Greenwood Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery — Consumer Profile
Greenwood Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery is a corporate-owned, full-service funeral home and cemetery in Phoenix, AZ, operating under the Dignity Memorial brand as part of Service Corporation International (SCI), and holds the distinction of being one of Phoenix's oldest continuously operating funeral and burial providers, established in 1906. The facility holds a 4.2/5 rating across 335 Google reviews, with reviewers frequently citing compassionate staff. Average pricing sits at approximately $2,202 for direct cremation and $3,423 for traditional burial, placing it in a mid-to-upper range for the Phoenix market. The combined mortuary and cemetery operation means families can handle funeral services and permanent interment — including mausoleum niches — at a single provider.
Locations
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Address | 719 N 27th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85009 |
| Phone | 602-272-5639 |
| Hours | Open 24 hours, 7 days a week |
| Facility Type | Combined funeral home and cemetery |
Per the provider's website, the facility includes chapels, reception venues, and on-site burial and cremation property. The historical address associated with the cemetery's founding is 2300 West Van Buren Street — the current 27th Ave location is the active, operating address. Greenwood is affiliated with the nearby Phoenix Memorial Park, described in reviews as a "sister location," giving families some flexibility in placement options within the SCI network.
Services
Greenwood offers a broad range of funeral and cemetery services, as described on the Dignity Memorial website:
- Cremation — direct cremation, cremation with services, and cremation memorialization options
- Burial — immediate burial, traditional full-service burial, graveside services
- Memorial & Celebration of Life — including catered receptions and personalized ceremonies with music and themed programming; a "Dignity Celebrant" service ($695) is available for non-religious or customized ceremonies
- Veterans services — explicitly listed on their website; the GPL includes an aerial salute/Missing Man Formation flight option ($1,600) and flag case ($295)
- Pre-planning — online purchase of pre-need arrangements is available; the website offers scheduling tools, a free planning guide, and pre-planning checklists
- Religious & cultural traditions — listed as a service category on the website, including Jewish acknowledgment materials in the GPL
- Memorial keepsakes — an extensive catalog including cremation jewelry, memory glass, personalized ornaments, remembrance blankets, and memorial diamonds
- Grief support — a curated grief library is available through the Dignity Memorial platform
- International coordination — the GPL includes international ship-out coordination fees
- Spaceflight memorialization — the GPL lists Earth Rise, Earth Orbit, Luna, and Voyager spaceflight options ($2,995–$12,995), a distinctive and unusual offering
The facility includes on-site burial and cremation property and chapel rental capability. A crematory fee ($325) appears as a separate line item in the GPL, though it is not explicitly confirmed whether cremation is performed on-site or at a nearby SCI facility.
Pricing
Pricing is drawn from the General Price List (GPL) effective June 20, 2024. All prices are subject to change; confirm current pricing directly with the funeral home.
Professional & Basic Fees
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Basic Services of Funeral Director and Staff (required) | $1,850 |
| Embalming | $845 |
| Bathing and handling of unembalmed deceased | $295 |
| Refrigeration | $130 |
| Dressing, casketing, and cosmetizing | $295 |
| Hairdresser | $120 |
| Restoration (per hour, where necessary) | $95 |
| Special care for autopsied cases | $95 |
Facilities & Staff Services
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Use of Facilities for Visitation (per hour) | $150 |
| Venue & Staff for Visitation (up to 4 hours) | $295 |
| Additional charge — evening service | $190 |
| Additional charge — weekends | $495 |
| Additional charge — holidays | $495 |
| Basic Venue & Staff for Funeral/Memorial (small) | $395 |
| Standard Venue & Staff for Funeral/Memorial (medium) | $795 |
| Graveside service — equipment and staff | $795 |
| Moment of Reflection | $795 |
| Off-Site Venue & Staff for Funeral | $1,095 |
| Premium Venue & Staff for Funeral/Memorial (large) | $1,095 |
| Signature Exclusive — Entire Facility | $3,995 |
| Chapel Rental | $3,995 |
| Private family moment (minimal preparation) | $295 |
| Supervision of Disinterment | $2,995 |
Transportation
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Transfer of remains to funeral home | $695 |
| Transfer to/from airport | $195 |
| Transfer to/from autopsy | $195 |
| Hearse | $250 |
| Limousine (up to 5 hrs, 25-mile radius; $2.95/additional mile) | $695 |
| Utility Vehicle (25-mile radius; $2.95/additional mile) | $95 |
Direct Cremation Packages
| Package | Price |
|---|---|
| With container provided by purchaser | $1,830 |
| With cardboard container | $2,025 |
| With Trayview (cardboard, cremation-oriented) | $2,225 |
| With Stratus (medium-density fiberboard) | $2,280 |
| With Pacific Pine (light pine laminate) | $3,025 |
| With casket from facility (casket cost additional) | $1,830 + casket |
| Range | $1,830–$17,125 |
The facility's average direct cremation cost is reported at approximately $2,202.
Immediate Burial Packages
| Package | Price |
|---|---|
| With container provided by purchaser | $2,925 |
| With casket from facility (casket cost additional) | $2,925 + casket |
| With minimum casket from facility | $4,420 |
| Range | $2,925–$23,920 |
The facility's average traditional burial cost is reported at approximately $3,423.
