Funeral homes / Cemeteries in the Northern VA area ------ Recommendations?

[Kembek]

If you are a veteran you can be buried for free at a National cemetery: www.cem.va.gov You still have to pay for the cost of the funeral home and casket.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by Caladium

I'm so sad to hear that about Chestnut Grove. This may sound odd, but I love walking around in there. It's very peaceful and has a good vibe. Friendly ghosts, maybe? I've often stopped to ponder some of the stones, especially the older ones.

You're not that odd! People in the 19th Century used to picnic in cemeteries, as a way to be close to departed loved ones. They were way more comfortable with death than we are now--but then, they experienced it a lot more too--or at least saw it happen to other people at younger ages (childbirth, cholera, etc.). Cemeteries are indeed beautiful places, with nice trees and landscaping.

[Denton56]

Money and King have been in business in Vienna for over a hundred years and they are wonderful. I highly recommend them. I'm sure they can suggest cemeteries too. Money and King Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Vienna, Virginia | Welcome I always like Flint Hill cemetery in Oakton, very old and historic, outside a small church. Flint Hill Cemetery, Flint Hill Cemetery Association Oakton, VA Home

[Denton56]

Originally Posted by Caladium

I'm so sad to hear that about Chestnut Grove. This may sound odd, but I love walking around in there. It's very peaceful and has a good vibe. Friendly ghosts, maybe? I've often stopped to ponder some of the stones, especially the older ones.

I love walking around old cemeteries. My father taught history and he taught us a lot of history in cemeteries. Really. Among many other things, we learned about epidemics like the 1917 flu that wiped out entire families.

[marie5v]

Originally Posted by Denton56

I love walking around old cemeteries. My father taught history and he taught us a lot of history in cemeteries. Really. Among many other things, we learned about epidemics like the 1917 flu that wiped out entire families.

Wow, I am so glad to hear I am not the only one who likes to walk around cemeteries! My husband thinks I am crazy and gets all creeped out about it. It's true that in many cases cemeteries were designed with the thought that people - the living kind - would hang out there. I once visited some cemeteries in another country where every grave had a little bench for visitors to sit on. Once a year family members would go and have a picnic there. It was very beautiful. The older cemeteries tend to be nicer, as the tradition of hanging out at the grave seems to be disappearing and the newer ones just don't seem inviting. I particularly don't like the kind with no stones that are just huge open fields, no trees or anything.

[Caladium]

If you're a plant lover, old cemeteries are fun to stroll because they often have varieties that can't be found anywhere else. You might see a favorite rose bush of the deceased, or maybe some flowers that were once in vogue decades ago and then mostly disappeared when garden shops stopped selling them.

Also agree about learning history and life lessons by walking through cemeteries. As a child I remember my parents taking us kids on walks through a cemetery near our house. One large monument, sadly, told the story of a school fire in which a few students got trampled. My parents used this as an occasion to explain this is why schools now have fire drills and why it's important to remain calm in an emergency. In Gettysburg my dad always liked to find the memorial to the civil war engineers, and use it as an occasion to teach about the importance of bridges and other engineering details in a battle.