Gus Thornhill's Funeral Home — Consumer Profile

Gus Thornhill's Funeral Home is a deeply rooted, independently owned funeral home in East Point, Georgia, founded in 1979 by a local civic figure whose life of community service shaped the business's identity. The funeral home holds a 4.1/5 rating across 118 Google reviews and a 94% recommendation rate on Facebook (48 reviews). The home offers both cremation and burial services, accepts online pre-need arrangements, and has operated for over 45 years in the southwest Atlanta metro area.

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Locations

Detail	Information
Address	1315 Gus Thornhill Jr Dr, East Point, GA 30344
Phone	(404) 768-2993
Email	gusthornhillfuneralhome@yahoo.com
Hours	Monday–Sunday: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM (listed); some third-party directories indicate 24-hour availability
Accessibility	Wheelchair accessible

This is the funeral home's single location. The street itself — formerly Hendrix Drive — was renamed by the East Point City Council in honor of founder Gus Thornhill Jr., reflecting the depth of his ties to the community. The facility includes a repast and event center that has been recently redesigned.

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Services

Gus Thornhill's offers a range of services documented on their website:

• Burial services — traditional full-service funeral arrangements
• Cremation services
• Memorial services
• Pre-planning — online pre-need arrangements can be completed directly through the funeral home's website
• Live streaming — online viewing of services is available
• Grief support resources
• Repast and event center — an on-site facility for post-service gatherings
• Flower ordering — available through the website
• Obituary posting — listed on the site and through Legacy.com

No on-site crematory or owned cemetery is mentioned in the available data.

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Pricing

No General Price List (GPL) data was available for this profile. Yellow Pages and Facebook list the price range as $$$, suggesting mid-to-upper pricing for the local market. Families should request the GPL directly — funeral homes are required by the FTC Funeral Rule to provide it upon request, in person or by mail.

One reviewer raised a specific concern about pricing variability depending on whether a family uses life insurance to pay (see Reviews section below). Families using insurance assignments are encouraged to request itemized pricing in writing before finalizing arrangements.

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Reviews

Gus Thornhill's holds a 4.1/5 rating from 118 Google reviewers and a 94% recommendation rate on Facebook based on 48 reviews. A Chamber of Commerce listing reflects a similar 4.1-star rating from 97 reviewers.

Positive Themes

1. Quality of preparation and presentation. Multiple reviewers specifically praised how their loved ones looked. Tia Roebuck, writing from Colorado Springs, noted: "My grandmother looked just like she did in her younger years."

2. Compassionate, attentive staff. Several staff members are named in reviews for going above expectations. Veronica Walker highlighted Mr. Calvin, Ms. Howard, and Mr. Michael (transport), writing that Michael "told us he would treat her like a Queen — he did." A reviewer named Tee credited Ferran as "such a tremendous blessing during our time of grief" after the unexpected loss of her son. Cassandra Derrico singled out Lamar for making a first-time arrangement experience feel manageable: "He went above and beyond to accommodate our needs. He's Professional and Knowledgeable, he always showed us he Genuinely Cared."

3. Professionalism under difficult circumstances. Reviewers consistently describe staff as calm, kind, and knowledgeable, including in cases involving sudden or unexpected loss.

Notable Concerns

One reviewer, Jay Chill, left a 1/5 rating with a specific and detailed complaint worth noting: "They have done 4 funerals out of my family — every time it's something different, especially if you have insurance. The prices double. The funeral with insurance was 2 times the cost of the funeral without insurance." This reviewer described experiencing inconsistent pricing across three funerals over five years, paid both with and without insurance.

While this is a single reviewer's account, price inflation tied to insurance use is a documented industry concern. Families planning to use life insurance assignments should request a full itemized price list and compare it against cash pricing before committing.

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Ownership

Gus Thornhill's Funeral Home is independently owned. It was founded in 1979 by Gus Thornhill Jr., a lifelong East Point resident with a remarkable biography: he became East Point's first African American police officer in 1965, rose to the rank of major, retired from law enforcement in 1990, and had been involved in the funeral industry since age nine — beginning with a hearse-washing job at Walker's Funeral Home, where Henry Walker served as his mentor. The funeral home's About page notes that the street on which the funeral home sits was renamed in his honor by unanimous vote of the East Point City Council. Gus Thornhill Jr. passed away in 2025, per a Legacy.com obituary. Current ownership and day-to-day leadership following his passing are not specified in the available data.

The business is not affiliated with any corporate funeral chain.

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Accreditations

• BBB: Not BBB Accredited. However, Yellow Pages separately lists a BBB A+ rating, which reflects the BBB's letter grade based on business data — distinct from paid accreditation status.
• Years in business: 44–45+ years, per multiple directory listings
• No professional memberships (e.g., NFDA, SEFDA) or state licensing details were identified in the available data.

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Conclusion

Gus Thornhill's Funeral Home carries genuine historical significance in East Point and has earned consistent praise for attentive, compassionate staff and quality preparation work across more than four decades of service. Priced in the mid-to-upper range for the local market, it is a reasonable choice for families seeking an experienced independent provider with deep community roots. The primary concern worth monitoring is pricing consistency — specifically, one detailed reviewer account alleging that costs increased significantly when insurance was involved — and the absence of a publicly available price list online. Families should request an itemized GPL before making arrangements and ask for written confirmation of all costs.