I want to thank Rolanda and JoJo for their help. They were very helpful from the beginning to end during our hardest time. Thank you so much for being there and helping us with our arrangements for our dearest father. read more

Flowers were delivered for our service. Cope would not give them to us, demanding we show them a receipt from the follower shop. Also, every person there says something procedurally different than another. read more

I posted only one star because there is no option for less. This letter represents the service and care provided to us by Cope.... To: New Mexico Board of Funeral Practice PO Box 25101 Sante Fe NM 87504 (505) 476 4622 funeral.board@state/nm.us New Mexico Department of Health Harold Runnels Building 1190 S. St. Francis Drive Santa Fe, NM 87505 Cope Memorial Chapel 1830 Barbara, Gallup, 87301, NM (505) 722-6671 Yelp, Albuquerque NM To whom it may concern: Marilyn Kaye Johnson, our sister, died May 4, 2018. She was taken to Cope Memorial Chapel in Gallup NM, where she resided. There she was cremated. We brought her remains home to Aurora, Co. In Colorado our intent is to honor her wish that she be interred in the vault with her parents. In order to accomplish this, it is necessary to provide a statement from her siblings, acknowledging her wish. Also, a death certificate must be provided. During the time since her death we have requested death certificates from Cope and New Mexico Department of Health. We have discussed the certificates with Cope and Department of Health at lest 20 times. Each time one agency blamed the other for the delinquent provision of the death certificates. "We're waiting for medical examiner", "We're waiting to have an MD sign off", "We've sent the request", etc. etc. Aside from the actual interment requirements, we cannot finalize her estate. We cannot stop utilities, phone service, trash pickup, close bank accounts, settle life insurance, pay the mortgage, and much more of the necessities involved with finalizing her estate. All estate finalizing has relied on the acquisition of the death certificate(s). It has now been nearly four months since her death. Finally, today we received death certificates. However, the certificates provided are "PENDING". In addition, her race is listed as "NATIVE AMERICAN - NAVAJO". Cope visited with Marilyn's family as she lay in state. It must have been obvious to any observer that her siblings, a collection of Swedish blooded decedents, were not Navajo, Native American. We immediately called Cope to address the discrepancies. The representative informed us that the corrections will be made and would be expedited once they receive the inaccurate copies they initially delivered to us. I have no faith in their promise to "expedite it", if they show the same lack of professionalism as the initial delivery and inaccuracy of the death certificates we received. Needless to say, this sad process has been made much more difficult, heightens our grief and has added distress to her family, since her death. It seems that between Cope Memorial Chapel and New Mexico Department of Health, there is a system that is insensitive and apathetic. In addition, both have acted to frustrate us, and delay interment and estate finalization. I don't know if there are administrative problems, operational inefficiencies, or incompetent personnel. What is clear is that neither the New Mexico Department of Health nor Cope Memorial Chapel, have shown the slightest degree of professionalism or emotional sensitivity and support, morally necessary it times of grief such as this. At this point we actually question whether the remains we were provided are those of Marilyn. I have additional questions for both the agency and the funeral home...We are able to "store" Marilyn's cremated remains. Had one of your loved ones not been cremated, would you be OK with storing his/her body, refrigerated until necessary documentation is submitted to you, four months after the death? Is it common in New Mexico to delay processing death related documents, therefor delaying burial for four months? Sincerely, The Marilyn Johnson Family read more