There’s a comfort in working with someone you know. In being treated like a person instead of a paycheck. That’s why so many customers in the Raleigh area and beyond depend on Haywood Funeral Home when faced with the death of a loved one. For over 100 years, Haywood Funeral home has provided knowledge, guidance and support to families in the Triangle.
In 1914, a group of ten investors including Charles Albert “Doll” Haywood started the Raleigh Undertaking Service to serve the Southeast Raleigh community. The company’s name was changed to Haywood Funeral Home, Inc. in 1964, and was passed on to Doll Haywood’s family upon his death. Today, Haywood Funeral Home is run by Doll’s grandsons, Orrin Ray Haywood, Jr., President, and Karl Stephen Anderson, Vice President.
As to why Ray Haywood chose to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps, he says, “We felt like it needed to be an identifiable home-grown business serving the Raleigh area. This is where our roots are.” The majority of Haywood’s customers are still in the Raleigh area, but he says, “We can handle services in a wider area now. Sometimes in Durham, sometimes Johnston County and definitely Wake County.” In a few instances, Haywood has coordinated services in the state of Virginia, for individuals who lived and passed away in the Raleigh area, but wished to be buried where they were born.
Services at Haywood Funeral Home are tailor-fitted to meet each family’s individual needs. Some families want basic, more cost-effective accommodations. Others spare no expense in having every detail personalized to match their loved one’s preferences or personal style. The first thing Haywood does when customers come to the funeral home is get a feeling for who their loved one was. “We ask if they have a picture album, we like to scan pictures of the person, the person with their family to use in the service. We get to know the person’s life. We ask what type of work the person did, what colors they liked.”
The most unique service Haywood has held was for a married couple. The wife died first and her husband died less than a week later. They were a very close couple, and spent their whole lives together. Haywood had an unusual idea for their service, but offered it to the family; the couple could be buried together, in one casket.
“I presented the idea to the family,” says Haywood. “At first they were hesitant. But the more they thought about it, the more they liked the idea. They thought it would be very nice and fitting. They were extremely happy with the result.” The couple was presented together at the memorial service in one oversized casket, linked arm-in-arm. They were buried the same way, together forever.
Haywood shares his personal philosophy, “We try to go the extra mile, get to know the person and the family. It’s more of a touchy-feely thing than a science.” The funeral home’s website, www.HaywoodFH.com, is a great starting point for families who have experienced a loss. It offers a preplanning checklist of things to consider, a description of types of arrangements available, and photos of the new hearses and limousines purchased in 2014. Haywood will soon offer streaming live video of funerals for out of town families, so they can be part of their loved one’s memorial service. Haywood says, “We’re always trying to make improvements in our service. We listen to families and try to make improvements.”
