

In October 1949, Virgil T. Golden Company Mortuary opened its doors in Salem, Oregon, with the goal of providing the very best in warm, personal service at a family's most difficult time. The original partnership—later changed to Virgil T. Golden Funeral Service—was founded by Virgil T. Golden and his wife Grace S. Golden.

Well-known and respected in the Salem community, Virgil served for many years as a Deputy Marion County Coroner and was associated with the funeral industry for 22 years before opening Virgil T. Golden Company Mortuary. His wife Grace, a registered nurse, provided comfort and care to families they served.

Over the years, Virgil T. Golden Funeral Home has upheld the ideals of our founders while remaining flexible and accommodating of the times. Our services have continuously expanded to meet the ever-changing needs of the community. This includes a building renovation in the late 1990s and the addition of our onsite crematory in 1999.

Virgil and Grace’s son, Tom C. Golden, and grandson, Tom P. Golden, have followed in their footsteps, carrying on the legacy of professional, compassionate service. Tom C. Golden joined the family business in 1960 following an apprenticeship in Santa Barbara, California, and schooling in San Francisco. A founding board member of Willamette Valley Hospice, he has served on the State Mortuary & Cemetery Board, was awarded Salem's Distinguished Service Award in 1995, and has been involved with various civic and nonprofit organizations.

Like his father, Tom P. Golden joined the funeral home following an apprenticeship in California and schooling at Mt. Hood Community College. He too has served on several boards including the Rotary Club of Salem, United Way, Salem Library Foundation and the Oregon Funeral Directors Association.

Today, Virgil T. Golden Funeral Home is part of the Dignity Memorial family of funeral service providers, creating personalized funerals and memorials with attention to detail like no other.

Read about the Dignity Difference.

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Amenities

Location

Flexible event space
Facility is available to host your personal events
Large capacity chapel
Celebration of Life center
Facility is designed for personalized funeral celebrations
Recently renovated
New building
Flexible chapel space
Our chapel can be used for hosting your religious events
Multiple chapels
Chapel
Piano/organ on site
Reserved veteran parking
Coffee lounge
Pet-friendly

Cremation

Onsite crematory
Cremation remembrance jewelry
Cremation viewing suite
Option for home delivery of ashes
Option for mail delivery of ashes
Sent through postal mail service, signature required.
Scattering assistance

Service

Arrangements by phone or email
Complete funeral planning, including electronic signature, without needing a funeral home visit
Catered events
White glove service
Locations offering the highest level of service and care
Large reception area
Event planning
Services available to support planning events
Tribute video production
Services available to create a tribute video for the service or obituary from photos and videos.
Audio and video equipment
Live music available
Popular music selections
Intimate reception area
Meeting space
Space available for corporate and organization meetings
Certified celebrants
Certified professionals in planning personalized memorial services
Funeral celebrants
Trained professionals in planning personalized memorial services
Overnight visitations
Green burials and funerals
Natural burials and funerals that emphasize simplicity and environmental sustainability
In-home visitations
Services available to coordinate visitation or viewing at a private residence
Black car service
White limousines