Business Details
50+ Years
experience
Emergency
services
Open 24/7
always available
Your Trusted Partner for Personalized Funeral Services in Albuquerque
French Funerals has served Albuquerque and Rio Rancho communities for over 118 years, offering compassionate guidance during times of loss. Founded in 1907 by Chester T. French, our legacy continues through personalized funeral, cremation, and memorial services tailored to honor individual lives. With five locations and affiliations like Selected Independent Funeral Homes, we provide 24/7 support, grief resources, and eco-friendly options while maintaining a commitment to ethical standards and community trust. Our team specializes in creating meaningful ceremonies that reflect each family's unique needs, traditions, and cultural backgrounds. We pride ourselves on transparency, affordability, and exceptional care, ensuring every family receives dignified services that celebrate their loved one's life.As New Mexico's longest-operating funeral provider, we combine historical expertise with modern innovations to serve diverse faiths and backgrounds. Our ownership of crematory facilities guarantees respectful handling of remains, while our preplanning services alleviate future burdens for families. Recognized nationally for excellence, we remain rooted in local service, offering virtual memorials, personalized tributes, and veteran honors. Through weekly grief support programs and educational resources, we extend care beyond immediate needs, reinforcing our mission to walk alongside families during life's most difficult moments.
Services
Funeral Services
Cremation Services
Celebrations of Life
Veteran Services
Pet Cremation
Green Funerals
Preplanning Services
Grief Support
Details
- Year established: 1907
Highlights and features
- We offer over 118 years of experience serving New Mexico families
- Our team provides 24/7 compassionate support during difficult times
- We own and operate our own crematory facilities for respectful handling
- As the first New Mexican-led Selected Independent Funeral Homes president, we maintain national excellence standards
- We provide weekly grief support programs for ongoing family care
Associations and certifications
- Selected Independent Funeral Homes
What people say
Compassionate guidance
Personalized care
24/7 availability
Respectful handling
Meaningful tributes
Services
Funeral Services
We provide traditional funeral services with burial options, visitation opportunities, and personalized receptions. Our staff guides families through casket selection, gravesite arrangements, and service customization while respecting cultural and religious traditions. Virtual streaming options ensure distant loved ones can participate in memorials.
Cremation Services
Our cremation services include direct cremation, memorial ceremonies with urn display, and traditional funerals followed by cremation. We offer permanent placement options like niches or scattering gardens while maintaining ownership of crematory facilities for respectful handling.
Celebrations of Life
Custom celebrations of life honor individual personalities through personalized venues, music selections, and tribute elements. We help families create unique ceremonies incorporating artwork, readings, and activities that reflect the deceased's passions and life achievements.
Veteran Services
We provide full military honors including flag-draped caskets, 7-person honor guards, and Taps ceremonies for eligible veterans. Our team assists families with VA benefit applications and documentation to ensure proper recognition of service members' sacrifices.
Green Funerals
Our green funeral options feature biodegradable caskets, natural burial grounds, and sustainable practices that minimize environmental impact. We partner with certified natural burial providers to offer eco-conscious alternatives that align with conservation values and ecological responsibility.
People
Tom E. Antram
President and CEO
With decades of funeral service experience, Tom E. Antram leads as the first New Mexican President of Selected Independent Funeral Homes, combining local expertise with national leadership to maintain exceptional care standards.
Alice Brousseau
Vice President and CFO
Alice Brousseau oversees financial operations with extensive experience in funeral service management, ensuring fiscal responsibility while maintaining compassionate care standards across all French Funerals locations.
Questions
What types of funeral services do you offer?
We provide traditional funerals, cremation services, celebrations of life, veteran honors, and eco-friendly green funerals tailored to individual preferences.
Can I preplan funeral arrangements?
Yes, we offer comprehensive preplanning services to document wishes and alleviate future burdens for families through our online tools and consultations.
Do you offer cremation options?
Yes, we provide direct cremation, traditional cremation with services, and memorial options with permanent or scattering choices for remains.
Are veteran funeral benefits available?
We help families secure military honors, flag presentations, and Taps ceremonies for eligible veterans while guiding through VA benefit applications.
What eco-friendly funeral options exist?
Our green funerals feature biodegradable caskets, natural burials at certified grounds, and sustainable practices minimizing environmental impact while honoring wishes.
How can I personalize a service?
We offer tribute videos, customized keepsakes, music selections, and venue options to create unique memorials reflecting the deceased's personality and legacy.
Reviews (6)
Lynn Baca
Jan 17, 2022
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The staff at French Funerals and Cremation were compassionate, clear, and efficient. We were treated with respect and dignity. I believe it takes a very special kind of person to deal with others who are grieving, and Kim was that person for us. I will always be grateful for the kindness.
Mira Trujillo
Jan 07, 2022
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Everyone was so caring and thoughtful. Liz was amazing she took helped care of all my dads last wishes. She had answers to all of my questions and would respond very promptly. The process was made very easy and I appreciate that because it left us time to take care of and focus on the other aspects of my dads burial. I dont think my dad couldve been in better hands. Thank you for all of your compassion!!
Deborah Gallagher
Dec 30, 2021
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It has been a sad few years for my family. My sister passed March 1, 2018, my dad November 16, 2018 and my mom April 17th 2020. French's handled the arrangements for all 3 of my family members. A lot of business's you are a memory after you hand them your money, not French's. Three years later and Trinity Montoya is still going above and beyond and is always responsive. My parents are both veterans and because of the pandemic we were not able to give them the service they wanted at the National Cemetery. Trinity is still helping us with all the arrangements and notifications 3 years later. I love
Jake Schoellkopf
Dec 05, 2021
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My stepdad passed away recently and we stopped in at French unannounced to make funeral arrangements. We were not sure wed get to visit with a funeral director that day because we didnt have an appointment. Nevertheless, Richard Stewart sat down with us. We opted for a no frills funeral but you would have thought we were going all out with the way Mr. Stewart treated us that day and with follow-up calls to keep us abreast of everything. We felt very cared for and I cant express enough how well we were looked after through the entire process.
Bruce VanGeest
Dec 05, 2021
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Our son recently passed away while working temporarily in New Mexico. We live in Atlanta and found it necessary to obtain the services of a funeral home in Albuquerque. We visited the French Funeral Home - University in Albuquerque and were extremely pleased with the advice and services they offered. The morticians we met with were very knowledgeable and comforting. They spent time with us to explain every step of the cremation process and how they would deliver my son's remains to us in Atlanta. As promised, each step of the process was carried out in a dignified manner that put our heavy hearts
Angela Reed
Oct 20, 2021
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Amanda, Dominic and all the staff at French's Funerals & Cremations were so helpful in helping plan and assist with my mom's funeral and cremation. They answered all my questions and went out of their way to follow up with me about all the details. Amanda even showed up for the service and assisted the priest. I am so grateful to them during this difficult time.
