I make a point to visit cemeteries and conduct spirit box/instrumental trans-communication (ITC)…read moresessions wherever I go. While visiting Durango, Colorado this past September, a Google Maps search led me to Greenmount Cemetery, an aptly named (i.e., vividly green) burial ground atop a hill overlooking the town. As with most ITC sessions, I went approximately thirty minutes with no contact. I suspect this is due to three reasons: 1) spirits require time to manifest enough energy to communicate, 2) many spirits must learn how to manipulate the phonetic gibberish emanating from the devices into something resembling human speech, and 3) spirits are often wary of the ITC practitioner's intentions. As I was waiting for a response to my question, "Can you tell me your name as I walk near your grave?," I took the opportunity to enjoy the quiet solitude and breathtaking view of downtown Durango. I eventually made contact with a spirit identifying itself as "Jerry." Lo and behold, a few steps to my right was a grave belonging to John "Jerry" Timm, who had passed away two years previously. I asked Jerry what he thought of the scenery and heard "beautiful vista" in the same scratchy, older male voice. A few minutes later, a female voice uttered what I assumed to be "Pauly." I walked a few feet down the hill and came upon Ed and Pauline "Polly" Thompson. The latter had passed away in 1981 at the age of 60, so I was surprised to make contact with her; I've found that spirits tend to "move on" several years after passing away. Admittedly, what I interpreted as "Pauly/Polly" could have been a false positive, but it was clear and loud enough for me to label it a validation. The activity died down precipitously at that point, but then I heard the word "cookie" several times back to back. I would have dismissed it as irrelevant, but the word came through at least four times within the span of five minutes. What I saw next was astounding: a tombstone bearing the name Rosamound B. Clark, aka "Cookie the Firecracker." I noted her date of birth (July 4, 1909) and asked if the "firecracker" nickname referred to the 4th of July. I heard what sounded like a laugh followed by "yes," another clear validation. I should emphasize that I heard these names prior to seeing the tombstones, thereby ruling out audio pareidolia, or the human tendency to attribute meaning to random phonetic stimuli. Regardless of your take on the paranormal, consider visiting this beautiful cemetery the next time you visit Durango. It's a welcome respite from the touristy, often congested downtown area.

Family Craft Memorials do beautiful work. They are professional and their company is the true…read moredefinition of a business that wants your complete satisfaction. They have gone above and beyond for me and I will always be grateful to them. I would recommend them without reservation. Marilyn Jesmer

Quick review: fraudulent, shady, dishonest, disappointing, avoid at all costs!…read more My mother had prearranged for a company in North Carolina to handle the body after my father passed, my mom had done her homework and found a company to handle this at a cheaper rate than she could have done locally. Ertel's called that company and spooked or threatened them so my mom wouldn't have to pay the pre-arranged price of 1200 dollars, but the 3000 dollars they told her the cost was after the first company told her they could no longer help her as their crematory was now closed, after Ertels did "something shady" on the back end. She found it odd that they took all her paperwork from the first company, they said they needed to call that company, and ultimately made her wait for a long time. After they 'talked' to the first company, all of a sudden that first company wouldn't help her with the prearranged services, the north Carolina company now said their crematory was now 'closed'. The company told her that they couldn't help her but Ertel's could, of course at nearly triple the price. My mom also found it interesting that Ertel's already had all of the social security information for my father, information that she hadn't provided, but that was on all the documentation from the first company. We believe this is because they photocopied all of the documents from the first company who was to perform the transfer. Whether they called this company and threatened them or otherwise bought them off in some way, this is what I consider shady / fraudulent. I would avoid this company for any of your funeral business as they apparently like putting the squeeze on grieving widows. I wish Yelp allowed zero star reviews, because this experience completely warrants it! It's really worth it to consider taking your funeral home business to Farmington or Durango, DO NOT SUPPORT this business.

When my brother passed the hospital goated us into taking away his body that night at 11:00pm. Not…read moreknowing who to call I called Ertel Funeral in Cortez. The next day I learned a basic cremation would be $2700.00 so the next day I called around and found a far less expensive alternative. When I called Ertel they said If we moved him elsewhere they would charge us a "First responders fee"? With all the added fees they would charge it would cost me more to have him moved and cremated at a less expensive home. I found these people to be dishonest and simply out for the money.......beware!

my name is Olivia Mendez. I just wanted to say thank you so much for helping us with all the…read morearrangements for our dad Miguel Mares, Carmen Capucetti she helped us with all the arrangements, the flowers, the cards everything that we needed done she was wonderful. Farmington funeral home cares about their customers they know what to say what to do. Because they know how bad we are feeling, and I know some of us can't hold our tears in and it's hard for each one of us.. If you need assistance for your loved one that you have lost go talk to Carmen capucetti this woman is amazing. She will arrange and fix what needs to be done so things will be easier for you and your family. She helped us. My sister and I our dad died and she was wonderful so if you need assistance, we'll see Carmen.

