I cannot say enough good things about the staff at Speaks Funeral Home. When my son-in-law passed,…read morewe were in total shock and had no idea how to proceed. Tyrone Speaks guided us through every step with incredible kindness and patience. Tyrone as well as the other staff treated not only my daughter but our family with dignity and respect, answering all of our questions, answering our many phone calls and text, and accommodating our special requests without hesitation. From the initial phone call, making the final arrangements, and cremation everything was handled with seamless professionalism and attention to detail. During one of the hardest weeks of our lives, they made us feel seen and cared for, and for that, we the Robinson and Summers families will be forever grateful.

From the owner: At Speaks Funeral Home & Cremations, we pride ourselves on serving our families with dignity,…read morerespect, and compassion. Our staff is experienced in a variety of funeral services, and can help you celebrate your loved one no matter your religion, culture, or budget.

The ONLY reason I at least gave the 2nd star is because my Mom looked so beautiful and peaceful…read more The person that dressed her and did her makeup did a wonderful job. Now the business and the care/concern for me? TWO THUMBS DOWN!!! I was told that Mrs. Harris was wonderful but unfortunately I wasn't assigned to her. However, I feel excellence should not be based on who the family is assigned to work with. Not coming back and instructing my family to send me somewhere else.

I am so very disappointed in Don Trimble Funeral Home. I considered it to be a staple of the…read morecommunity and has serviced our families needs on several occasions. I had a loved one remains sent there and used a policy to make the final arrangements. After making some adjustments to my bill, it appears the bill for the higher amount was submitted to the insurance company resulting in an overpayment of 2115.00. I have made every attempt to get them to rectify this oversight simply to be told we are still waiting. It is now Nov 18th, the funeral was three months ago. Be sure to check your paperwork. If I had not been diligent in making sure the numbers were right, I never would have known, and I doubt they would have mentioned this.

Great caring services! Handled with compassion and professionalism! Thank you thank youread more

Following the passing of my beloved husband, Walter Michael Aaron,Sr., of 42 years,. The owner…read morePhoebe Dawson Ushery and staff of Alfonso Dawson Mortuary were amazing beyond measure. During one of the most difficult times in my life, the establishment reflected the epitomy of, care, sincerity and comfort. It was a blessing to have received their services. Rosalyn Aaron

Cannot say "Thank you" enough to the amazing owner- Henry Middleton. He took care of us from the…read moremoment I made the call, which he answered himself till we laid mom to rest. Henry is a compassionate, gentle, understanding and phenomenal human being. He has a vast experience in the field. He is able to navigate through many obstacles with ease, while still staying composed. Answered all our questions and brought calm. We had an issue with a casket delivery we had initiated on our own. It wasn't going to arrive in time due to snow and bad weather. Henry found a similar casket and had it delivered in time for mom's funeral. His recommendations were spot on and not overpriced. One of them was a police escort from the church to the burial site. Mom had her final journey procession that was made for a Queen! We also had a wonderful heartfelt experience with Nas. He worked closely with us on a program for our mom and was so patient and understanding. The program is beautiful, elegant, represented mom well. I cannot say enough about how Paradise Mortuary turned our profoundly sad experience of loosing our mother into a positive experience of making sure mom's final journey was a wonderful one. She looked peaceful and beautiful as if she was asleep in an elegant silver casket. Henry and Nas always answered our calls personally and took great care of mom and the family, while making sure everything was executed with perfection from beginning to end. Thank you, Henry! Thank you, Nas! You are both angels of God.

This has been such a heartbreaking time for our family. Losing our mother has been a hard process…read moreas I'm sure it is for everyone, but it unfortunately was not made any easier with this funeral home. We chose this funeral home while actively grieving, and unfortunately have grown to regret our choice. The issues began almost immediately with our second appointment being late and then cancelled entirely. From the beginning, things have not been done when or as stated. After the scheduling issues, we still signed a contract. I can only blame the fog of grief. On day two, my mother was not picked up when Henry stated she would be, and that took days longer than he stated. My sister and I made it very clear that we were out of state, so unfortunately time was a commodity we had in very short supply. We know things take time, but a week later, she still had not been cremated as requested and couldn't be picked up by the time we left the state, so we'll have to travel back down there to receive her, just adding to the complexity of a process that should have been easy and straight forward. Knowing she cannot be laid to rest in accordance with her wishes bothers me greatly. I just want to give her peace and the respect she deserves. Now we've been waiting over a month for a death certificate to allow us to settle things for her. Henry said he would send them with tracking information the day after we followed up with him yet again, and it has been a week with zero contact. I just want to make anyone aware who is making this choice; that if you are looking for a funeral home that seems to honor the process with the respect it deserves, and not just a business deal, this may not be the funeral home for you. I don't mean to drag the reputation of what seems like a one man operation, but I truly expected more organization, clear communication & most of all for my mother to be honored appropriately in this process.

