On-Site Cremation Services

On-Site Cremation Services

On-Site Cremation Services

We have had our own crematory since 1984, operated by our own licensed staff,

to ensure that your loved one never leaves our care.


Addressing Families' Most Common Question
Your loved one never leaves our care

The Billow family has cared for Summit County families since 1875. In 1984 we became the first funeral home in the county to build and operate our own crematory.


More than forty years later, we still operate it ourselves. Knowing exactly what happens, and exactly who is caring for your loved one, is what brings clarity and peace of mind for your family.


  • If anyone moves your loved one, it is a member of our staff, in our vehicle, to our crematory.
  • No one else is involved at any point.
  • You will always know exactly where they are.

Cremation can include meaningful service

Choosing cremation does not mean giving up the service, the visitation, or a place to visit afterward.

  • Yes, your family can have a memorial service

before or after cremation takes place.


  • Yes, you can hold a visitation

for family and friends.

  • Yes, your family can witness cremation and

be nearby while a loved one is cremated.


  • Yes, we can work with a local cemetery

to arrange for interment of an urn.

Another Common Question

My loved one just wants cremation. What is the difference between using a lower-cost service and The Billow Funeral Homes?

You may have heard the term "direct cremation." Or you may have simply told us that cremation is what your family wants. It is worth knowing what that means, because it does not mean the same thing everywhere.



At a low-cost provider, direct cremation means what it sounds like: your loved one is picked up, held, and cremated. Nothing else happens. No washing and dressing, no private goodbye, no care of a licensed director who knows your name. Those are either unavailable or billed as additions.


At The Billow Funeral Homes & Crematory, everything we describe here is included. Not as an upgrade, and not as something you must know to ask for. We believe in service held to a standard rather than service negotiated down to a cost. It is what every family receives.

What happens A low-cost provider At the Billow Funeral Homes
Washing, dressing and preparation Unavailable, or billed as an addition Included, for everyone, every time
A private goodbye before cremation Unavailable, or billed as an addition Included, at no charge
Care of a licensed director who knows your name Not part of the service The director who takes your first call stays with you
Who performs the cremation Often an outside cremation company Our own licensed staff, in our own crematory
Accompanying your loved one to the cremation chapel Not offered You are welcome to walk with them
Return of the urn Collected or shipped Placed back into your hands by our staff

Tour Our Privately Owned Crematory

Onsite Crematory

What to Expect at the Billow Funeral Homes

From the first call to the moment we place the urn back in your hands: exactly what happens, and exactly who is doing it.

Transfer Into Our Care

When we bring your loved one into our care, whether from a hospital, a hospice, a nursing facility, or home in Akron, Fairlawn, Cuyahoga Falls, or surrounding communities, they come into the care of our own staff.

The funeral director who takes your first call stays with you through every step that follows. You will never be handed to a stranger or have to wonder where your loved one is.

Preparation & Care

Because dignity and respect are owed to every member of our community, we gently wash, dress, and prepare your loved one with the same care we would give a member of our own family.


This is not a formality, and it is not an extra. It is what we do for everyone in our care, every time.

A Private Goodbye

We believe families should have the opportunity to say goodbye meaningfully and honorably. Having this physical form of closure with someone you love is part of what puts you on a good path forward.


Our private viewing rooms give your family quiet, unhurried time together, without the formality of a traditional service. Even when no ceremony is planned, you are welcome in our funeral home to say goodbye with dignity. There is no charge for it.

Walking the Final Steps

Some families find meaning in walking the final steps with their loved one, the same way a family walks together to the graveside at a cemetery.


You are welcome to accompany your loved one to our cremation chapel before the committal. You will not be standing apart. You will be walking with them, so that they are not alone.

Receiving Your Loved One Back Into Your Arms

When the time comes, we place your loved one's urn back into your hands ourselves, with the same care and quiet respect that has guided every step before it.

Most Common Questions About Cremation

  • What is included in cremation at the Billow Funeral Homes?

    Washing, dressing and preparation of your loved one; the care of a licensed funeral director who stays with you from your first call; a private goodbye in one of our viewing rooms at no charge; cremation in our own crematory by our own licensed staff; and the return of the urn into your hands by a member of our staff. These are included for every family, not offered as upgrades.

  • Can our family be present for the cremation?

    Yes. You are welcome to accompany your loved one to our cremation chapel before the committal, in the same way a family walks together to the graveside at a cemetery. Some families find meaning in walking those final steps; others do not, and either choice is the right one.

  • Is there a charge for a private viewing if we are not having a service?


    No. Even when no ceremony is planned, your family is welcome in our funeral home for quiet, unhurried time together, and there is no charge for it.

  • Do you ever use an outside crematory?

    No. Our crematory is our own, built in 1984 and operated since then by our own licensed staff. Your loved one is never released to an outside cremation company. If anyone moves your loved one, it is a member of our staff, in our vehicle, to our crematory.

  • How is this different from the "direct cremation" I have seen advertised?

    At a low-cost provider, direct cremation typically means your loved one is picked up, held and cremated, with nothing else included. Preparation, a private goodbye and the care of a licensed director are either unavailable or billed as additions. Everything described on this page is included in our care of your family.

  • Where is your crematory located?

    Our crematory is on site at 85 N Miller Rd, Akron, Ohio 44333, where we built it in 1984. You are welcome to tour it before you make any decision — call us at (330) 867-4141 and we will show you the rooms your family would use.