Cremation service opens Valley branch

A less-traditional funeral home for the budget-conscious recently opened in Spokane Valley.

Community Cremation Service, a locally owned company, opened its second area facility in a brightly windowed storefront along Sprague Avenue. Its other location is along North Division in Spokane.

“What we do here is meet with family so they can make arrangements or prearrangements,” said manager Jason Armstrong, noting the company wanted to add another location to offer its services to the growing population of the Valley.

The company name is a reflection of the increasing popularity of cremation over traditional burial, he said.

“We offer the same services as a traditional funeral home at lower costs. We don’t have the larger building or the big lawns so we don’t have those maintenance costs,” he added.

And, he added, “It’s not the traditional funeral home. We try to reach a market that might not be comfortable with that level of formality.”

The Valley location includes a chapel to accommodate 50 people for a funeral or memorial service, and the main lobby is a larger space for a reception. The lobby also includes displays of urns, casket options and other keepsake items.

The company’s fee structure is available online or by calling or visiting Armstrong, the sole employee at the new location that opened in June.

Community Cremation Service is the for-profit division of the Fairmount Memorial Association, the nonprofit group that manages five Spokane-area cemeteries and is also affiliated with Heritage Funeral Home and Crematory.