Attended a most beautiful funeral at this venue. Of course, the family of this amazing deceased…read morelady was in charge of the program. The business was very accomodating. The chapel was clean, had sparkling crystal chandeliers (they were very clean), and the stain glass windows were simple but nice. Black piano in the lobby added a very classy touch, and contributed to the nice atmosphere. Seems like there were a lot of friendly employees available to assist quests. Also, it seems like the venue was able to house an other service simultaneously. I'm very impressed with the entire business. There were monitors on the wall that were reflecting some family memories. However, great bonuses were the acoustic in the room and well working microphones so the quest could actually follow the beautiful seremon and the lovely songs performed by the mourning family members. Parking lot was not paved but at least there was enough parking. There were some parking spaces on the street as well.

I just called to let them know I was riding by and I saw one of the windows on the limousines down…read more And this lady answered the phone and called herself Brittaney. Very rude very short and very disappointing to call a funeral home and get this attitude. She didn't know if I was calling to get service or checking on service that had already been rendered. She does not need to be answering anyone's phone.

I came here for a Juneteenth celebration. The performance was great. I hope to come to more events.read more

South View Cemetery was founded in 1886 and contains over 100 acres of land. It is the oldest…read moreAfrican-American Cemetery in Atlanta and the oldest African-American cemetery not to be dependent on charity in the USA. It is the fruitful effort of nine black former slaves turned businessmen who wanted a safe, secure place to bury their loved ones with dignity. "Blacks had grown tired of the disrespect they were forced to endure in order to bury their family members and friends. They had to enter cemeteries through back gates, and even wade through swamps to conduct funeral services. They were told "If you don't' like it, start your own cemetery." And so they did." - Southview Cemetery Association history One monument sign in the cemetery reads: "A CEMETERY OF THEIR OWN - In February 1886, a group of formerly enslaved African-American men - Jacob McKinley, George Graham, Robert Grant, Charles Morgan, Albert Watts and John Render petitioned the State of Georgia for a charter to establish the South-View Cemetery Association. The new cemetery gave African-Americans  an alternative to Atlanta's segregated burial grounds and provided an environment where they could be buried with dignity. Originally 25 acres, Southview has expanded to approximately 100 acres and contains over 70,000 burials." [ THE EXPERIENCE ] My visit was short, but fruitful. While there, I ran into a woman in the lineage of John Wesley Dobbs. She took time to give me a brief family history as she tended the graves of multiple family members. It was a wonderful conversation that lasted so long I had to rush to find the other graves I intended to visit before closing. [ FAMOUS SOUTHVIEW RESIDENTS ] There are many notable African Americans buried here @ Southview from civil rights leaders & professional athletes to musicians and gold medalists. * HENRY "HANK" AARON (86) | 1934-2021 Notoriety: Baseball player who broke Babe Ruth's record BIO: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30761133/let-us-appreciate-grace-uncommon-decency-henry-aaron * ALONZO FRANKLIN HERNDON (69) | 1858-1927 Notoriety: Former slave who became Atlanta's 1st black millionaire and also founded Atlanta Family Life Insurance Co. BIO: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/herndon-alonzo-franklin-1858-1927/ * JOHN ROBERT LEWIS (80) | 1940-2020 Notoriety: One of the "Big Six" leaders of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, John Lewis continued to fight for people's rights in Congress until his death. BIO: https://www.biography.com/political-figure/john-lewis * MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. FAMILY REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING SR. (84) | 1899-1984 - father ALBERTA CHRISTINE "MAMA" KING (69) | 1904-1974 - mother REV. ALFRED DANIEL WILLIAMS KING (38) | 1930-1969 (38) - brother * JULIAN BOND (75) | 1940-2015 Notoriety: Prominent Civil Rights Leader, former Chairman of the National NAACP, and former Georgia House of Representative who co-founded and lead the Southern Poverty Law Center BIO: https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/julian-bond-1940-2015/ * HORACE A. BOHANNON (80) | 1922-2003 Notoriety: Tuskegee Airman who who co-founded the Atlanta Chapter Tuskegee Airmen in 1976. * WILLIAM GUEST (74) | 1941-2015 Notoriety: R&B/soul singer best known as a member of Gladys Knight & the Pips along with his cousins Gladys Knight, Merald "Bubba" Knight and Edward Patten. * WHITMAN FAMILY: ALBERY ALLSON WHITMAN (50) | 1851-1901 Notoriety: Former slave, minister, orator known as "Poet Laureate of the Negro Race" Father to the Whitman Sisters. ALBERTA, ESSIE & MABEL Notoriety: Famous black vaudeville performers BIO: https://lithub.com/on-albert-allson-whitman-radical-black-poet-of-the-reconstruction/ * MOSES AMOS (62) | 1866 - 1928 Notoriety: Georgia's 1st licensed black pharmacist in 1914 BIO: https://codepen.io/indiamos/full/GZJdNo [ NOTABLE RESIDENTS ] Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dr. Benjamin Mays. were both laid to rest at South View before being moved. Ludie Clay Andrews, the first nursing license granted to an African-American woman by Georgia is also here along with famous musicians, sports hall-of-famers, artists, poets, legendary educators, writers, doctors and a Tuskegee Airman.    [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] It is an honor & privilege to walk these hallowed grounds knowing the impact some of the residents here made on history, particularly my history. Forever grateful for their pioneering spirits and will to light a path. 2022 / 50 #BlackHistorySeries

