Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks-Griffin Mortuary & Crematory & Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park

A comforting Westlake Village funeral home

When you walk through our doors, we want you to feel welcome. Upon entering our lobby, you are greeted by our compassionate concierge who invites you into our hospitality room for coffee, tea or other refreshments.

Our intimate chapel was built in the 1970s and has a wooden trussed ceiling and seating for 120 guests. If you wish to host a catered reception, we have a reception room on the cemetery property. With our professional catering services, you won't need to find an outside caterer. If you'd like an outdoor service, that's not a problem, and we can arrange chairs, tables and tents for the event.

Our care for you and your family doesn't end after the funeral is over. Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks–Griffin Mortuary has a peaceful room where you will find a library of grief support resources.

Truly personalized funeral services

We believe that every person’s life is unique and deserves to be celebrated with a one-of-a-kind funeral or memorial service. At Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks–Griffin Mortuary, our dedicated team is committed to helping you create a memorable and impactful tribute that reflects your loved one’s passions and individuality.

We have designed many personalized funerals—it's what we truly love to do. Whether it's engraving a police shield on a law enforcement officer's casket or sending friends and family members home with signed river rocks, we know how to turn the details of a life into a memorable memorial. To help us plan a celebration, we ask only that you share your stories with us. From there, we derive our inspiration and set out to delight you.

On-site crematory

Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks–Griffin Mortuary is among the few providers in the area with a private on-site crematory, which means your loved one never leaves our care. Cremation is important in certain religions and cultures, and more and more people are choosing cremation over more traditional burial options, but most people aren’t familiar with all of their choices when it comes to cremation. You may choose a direct cremation without a funeral or memorial service of any kind; a funeral with the body present, followed by cremation; or a cremation followed by a cemetery service or a celebration of life. we are among the few providers in the area

We are here for you when you need us

The Conejo Valley is a diverse and vibrant region. Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks–Griffin Mortuary serves families of all religions, cultures and backgrounds. Our knowledgeable team is well-versed in many funeral and cremation customs, including Persian, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Bahá'í, non-denominational, non-religious and many other beliefs. We have team members who speak Farsi and Spanish.

We are located on Lindero Canyon Road in Westlake Village just off the 101 Freeway. In addition to Westlake Village, we also serve families from Thousand Oaks, Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Malibu, Simi Valley, the Ventura area, West San Fernando Valley and the greater Conejo Valley community.

We invite you to call or come by Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks–Griffin Mortuary anytime to learn more about our funeral, memorial and cremation services. We promise to treat you and your family like our own.

History

Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park was built on land owned by the American Hawaiian Land Company until it was purchased by Daniel K. Ludwig, a businessman who developed Westlake Village. Daniel originally envisioned the property as an 182-acre memorial park, but in the 1970s, he reduced the cemetery lot to its current 42 acres and sold it.

Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Mortuary opened in 1967. Its original management included attorney and vice president Al J. Dietsch, director Darwin F. Dapper and sales director Richard Turgon. Even at its inception, Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks proved to be appreciative of the local Westlake Village community and protective of its history.

A historic cemetery within a cemetery

In 1969, 29 Conejo Valley pioneer residents were relocated from the Old Russell Cemetery to a specially restored garden now known as Settlers Cemetery. Located in a very beautiful and peaceful area of the memorial park, this garden is protected and cared for by the Valley Oaks endowment care fund to remain as a landmark and serves as a reminder of the early history of the Conejo Valley. It is open to the public for tours and educational purposes.

Honoring Joseph H. Russell

In addition to these preservation efforts, in 1967, Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks commemorated Conejo Valley pioneer rancher and philanthropist Joseph H. Russell. He is buried in the memorial park with other family members. While still in its infancy, Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks created a private estate for the Russell family with a plaque that traces Joseph's life and impact on the Conejo Valley. The entrance to the garden is adorned with a great bronze statue of the pioneer depicted as a cowboy on a horse and a wall with a dedication on one of our original buildings.

