Navigating the journey of life

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The elegant red brick building housing Jeff Monreal Funeral Home was once home to a church and features ornamental and architectural charm. Working with an interior designer, Jeff imbued the space with modern and welcoming touches.

By Patricia Nugent

Not many people can say they’re following the same career path as their great-great grandfather. For fifth-generation funeral director Jeff Monreal, working with families to guide them through their journeys of grief and remembrance comes naturally.

“I remember being a little boy listening in, outside my grandfather’s office, on him making funeral arrangements with families. My grandfather would allow families to grieve and patiently listen before speaking and directing.. There was a real attraction to me to be in a career where I can help people through such an emotional time in their lives and deal with the loss of a loved one. My grandfather was someone I really looked up to and hoped to emulate one day.”

While he’s been planning funerals for 17 years, it wasn’t until 2021 that Jeff opened his own funeral home in Painesville.

The elegant red brick building was once home to a church and features ornamental and architectural charm. Working with an interior designer, Jeff imbued the space with modern and welcoming touches.

“People I’ve worked with the past few years have commented that they appreciate how we only host one service at a time and that I’m the only person they work with throughout the planning process,” he says.

For fifth-generation funeral director Jeff Monreal, of Jeff Monreal Funeral Home, working with families to guide them through their journey of grief and remembrance comes naturally.
Pre-planning allows your family to spend time in grief and remembrance instead of having to make last-minute funeral arrangements and decisions.
Jeff takes the time to review all the big and little decisions involved, from picking out caskets or urns, to pre-paying for a cemetery plot and even planning the details of your service, such as flowers and music selection.


Pre-Planning Creates Peace of Mind
“Over the years, pre-planning has become more commonplace,” says Jeff. “It’s uncanny how many clients come to me after they have experienced a family member or friend who passed away without telling anyone their last wishes. Without pre-planning, you leave your loved ones with the daunting task of guessing what you wanted, and then paying for it.”

By creating a pre-planning policy, one perception people have is that if you pre-arrange, you are locked in with that funeral home, that is just not true. Arrangements can be moved to another funeral home in or out of state.

“In the end, it’s about peace of mind,” he adds. “Letting your family off the hook in terms of planning lets them deal with the grief and remembrance instead of making last-minute decisions, which can cause division within any family.”

Jeff takes the time to review all the big and little decisions involved, from picking out caskets or urns, to pre-paying for a cemetery plot and even planning the details of your service, such as flowers and music selection.

Jeff Monreal Funeral Home is located in Painesville at 1000 Mentor Avenue. The building’s spacious lot offers convenient parking. His services are also offered at locations in Willoughby (38001 Euclid Avenue) and Mentor (6330 Center Street). Call 440-527-6294 or visit Jeff MonrealFuneralHome.com for more information.

Categories: Lake County Professional Services