The Farmington Funeral Home office, was very prompt in calling me, my husband passed away the day…read morebefore Thanksgiving, I thought it would be the following Monday before I was contacted. The call came on Friday morning setting up the appointment. At the appointment everything I asked was answered. We were treated with care and respect. Everything went exactly as they said it would. I especially like that this is a locally owned and operated business.

After years of concern about the upkeep of family graves in Memory Gardens, it is a great relief to…read morehave new leadership and to know the grave's of loved ones will be treated with respect And dignity. Within hours of making our concerns known to Michelle, the improvements were complete. It is comforting to know this will be the standard for future care of the grounds. Grateful family members of Dr. James C. And Tycie Henderson.

A bunch of headstones are buried and the sprinklers are broken causing flooding…read more I complained last year when my best friend's headstone was buried, they cleaned it and then emailed me claiming I couldn't find it. I have never had trouble finding it for 10+ years, and when I went back it looked freshly uncovered and wiped. This year on 8/9/22 I went to visit her for her birthday and these pictures are what I came to. I took around 20 photos all showing overgrown weeds, buried headstones, and flooding. Absolutely disgraceful and disrespectful. My best friend, the veterans, the children, and the many other loved ones deserve BETTER than this! It used to be beautiful 11 years ago when my best friend was buried. Now it's shameful.

Thank you. Thru the lost and hard time we had in getting arrangement done. The staff treated us…read morewith respect and helped us to find reasonable prices to have our services. They were understanding and helpful in every way to help us get what we needed to put our loved one to rest. Best Staff (ladies)

Terrible. Total rip off on a cremation. Charged $3000 for what would normally be a $1500 to $2000…read morejob. Charged $450 just to pick up my father from assisted living where he passed away. I could go on and on but imo just stay away from this place.

I second Heather M.'s review from 2010; Hillside Cemetery is rife with spiritual activity. As a…read morenascent paranormal investigator, I visit spiritually active places around the nation (typically ones off the beaten path) and conduct ITC (instrumental trans-communication) research using a variety of devices and apps. I happened upon Hillside Cemetery on a recent road trip to Colorado. Old cemeteries tend to elicit fewer responses, but I felt drawn to this beautiful burial ground and its ornate, weathered tombstones. At the very least, I wanted an excuse to breathe in the crisp mountain air and admire the scenery. After introducing myself to any spirits who might have been present, I launched my Spiritus app and began listening for disembodied voices. About thirty minutes passed with nothing conclusive, just random, unaltered phonetic sounds. As I approached a shaded area towards the top of the hill, however, I began hearing clear, undebunkable names, words, and phrases. The name "May" came through several times. I walked a few steps up the hill and happened upon a grave belonging to May Rickard, an "unfortunate girl" who passed away in 1899. I asked, "May Rickard, if that's you, can you tell me what happened?" I then heard "overdose...suicide." Her tombstone validated these words; she had apparently died of alcoholism and morphine. Before I could ask a followup question, another female voice added "hooker." I glanced to my right and saw Minnie Morgan's grave. On her tombstone was the same epitaph: "An Unfortunate Girl" but with the word "prostitute" in parentheses. I then realized that all graves in this section bore the same euphemistic epitaph. As I was preparing to leave, I wished May and Minnie farewell and heard what I consider to be a desperate plea: "No...don't...help!" I realized at this point that I was perhaps the first person to communicate with these poor souls in over a century. Even if you are skeptical of the paranormal, this cemetery is worth a visit. You will learn much about Silverton's storied past.

An old mining town cemetery has got to be full of ghosts, and the Hillside Cemetery in Silverton…read moredoes not disappoint in the spooky factor. The cemetery is in a beautiful spot on a hill that overlooks the town of Silverton in the valley below, and the surrounding mountains. It's also provides great insight to the history of the town and surrounding area. I would suggest going during the day to walk around and read the information boards and tombstones, and maybe taking a picnic lunch. I would also suggest returning at night to do a ghost walk. I would also suggest wearing a diaper, in case you do run into an old miner's ghost and can't control your bladder.This place runs pretty high on my "Pee Your Pants" scale.