Lakewood Funeral Home & Lakewood Memorial Park

Lakewood Funeral Home & Lakewood Memorial Park, located at 900 Santa Fe Ave. in Hughson, California, is a comprehensive funeral, cremation, and cemetery provider serving Stanislaus County and surrounding communities including Modesto, Oakdale, Turlock, and Sonora. As a member of the Dignity Memorial® network, the facility combines local, compassionate care with the resources of one of North America’s most trusted funeral service organizations.

The funeral home features two distinct chapels: a modern, sleek Riverside Chapel that seats 270 guests, and a more traditional chapel with soaring ceilings and pew seating for 100, which also includes a separate family room. Services can be held in either chapel, at the graveside, or at a location of the family’s choosing. The on-site crematory ensures dignified care, with a rigorous custody-of-care program that guarantees identification throughout the process. Cremation options range from simple cremation without a service to full funerals followed by cremation, and include unique memorials such as scattering ashes, Neptune Memorial Reef, or Celestis Memorial Spaceflight.

Lakewood Memorial Park offers diverse burial options, including beautiful manicured gardens, indoor and outdoor mausoleums, and a columbarium. Specialized gardens serve Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Jewish families, while flat bronze markers, upright granite monuments, and personalized celebration-of-life markers are available. The cemetery’s history dates back to the 1880s gold rush era, evolving from the Empire Hughson Cemetery into today’s Lakewood Memorial Park. A notable historical feature is the pioneer area with upright stone markers, and the cemetery is the final resting place of Florence Owens Thompson, the subject of Dorothea Lange’s iconic Dust Bowl photograph “Migrant Mother.”

The team at Lakewood is deeply committed to community service. They host a Memorial Day service that is widely regarded as one of the best in the area, with Boy Scouts placing flags at veterans’ gravesites. They also hold a Memorial for Fallen Peace Officers each May, honoring law enforcement who died in the line of duty. Other annual events include an Easter Sunrise Service at the amphitheater and Dia de los Muertos celebrations near the old chapel. The funeral home is wheelchair accessible, LGBTQ+ friendly, and offers language assistance, prepayment plans, and a 100% service guarantee. Families can pre-plan to lock in prices and receive up to 10% off cemetery property and funeral plans. Obituaries are posted online, and the staff is available 24/7 for immediate assistance.