Weblink: https://voyagemichigan.com/interview/community-highlights-meet-katie-atkin-of-family-first-funeral-cremation-services/

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Atkin.

Hi Katie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I have always dreamt of owning and operating a funeral establishment that could offer low cost, affordable options to families, and I never thought it was possible. Then, when the funeral home I had been working for, sold to a corporation, things started to change. The focus went from serving families to serving their bottom line. Thankfully, they decided to “restructure” and eliminated my position, which became the perfect opportunity for me to take a leap of faith and open Family First Funeral & Cremation Services. My business partner Bryce and I wanted to make this place a safe haven for families to come to in their grieving. We renovated our facility to make it a warm and comforting environment. We offer low cost, affordable options to families for burial and cremation services. We believe that the service a family receives, should not be dictated by what they pay. It has been a true labor of love, and we have loved every minute of it and hope to continue to provide care and service to the families of Southwest MI for many many years to come.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

The biggest obstacles and challenges we faced were our own timelines that we set for ourselves. We began this idea September 1, 2024 with the mindset to open as soon as possible. We closed on our building October 28, 2024 and began renovations, and to our own surprise, we were fully licensed and open for business December 1, 2024. The next obstacle was truly finding out if our business would take off. We worked hard on our marketing and fully expected to do nothing in our first month of business, but to our surprise, we had our first call on day 3 of being open and it hasn’t stopped since. Another challenge we have faced, has been convincing people that you don’t have to pay top dollar for a dignified farewell for your loved one. This is a challenge that we have quickly overcome in our short time being open, and we are very proud of that.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?

We provide low cost/affordable funeral and cremation options. We specialize in affordable funeral and cremation options for families, our prices are what sets us apart from most other funeral homes. We started our business with the intent to truly help the families we serve. What we want families to know most of all, is that times have changed and it’s perfectly normal to shop around for pricing that fits your needs. We also would like people to know that lower cost does not mean less service or integrity. We treat all of our families and their loved ones with the utmost respect and care, as well as provide a warm and welcoming facility to offer for services. We also offer Pet Aquamation through our Cherished Companions side of our business. Pet Aquamation, also known as water cremation or alkaline hydrolysis, is a gentle, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fire-based cremation for pets. This method uses less energy, produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and returns more remains to the family compared to traditional cremation.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?

We have learned many lessons along the way, but most of them have been good lessons. It has definitely taught me that life can change and everything happens for a reason.

Pricing:

• $1099 Direct Cremation
• $4275 Funeral with Cremation to follow
• $2925 Cremation with Memorial Service
• $4475 Traditional Funeral (not including casket and vault)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.familyfirstfunerals.com
• Facebook: Family First Funeral & Cremation Services