We honor your traditions

Numerous publications have named Denver among the top places to live in the country. The area’s population is booming and becoming increasingly diverse. At Olinger Funeral, Cremation & Cemetery - Crown Hill, we embrace and welcome our evolving community.

We are a non-denominational funeral home and serve families of all cultures, backgrounds, faiths and belief systems. Our team members are well-versed in a wide variety of funeral traditions and customs and work with you to design a funeral or memorial service that exceeds expectations.

Cremation services

We specialize in cremation services that honor loved ones in personalized ways, and families love our transparent pricing. With expertise in scattering ashes and a friendly team who pays attention to every detail, we provide service that is second to none.

More and more people are choosing cremation over traditional burial, but most aren’t familiar with the many options:

• a cremation without a funeral or memorial service of any kind.
• a funeral with your loved one present, followed by cremation.
• a cremation followed by a scattering, cemetery memorialization or celebration of life—or all three.

For those who wish for a more momentous memorial, Neptune Memorial Reef is an underwater cremation garden off the coast of Florida. A Celestis Memorial Spaceflight takes ashes into space for a little while or forever.

There are many options for cremation—and they're not all equal. Here's what you can expect when you choose us for your loved one's cremation:

• Custody of care guaranteed. Our custody-of-care program helps safeguard the identification of your loved one from the time we bring them into our care until the time we return them to your family. We check, cross-check and check again, every step of the way.
• Exclusive custody of your loved one. We operate a private, on-site crematory and work with trusted partners. Once your loved one is in our custody or that of a trusted partner, they’re in our care until they’re returned to your family.
• Licensed, certified, conscientious staff. All Dignity Memorial^® crematory operators are licensed and certified by Cremation Association of North America, or CANA. Only one person at a time is cremated, and the cremation chamber is thoroughly cleaned before the next person is cremated.

Read more about our cremation services.

On-site crematory

Olinger Funeral, Cremation & Cemetery - Crown Hill has a private on-site crematory, which means your loved one never leaves our care.

Cremation is important in certain religions and cultures, and more and more people are choosing cremation over more traditional burial options, but most people aren’t familiar with all of their choices when it comes to cremation. You may choose a direct cremation without a funeral or memorial service of any kind; a funeral with the body present, followed by cremation; or a cremation followed by a cemetery service or a celebration of life.

Customized services and celebrations of life

At Olinger Funeral, Cremation & Cemetery - Crown Hill, we believe every life should be well celebrated. We customize each and every funeral or memorial by incorporating a favorite team (the Broncos are a popular choice), prized possessions (perhaps a mug from your loved one’s favorite brewery), photographs and more to create a service that won't soon be forgotten.

From an over-the-top themed extravaganza with music, balloons and a catered reception to an intimate service with a video tribute to something else entirely, there are thousands of ways to celebrate a person’s life. How will you tell your loved one’s story?

Chapel choices

With a wide variety of chapel options at Olinger Funeral, Cremation & Cemetery - Crown Hill, we can handle funeral and memorial services of all types and sizes. We have six distinct spaces to choose from. Within our funeral home, the newly renovated Chapel of Peace seats up to 200 guests and can be converted into a reception space. A lounge suits small gatherings and a reception center accommodates up to 100 guests for a catered event.

Other areas include a veranda for small outdoor gatherings; the Cremation Garden Chapel, which can hold small ceremonies and has an ossuary; and the chapel in the Tower of Memories mausoleum, which can be used for committal services.

One of our more distinctive chapels is Pavilion of Reflections. Located on the cemetery grounds between the funeral home and reception center, the event space holds 150 guests. With open-beam wood architecture, floor-to-ceiling sliding-glass doors, water fountains and fire features, Pavilion of Reflections is ideal for Life Well Celebrated® ceremonies, memorials and special events.

We honor veterans

At Olinger Funeral, Cremation & Cemetery - Crown Hill, we understand the unique needs of America’s veterans and their families. As a Level Three Founding Community Partner with We Honor Veterans, our staff is knowledgeable in the benefits available to veterans and their families. With respect, integrity and dignity, we will walk you through the steps of creating a veteran's memorial service that truly honors the life and sacrifice of your loved one.

Your trusted friend

Olinger Funeral, Cremation & Cemetery - Crown Hill sits in the heart of Wheat Ridge, 20 minutes from Denver. The funeral home is easily accessed via Route 70 and 121. We are a member of the Dignity Memorial® network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers. When you choose Olinger Funeral, Cremation & Cemetery - Crown Hill, you receive not only the compassionate care you expect from a locally operated funeral home but also the value you deserve.

All of our services are designed to help you through one of the more personal and challenging stages of life, and we are always here for you. Just call.

Olinger Cemetery - Crown Hill

With its views of the Rockies, mature trees, historic gravesites, well-maintained gardens and a magnificent one-of-a-kind mausoleum, Olinger Cemetery - Crown Hill is one of the more beautiful cemeteries in the Denver area. Located on a 240-acre tract of land in Wheat Ridge, the cemetery is a peaceful and serene final resting place for loved ones and offers a wide range of burial, entombment and cremation memorialization options.

Burial options for all

Choosing a final resting spot is an important and emotional decision, which is why we provide as many options as possible to ensure that your needs and desires are met. Whether you prefer traditional ground burial, mausoleum or crypt entombment, or cremation memorialization, the cemetery team is here to help you pick the option that’s best for you and your family. Options include lawn crypts, flat markers, private mausoleums, private family estates, customized memorials, cremation niches, columbaria, memorial benches and more.

