Losing a family member is such a difficult experience. You don't know where to start, or who to run…read moreto when attempting to plan a funeral... or even what the next steps are to ensure your loved one is taken care of. My family and I can't thank Carla and Adrian enough for the supportive and professional service they have provided to us. Hospitality and sympathy are two qualities that are very hard to come by these days, but Gardens of Eden provided both with ease. As our first family passing, this establishment made it smooth and simple for us. On behalf of our loving mother, sister, aunt, daughter, Maria Reyna, the Martinez family thanks the Gardens of Eden for the value and care they showed to our loved one.

My mother died at home after a long illness. We didn't want to use the mortuary that has locations…read morein Calexico and El Centro where we had my dad a couple years back because they had the worst customer service I have ever seen. So I decided to go with Garden of Eden. I initially spoke to Carla who gave me the estimate. She and her staff were so empathetic, accommodating and honest with the whole process that it was so refreshing from I had experience with the other mortuary...the complete opposite. The staff even helped me when I was in Europe with different time zones. I believe This is the best option for funeral services in Imperial Valley. Thank you Carla and team for your tremendous support and kindness during the grieving of our family!

My mother died back in 2017. I am very happy with the way Kirk Hems and his team handled her…read morearrangements. She died in San Diego and they took care of the arrangments of getting her transported to the Valley. I have used Hems in the past for my father's passing (1995) and my brother's passing ( 2004) each time as difficult as it was, they were fantastic. They have handled the arrangements for family members and friends, each time they did a good job. Personally, I want to add that my family was very blessed that we were able to financially take care of my mother's arrangements with little issue. Hindsight being 20/20, if she had a final expense insurance policy, we could have avoided having to provide the cost of her funeral which is not cheap. A final expense policy is not that expensive (less than $50 a month). You can get this though Metlife or State Farm or any major insurance company.

Please be warned that Hems Brother Mortuary is not a reputable business!!!! You are despicable…read morebusiness. It's already hard enough with dealing a parent's passing but now I cannot even bury her due to Hems Mortuary lack of morality and business principles. My mother purchased a plot from Hems Brother Mortuary back in November 1999. My mother passed May 2022 in Long Beach, CA. I have been calling Hems Mortuary since late May 2022 to schedule her ashes burial and they will not take my calls or work with me to schedule her burial. Yet, Hems took my mother's money for the plot back in 1999. I have asked repeatedly for Kirk or Jamie Hems, and no one has returned my call to schedule my mother's burial. The staff keeps giving excuse is that they are so busy they don't have time to deal with ashes burials. Aren;t you a mortuary and funeral home? This is already a difficult time with a parent's passing but then to deal with Hems is unbelievable. My mother purchased the plot so she could be buried with my father and Hems is not honoring the purchase or my mom's last wishes.

El Centro is not the main office. Sit with the nice salesman and do all the paperwork and then…read morelisten to him confirm it all with his boss over the phone in Brawley and then come back to you with a different price total. Also: the nice salesman sets a time for your funeral....only to call you back 24 hours later and to say they don't have enough hearses for that time, so they have to move it a day later. Beware...nice, but not so competent.

I found Chaplain Erica and Joe through a Google search for chaplains experienced in conducting…read moreservices at Riverside National Cemetery. Chaplain Erica responded within an hour and arranged a telephone consultation the following day. She immediately demonstrated extensive knowledge of the VA cemetery's strict scheduling requirements for its 30-minute services and explained how to make the most of the military honors and benefits available to veterans. The service was flawlessly coordinated, and I felt my father received the dignified, respectful, and heartfelt farewell he deserved. One recommendation I was initially hesitant about was Chaplain Erica's suggestion to use both a local florist and a bagpiper. In hindsight, both were outstanding additions. The florist charged significantly less than many regional florists while providing exceptionally fresh and beautiful arrangements. Just as importantly, they were very familiar with Riverside National Cemetery's procedures and had everything set up well before the service began. The bagpiper, Joel "The Marine Piper," was especially memorable. Dressed in full Marine and Scottish Highland attire, his music--including Taps--created a solemn, reverent atmosphere that made the service even more meaningful. His performance provided a moving and fitting farewell for my father. I highly recommend Chaplain Erica to any family planning a service at Riverside National Cemetery. Her fees were very reasonable, her guidance throughout the process was invaluable, and her experience with the cemetery's procedures helped ensure everything proceeded seamlessly during a difficult time.

Chaplain Erica made my dad's committal service wonderful. Joe and Erica were so helpful in lining…read moreup everything I needed for the service. They walked me through all the contacts and items I needed aligned to make sure the service would run smoothly. The attention to detail and presentation at the service were too notch. She recommended us the bagpiper, which definitely added another element I never would have thought of. Erica takes photons and videos of the ceremony and shares them with you so you can just focus on honoring your loved one. She even will return to the grave site and photograph the site when it's ready to let you know. I can't thank Erica enough for making my dad's service a special one. I was lucky to find her and her husband to run the service.

Avoid Acropolis. We got a quote for $2,800 but spent over $5,695 on a marker that failed to meet…read morecemetary design rules the first attempt and then failed to meet their quality inspection on the second attempt. 1. Cemetery Design Rules We paid Acropolis $2,800 for the first version of the marker. They said that they had experience working with most San Diego cemeteries and had made many deliveries to our cemetary. We were therefore surprised when the cemetary told us that the grave marker was missing the bronze top that goes on top of the granite and therefore could not be installed. Acropolis did not check the cemetery's design rules prior to production. They said that it was our responsibility to tell them what the design rules were... 2. Quality Issues Acropolis asked for an additional $2,895 to add the bronze bringing the total to $5,695. When this second version arrived, the cemetery's marker department flagged multiple quality issues and took photos of those issues (see below). When asked by the cemetary team whether they had sent us photos of the marker, Acropolis said yes. When asked by the cemetary team to see the photos that were sent to us, it was clear that the photos were taken in such a way as to avoid showing any of the quality issues. The cemetery team sent us the following email: "Upon receiving and inspecting the marker, we identified several concerns that we want to bring to your attention before moving forward: - Areas of missing brown paint on the bronze - Multiple scratches present on the bronze - Uneven bronze pour within the frame of the plaque - Noticeable scratches on the granite base to which the bronze is attached" 3. Starting From Scratch with Express Monument Rather than continuing with Acropolis and paying yet more money (Acropolis asked for upfront payment), I walked away from Acropolis with nothing to show for the $5,695 spent. I hired a separate company, Express Monument, and paid them $3,000 for a brand new grave marker. . Express did not repair the previous piece; they manufactured a completely brand-new grave marker (after checking with the cemetary about design rules) and installed it without any issues.

Acropolis and staff took the time to make sure the headstone was exactly what I wanted, perfect…read moredown to the details. Eduardo, the owner, works with pride, and his assistant Claudio is meticulous and hardworking. The pricing is excellent, especially for the high-quality stone they provide. I researched other businesses, but none come close to the professionalism and craftsmanship here. Highly recommend, if I could give more stars, I would!