Forwarding of Remains
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Forwarding remains (includes preparation room, basic professional fee) | $2,590 |
Merchandise
| Category | Price Range |
|---|---|
| Caskets | $1,195–$20,995 |
| Outer burial containers | $1,095–$2,995 |
| Rental casket | $1,000 |
| Urns | $65–$1,295 |
| Memorial diamonds | $3,499–$16,000 |
| Dignity Memorial packages | $295–$395 |
Selected Add-On Services & Keepsakes
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Dignity Celebrant (non-religious ceremony officiant) | $695 |
| Cremation Witnessing Fee | $395 |
| Crematory Fee | $325 |
| Everlasting Memorial® (online archive) | $395 |
| Catered reception | $625 |
| Scattering at Sea with Cenotaph | $3,495 |
| Aerial Salute — Missing Man Formation Flight | $1,600 |
| Earth Rise Spaceflight | $2,995 |
| Luna / Voyager Spaceflight | $12,995 each |
| Earth Orbit Spaceflight | $4,995 |
| Estate Fraud Protection | $295 |
| International Ship-Out Coordination Fee | $695 |
| Mailing of ashes (excluding mailing container) | $195 |
Weekend and holiday surcharges ($495 each) apply to facility and staff services and are worth factoring into total cost estimates.
Reviews
Greenwood holds a 4.2/5 rating based on 335 Google reviews. A third-party aggregator reports a slightly higher 4.3/5 across its compiled sources.
Positive Themes
1. Compassionate, attentive staff. The most consistent praise centers on individual staff members going well beyond logistical support. Reviewer Martha described arranger Kayla as "far more than a funeral arranger; she became a therapist, a close friend," noting that Kayla checked in daily not about paperwork, but simply to ask how the family was coping. Suzanne L. specifically thanked funeral arranger Rae Ceselli and family service advisor Jorge Mendoza for "going over and beyond" expectations. Jennifer, a funeral director, was noted by one customer for listening carefully and anticipating unstated needs, per Trustanalytica.
2. Cross-location coordination within the SCI network. Reviewer Brian Swanson praised advisor Francisco for proactively offering to walk the family through options at both Greenwood and the affiliated Phoenix Memorial Park the same day — a convenience enabled by the shared SCI ownership structure.
3. Facility atmosphere. Lisa Hammond described the grounds as "very peaceful" with "beautiful" surroundings and "lovely" chapels and offices, reflecting favorably on the physical environment for families during difficult visits.
Notable Concerns
Ongoing maintenance complaints. Reviewer George (1/5) raised a specific and substantive concern: persistent pigeon droppings at the Serenity Mausoleum that he described as "beyond out of control" and "a disgrace to everyone interred there." More significantly, he reported escalating the issue through two successive management teams at Greenwood and then to Dignity Memorial's corporate office in Houston — with complaints reportedly rerouted back to the local facility without resolution. This pattern of unresolved escalation through the corporate chain of command is worth noting for families considering mausoleum interment at this location.
Ownership
Greenwood Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery is owned and operated by Service Corporation International (SCI), the largest funeral home and cemetery operator in North America, traded publicly on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SCI. The facility operates under SCI's Dignity Memorial consumer brand.
Per Arizona State Library records and Trustanalytica, Greenwood was established in 1906, making it one of the oldest funeral and cemetery operations in Phoenix. The facility's historical address was 2300 West Van Buren Street. The timeline of SCI's acquisition of Greenwood is not available in the provided data.
Families should be aware that as an SCI/Dignity Memorial property, pricing, policies, and operational decisions are shaped by a publicly traded corporate parent. Pre-need contracts are backed by SCI's national network, which can offer portability advantages but also means that concerns may require navigation through a multi-tiered corporate structure, as illustrated by the maintenance complaint noted in reviews.
Accreditations
| Category | Status |
|---|---|
| BBB Accreditation | Not BBB Accredited (as of available data) |
| Parent company (SCI/Dignity Memorial) | Publicly traded (NYSE: SCI); subject to SEC reporting requirements |
| State licensing | Not specified in available data |
| Professional memberships | Not specified in available data |
The absence of BBB accreditation for the cemetery entity is notable, though it does not necessarily indicate complaints — many large corporate-owned funeral properties opt not to pursue accreditation. Families wishing to review any filed complaints can check the BBB profile directly.
Conclusion
Greenwood Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery is a mid-to-upper-range provider in the Phoenix market, with pricing near or above the metro average for direct cremation and traditional burial. Its 118-year history, combined funeral home and cemetery campus, and access to SCI's national Dignity Memorial network make it a capable, full-service option — particularly for families seeking burial property, mausoleum placement, or veterans services in one location. The consistently praised staff, particularly named arrangers across multiple reviews, is a meaningful strength in a service where personal attention matters most. The unresolved mausoleum maintenance complaints and the reported difficulty escalating concerns through SCI's corporate structure are worth factoring in, especially for families making long-term interment decisions at this facility.
This report was generated using publicly available information including licensing records, pricing data, and consumer reviews. It is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation.
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