A grand and splendid statue

In November 1968, renowned Italian sculptor Arrigo Gualtiera was commissioned to create a statue for our largest garden, the Garden of Gethsemane. The 3-ton, 6½-foot statue of a kneeling figure of Christ was carved from a 6-ton block of Carrara marble. This impressive statue took Arrigo 4 months to create in his studio in Carrara, Italy. To this day, the statue is among the more magnificent pieces of art in the Conejo Valley.

Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park cemetery

Situated on 42 acres of land, Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park offers stunning mountain views, remarkable statues, plenty of shade-providing trees, tranquil lakes and water features, and 10 gorgeous gardens. Only 20 acres of the cemetery property have been developed, which will allow us to serve many more generations of Conejo Valley families.

Many burial, memorialization and cremation options

Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park provides a wide variety of unique and personalized burial, cremation and entombment options. From private estate gardens and private mausoleums to cremation gardens, columbarium niches and tandem crypts, there is a final resting place to suit every family's tradition.

Special cemetery gardens

Serving all faiths and sectors of the Westlake Village community, our memorial park offers dedicated gardens, such as the Court of Saint Peter for our Catholic families, Beth Olam Gardens for Jewish families, multiple beautiful locations for Muslim families and the Garden of Valor for veterans, military families and public servants.

The Court of Saint Peter has a beautiful statue of the saint. Beth Olam Gardens has a genizah and a 10 commandments feature. An eternal flame burns 24 hours a day in the center of the Garden of Valor. It is surrounded by the American flag and the flags of all of the U.S. military branches.

Flowers for special occasions made easy

We encourage you to honor the memory of your loved one with floral arrangements for birthdays, anniversaries and special holidays. You choose the flowers and occasion for placement and we’ll take care of the rest.

Visit us

It is our privilege to serve the Conejo Valley community. You are welcome to visit us to meet our team and take a tour of the cemetery property. Please contact us if you need immediate assistance or would like more information about our services.

Honoring veterans and military families

Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks–Griffin Mortuary & Crematory and Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park take great pride in providing veterans with respectful and dignified funerals befitting of their service to our country. Our teams are experts in military funeral honors and the burial benefits offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Garden of Valor, a special garden for veterans and military families, is at the center of the cemetery property. The crowning feature of the splendid garden is an eternal flame, which burns 24 hours a day, honoring the men and women who have served our country. The American flag and flags from each branch of the U.S. military surround the flame. With its spectacular mountain views, beautiful landscaping and grand features, Garden of Valor is a magnificent final resting place for veterans and members of military families.

For more than 25 years, we have hosted a Memorial Day ceremony to honor Conejo Valley veterans. More than 3,000 visitors usually attend the event, which includes a bugle call, flyover, concert, guest speakers and more. In addition, area scouts troops place flags on all the graves of veterans.

Cemetery for the pioneers of Conejo Valley

At Settlers Cemetery in Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park, you will find the final resting places of 29 of the early pioneers of the Conejo Valley. Until 1969, the pioneers were buried in an abandoned and rundown cemetery called Old Russell Cemetery in nearby Thousand Oaks. If it weren’t for the developers of Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks, the 29 Conejo Valley pioneers may never have been relocated to a cemetery befitting their place in history.

Old Russell Cemetery was used from 1880 until 1926, when it was abandoned and fell into disrepair. Industrial and commercial sites built up around it, and in the 1960s, the property owners, American-Hawaiian Steamship Co., planned to convert the cemetery into an industrial area. Thankfully, Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park was developed around the same time and the team spent several years seeking out the relatives and heirs of the pioneers buried in the old cemetery in order to get permission to move their remains. Finally, after obtaining legal consent from the pioneers’ heirs and the Ventura County Superior Court, Old Russell Cemetery was saved and moved to Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks. It opened on January 22, 1969.

This cemetery within a cemetery is located in a secluded and private section of Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks, near the funeral home chapel and offices. We encourage you to visit to learn about the history of the Conejo Valley and its pioneers. Settlers Cemetery is protected and cared for by the Valley Oaks endowment care fund to ensure that future generations can learn about the 29 pioneers and their fascinating and important legacy.