Business Details
50+ Years
experience
Emergency
services
Your Trusted Funeral Home in Hiawassee, GA Since 1934
Banister-Cooper Funeral Home-Cooper Funeral Home has served the Hiawassee, Georgia community since 1934, providing compassionate and personalized end-of-life services. Established by Frank Abernathy, the business transitioned through several dedicated stewards before Tamela and Marvin Cooper assumed ownership in 2017, adding their name to honor their commitment. Our team combines decades of collective experience with deep local roots to offer traditional funerals, cremation options, and veterans' honors.We specialize in creating meaningful memorials through tribute videos, personalized keepsakes, and live-streaming capabilities while guiding families through pre-planning and grief support resources. As a family-owned operation, we maintain 24/7 availability to ensure immediate assistance during times of need, upholding standards of professionalism and empathy established over 85 years of service.
Services
Traditional Services
Cremation Services
Personalization
Veterans Services
Pre-Planning
Details
- Year established: 1934
Highlights and features
- We have 89 years of continuous service to the Hiawassee community since 1934
- Family-owned operation with third-generation funeral directors
- Specialized veterans' service coordination with VA benefit expertise
- 24/7 immediate response availability for emergency arrangements
- Custom memorialization options including live-streaming and tribute videos
Services
Traditional Services
We provide comprehensive traditional funeral services with customizable visitation, chapel or off-site ceremonies, and graveside options. Families receive guidance on eulogy preparation, music selection, and venue coordination. Our life celebrants specialize in creating personalized tributes that honor individual legacies while facilitating healing through structured memorial experiences.
Cremation Services
Our cremation services include full funeral ceremonies followed by cremation, memorial services with urn presentation, and private interment options. We offer permanent memorialization choices like columbarium niches, personalized urns, and traditional burial of cremated remains with appropriate ceremonial honors.
Veterans Services
We specialize in coordinating VA burial benefits, including flag presentation, rifle salutes, and Taps performance. Our staff assists with documentation for headstones, burial allowances, and national cemetery interment while providing education on eligibility requirements and application processes.
Personalization
We create tailored memorials using tribute videos, photo displays, and personalized keepsakes. Music curation, poetry readings, and customized service programs help reflect individual personalities. Live-streaming accommodates remote attendees while physical memorabilia preserves legacies for future generations.
Pre-Planning
Our pre-planning services include customizable funeral plans with guaranteed pricing options. We provide detailed checklists, legal documentation guidance, and 'Talk of a Lifetime' conversations to capture personal wishes, reducing family decision-making burdens during difficult times.
People
Tamela Cooper
Funeral Director
Tamela Cooper has served as Funeral Director since 2012, bringing over two decades of experience in compassionate end-of-life care. She specializes in veterans' services and personalized memorialization.
Marvin Cooper
Co-Owner
Marvin Cooper co-owns the funeral home with Tamela, overseeing operations since their 2017 acquisition. He ensures facility standards align with the business's 85-year legacy of community service.
Questions
What veterans' benefits do you help coordinate?
We assist with VA burial allowances, headstone applications, flag presentations, and military funeral honors including rifle salutes and Taps performances.
Can cremation services include traditional elements?
Yes, we offer full funeral ceremonies followed by cremation, memorial services with urn presentation, and graveside committal options for cremated remains.
How can I personalize a service?
We provide tribute videos, photo collages, music curation, poetry readings, and live-streaming options to create meaningful, customized memorials reflecting individual legacies.
Is pre-planning available?
Yes, we offer pre-planning with guaranteed pricing options, legal documentation guidance, and 'Talk of a Lifetime' conversations to document personal wishes.
What immediate services do you provide?
We respond 24/7 for death notifications, transport arrangements, and initial planning consultations to begin arrangements at any hour.
Reviews (1)
Sarah Clark
Jun 22, 2018
Report
Banister Funeral Home took excellent care of our family at the passing of my mother in law. From Sarah picking her up at the nursing facility to Tamela and Marvin helping us with all the paperwork. They made sure we had what we would need then and in the future. The care that was shown to my mother in law was exceptional. They went above and beyond. Our family can't thank them enough for all the kindness they showed when we needed it the most!!
