My father passed away suddenly and unexpectedly, and Affinity was the on-call mortuary who received…read morehis body from the coroner. Shannon called me the next day, and from the very first moment, she was truly a blessing (if you'll forgive the word). I was devastated and mentally scattered and she was so patient and kind. I had to have her repeat things sometimes, but she never got at all flustered. She answered all my questions (even the ones I had to ask more than once), and not to get all new-age hippie on y'all, but she was just a bright light of love and compassion, as though she had all the time in the world to guide me through this unthinkable event.
If you find yourself going through the death of a loved one, I dearly hope that you are lucky enough to encounter Shannon or someone like her. She is a gift to the bereaved and the world is made better by having her in this industry.
My dad was a character, known for his colorful personality and bright Hawaiian shirts that he'd worn proudly since the 1960's. When we were arranging his viewing, Shannon mentioned something about how they'd comb his hair and so forth. I had to ask -- do they have to? His whole head had been a cowlick (except for the times he'd buzz it down to nothing), and always stuck up every which way; untamable. I showed her pictures, and she worked with her team to have his body prepared so he looked like ... himself. He would have been mortified to have someone slick down his hair all nice and neat and gelled.
When we saw him, laid out in the viewing chapel, it looked like him. I mean, really like him. He would've been delighted; he hated putting on airs. A suit and slick hairdo would've been the wrong thing for him, and they took that to heart and with care and love, gave us a last look that helped erase the sour taste of my last sight of him in the hospital that horrible, fateful day.
Shannon was with us every step of the way with such compassion and respect for our privacy and love. She listened intently to the stories of Dad's humor and generosity, and I could feel the love.
In these reviews, you see a lot about Ken, the funeral director, but we only dealt with Shannon, hence this review.
If I had to go through this, I am so grateful to have had Shannon on my side throughout, and to have her beautiful team to bring my father back to us in a way that was so beautiful to us, even if just for a little while, and even if only to say goodbye to this larger than life, incredible man, in his bright red flowered shirt, his messy hair, and all the incredible memories that let him love on within us.
There was no sales pitch, no "upsell." She took the time to listen to what my dad's last wishes were, and what we wanted for him, and honored that completely. In fact, she discouraged me from spending money we didn't have to. I can't say enough about how Shannon and Affinity made this experience--not good (how could it be good when my dad is gone?) but as beautiful and perfect as it could possibly be. I will be forever grateful.