Mr. Ronnie Crawford took a difficult situation developed by misleading information from the nursing…read morehome and turned it into a GREAT and positive experience for my mother. Ronnie went above and beyond to create a very welcoming atmosphere with what we had to work with. Incredible job Ronnie. Ronnie is an honorable and devout Christian. He works to make everything easy for the loved one's difficulties. Five stars isn't enough.

From the owner: Family Owned Business For Five Generations willing to work with our Families that have limited…read morefinancial resources. Funeral and Burial Packages $5,995.00 Funeral and Cremation Packages $2,895.00 Cremation and Memorial Packages $1,895.00 Direct Cremations $1,025.00 Insurance Life, Accident, Sickness Purchase Life Insurance Policies for Cash

Went to an Edgar A Poe reading in the Welcome Center and ended up taking a stroll through the…read morecemetery afterwards. Would definitely walk through again if more prepared to see the well known people buried there.

I've been here a few times and love this spot. I know it's weird to say because it is a cemetery,…read morebut people hang out here. You can walk through and check out the diverse grounds or set up a picnic in one of the open grassy areas. I've seen people biking here as well. They also hold events here, both ticketed and not ticketed. We did a free tour during Atlanta Science Week that was amazing. It lasted over an hour and the guide took time to answer all of our questions. The theme was around how they maintain the stones and grounds. There are other tours on other topics, but some are paid. The gift shop is cute too and everyeon is so friendly. There is security and they do have operating hours, so check those before you come.

First, let me say that this was the second time I've had direct contact with a funeral home in…read moremaking arrangements. The first time was for my father, and his wife made all of the arrangements. I was involved primarily as support. It was a nightmare. The funeral home tried every trick in the book to upsell her services, flower arrangements, and caskets/urns. When my mother passed away a few weeks ago, I was referred to Salmon Funeral Home. I called and then went in person, dealing primarily with Kyle Kiser. The whole experience, from beginning to end, was phenomenal. Kyle walked my sister and me through the entire process and explained all of the fees, necessary services, and what to expect, down to the filing of the insurance policy. He was "Johnny on the Spot" the entire time and never missed a beat in keeping us informed. He never once tried to upsell any service or offering and was completely transparent from beginning to end. I highly recommend their services to anyone having to deal with the death of a loved one. They were excellent!!!

From the owner: Our professional staff has years of experience caring for families from all walks of life. We are…read moreleaders in our profession, with dedication to service and professional integrity.When we sit down with a family, our shared goal is to create a fitting, memorable and affordable service for their loved one. We offer them a wide variety of services and products, as well as a wealth of creative ideas and suggestions. Together, we'll design a memorial or funeral service that suits their needs now, and in the future. Families who come to us know that years from now, they will have deep peace-of-mind because in coming to us, they've done their best to honor their loved one.