We celebrate diversity

Anyone, no matter their background, religion or culture, can be buried at Olinger Cemetery - Crown Hill. In fact, we do not have any sections dedicated to certain cultures or religions, though we do have a garden called Asia Paradise that was designed by a feng shui master. The headstones here are designed to look like pagodas, but you do not have to be of Asian descent to be buried in this beautiful garden. All are welcome to choose Asia Paradise as their final resting spot.

Ready for the future

As more and more people flock to the Denver area for its fantastic weather, wealth of outdoor activities and array of employment opportunities, we are constantly evolving to ensure we have the cemetery products and services that today’s families are looking for. At Olinger Cemetery - Crown Hill, we have plenty of room for future development, and we will be able to serve Colorado families for many generations to come.

History

The founder of the Olinger family of funeral homes, which can be found throughout the Denver area, was George W. Olinger, a successful businessman, philanthropist, civic leader, Mason and churchman who began working in his family's funeral business at age 15. Over time, his business interests grew and included mausoleums, a crematory, insurance, pre-need services and cemeteries.

Denver’s population booms

Between 1890 and 1907, the population of Denver nearly doubled, nearing 213,000. The population boom led to an increased need for services, including end-of-life interment, and George, along with 5 other Denver entrepreneurs, formed the Crown Hill Cemetery Association with the vision of converting land just west of Wadsworth Avenue into one of the finest cemeteries in the vicinity of Denver.

Olinger Cemetery - Crown Hill established

The vision set forth by the members of the Crown Hill Cemetery Association quickly became a reality with the purchase of 180 acres of land from part of a farm owned by Colorado legislator Henry Lee. In December 1907, Olinger Cemetery - Crown Hill, which was then known simply as Crown Hill Cemetery, opened. In 1926, construction began within the cemetery on what would become a Denver landmark—the Tower of Memories mausoleum, providing another interment option to meet the growing and diverse needs of the community.

Funeral home opens on the cemetery grounds

In the early 2000s, Olinger Crown Hill Mortuary opened on the grounds of Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery. Originally, the basement of the Tower of Memories mausoleum was used to prepare the deceased, but eventually, a funeral home was built across the street from the cemetery. Later on, the funeral home closed and was moved to downtown Denver. Finally, the funeral home returned to the grounds of the cemetery.

Today, Olinger Funeral, Cremation & Cemetery - Crown Hill continue their heritage of providing the quality, compassionate care and community engagement embodied by George W. Olinger. Colorado pioneers, veterans, members of fraternal organizations and the founder of one of America’s most famous breweries lie within the gates of the 240-acre sanctuary. Of course, you don’t have to be a famous Denverite to use the services of the funeral and cemetery: All are welcome here.

Tower of Memories

Designed in 1926 by Gothic architect Charles A. Smith, Tower of Memories mausoleum is a sight to be seen. There are few, if any, buildings like it in Colorado. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, the 158-feet-tall building took decades to build due to delays by World War II, and several architects were involved in its construction.

A half-mile grand esplanade leads to the modernistic-style mausoleum, which has a 2-story base and a 7-story tower that rises from the center of the building. The interior of the mausoleum is more Gothic in design, and the floors and walls are finished in marble. There is also a small chapel inside for services of up to 75 people.

Today, the Gothic-meets-modernistic tower of granite is considered a Denver landmark and is noted for its rare architectural style. Tower of Memories provides numerous entombment options and as a final resting spot, we think it is matched in majesty only by the surrounding Rocky Mountains.

We care about Wheat Ridge

The Wheat Ridge and greater Denver community is important to us, which is why the teams at Olinger Funeral, Cremation & Cemetery - Crown Hill host numerous events throughout the year. In November, they host an annual Día de los Metros celebration. In December, the teams have holiday remembrance ceremonies.

Both locations open their doors to the entire community during a Memorial Day event that honors veterans and includes fireworks. They also give flowers to everyone who visits the cemetery over Mother's Day weekend.

Of course, it doesn’t have to be a holiday for the locations to host an event. We've had art exhibitions, potluck dinners, concerts and even a garden club. We encourage you to give us a call to find out what’s next on our calendar.

Trees that impress horticulturists and arbor aficionados

In 2007, Olinger Cemetery - Crown Hill was declared an arboretum. With one of the larger and more dense populations of trees in the Denver metro area, the cemetery has more than 1,700 trees of 69 species. Unlike many cemeteries and parks, the trees at Olinger Crown Hill were not planted in straight rows, but rather they are grouped together in clusters of 12-15. Considering that these trees were planted more than a century ago, the landscapers who planted these trees were true visionaries.

Over the years, noted horticulturists have visited the cemetery to see its impressive trees. The most notable trees are the Colorado blue spruce, Engelmann spruce, Douglas fir, Norway maple, silver maple, ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain juniper, plains cottonwood, English elms and Schwedler maples. Most of these trees are located in the oldest section of the cemetery.

Olinger Moore Howard Chapel

After nearly 60 years serving the North Denver community, our sister location, Olinger Moore Howard Chapel, closed their doors in January 2019. We warmly welcome all the families of Olinger Moore Howard Chapel, and thank you for the opportunity to serve you.

Please visit our Denver Funeral Home Brand Family Page to get information on all the locations associated within the Denver region.