Baton Rouge’s downtown funeral home

Our Government Street location was the first Baton Rouge facility constructed solely to provide funeral services. The plantation-style funeral home downtown has a large chapel with seating for 350 guests and a smaller chapel that accommodates 250. The parlor has four seating areas with comfortable sofas and chairs to create a warm, living room atmosphere. Throughout our spaces, up-to-date audiovisual systems allow for personalized slideshows and videos—which we are happy to create for you.

If your family wishes to have a police escort from the funeral home to a nearby cemetery, we can also can arrange that.

Personalized funeral services

At Rabenhorst Funeral Home & Crematory, we understand that losing a loved one is an emotional and difficult experience. We're committed to providing personal, compassionate and professional service when it's needed most.

When you first meet with a funeral director, we'll ask questions about your loved one: what he liked to do, what she cherished, how he thought about the world, or how she liked to spend her time. From there, we'll help you create a service that speaks to the unique life of your loved one, whether that's a traditional religious funeral, a contemporary and upbeat celebration of life or something in between.

You can provide inspiration with a memory of your loved one. From scrapbooking to sports, and blue dogs to blueberry pies, we take the things that mattered to that special person and weave them together to create a singular, heartfelt memorial. We're here to help tell the special story of your loved one's life—or your own, if you are planning in advance.

Our team is experienced in arranging catered events and our onsite reception spaces can accommodate groups large and small. Whether it's a breakfast buffet after a morning service, cake and coffee in the afternoon, or a full dinner reception, just let us know what you have in mind. We'll hire a caterer to handle food and drinks, and we help with decor and more. If it's an outdoor celebration you're seeking, we'll come up with something just right. Think a late afternoon crawfish boil with a Zydeco band that plays into the evening, or a Mardi Gras-themed funeral procession complete with a colorful float and guests tossing beads. Let us handle every detail so you can spend more time with the people you love.

Multicultural and veterans services

The experienced team at Rabenhorst Funeral Home & Crematory is well-versed in the rites and rituals of many cultures as well as in veterans services. 

Baton Rouge has three national cemeteries, and we can guide the families of honorably discharged veterans through the process of securing veterans benefits. 

For families whose cultures and religions call for ritual washing, a shomer, an overnight visitation, incense burning or other traditions, we're here to honor and serve you. Just let us know what you need.

An onsite crematory

Since 2014, Rabenhorst has operated a private crematory adjacent to its the downtown location. This allows us to have complete control of a cremation from start to finish, which means your loved one never leaves our care. Our licensed funeral directors and certified cremation technicians handle every step of the cremation process with diligence and compassion.

Unlike other crematories in the area, ours includes a viewing suite, so your family may witness the cremation if that's your wish.  You can also choose to have private time with your loved one prior to the cremation.

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 use only crematories owned and operated by Dignity Memorial^® providers or 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.

Planning ahead

In addition to assisting during your time of need, our team specializes in helping families and individuals plan final arrangements in advance. We recognize that funeral arrangements and associated expenses can be overwhelming. By preparing these details ahead of time, you provide a sense of relief and comfort to your loved ones while ensuring your personal wishes are known. We can provide information or answer questions about pre-planning your funeral, cremation and cemetery arrangements.

Here for you

Thank you for considering Rabenhorst Funeral Home & Crematory for your funeral and cremation needs. We are honored by the trust placed in us by the people of Baton Rouge, and are dedicated to upholding that legacy. Please contact us if you need immediate assistance, wish to tour our funeral home or would simply like more information about our services. Arrangements can be made in person, by phone or by email. We're here to help.

History

With more than 150 years of service, Rabenhorst Funeral Home and the Rabenhorst family are part of Louisiana’s rich history.

In the 1850s, Caroline Focken Rabenhorst met an adventurous young Prussian immigrant named Charles Ferdinand Rabenhorst. Like Charles, Caroline left her native land for the promise of a better life in a new country. Little did they know, America would soon be torn apart by civil war.

When the war began in 1861, Charles formed his own military company, which was attached to the 21st Louisiana Regiment. He served with distinction as a captain in the Confederate Army. At the war’s end, Charles, a cabinetmaker by trade, found himself making more caskets than furniture. In 1866, he officially entered the funeral business and set a family precedent of responding to the public need.

Baton Rouge’s first dedicated funeral home

Charles opened his business at the corner of Church (now Fourth) and Main streets, across from what was then St. Joseph Catholic Church. There were several other locations before the present downtown location was selected. Charles and Caroline had two sons, Oscar F. and Alvin E., who brought the business into the 20th century. In 1932, the brothers founded Rabenhorst Life Insurance Company, originally called the Mortuary Benefit Association. That same year, the original building on what is now Government Street was completed, making it the first in Baton Rouge to be constructed exclusively as a funeral home. This represented an important cultural shift in one of the major social areas of Southern life. Funeral ceremonies were relocated from a family’s residence to a dedicated site.

In the 1940s, the third generation of Rabenhorsts assumed operations of the funeral home. Oscar’s youngest son, Alvin E. Rabenhorst II, became president. Another third-generation member, Alvin P. Rabenhorst Sr., son of Alvin E. (Allie) Rabenhorst, joined the family business in 1940. Responsible for financial decisions, he implemented a modern accounting system and eventually became president of both the funeral home and the life insurance company.

Responding to the growing needs of the community, Rabenhorst Funeral Home East opened at 11000 Florida Blvd. in 1978.

The 21st century arrives

In 2014, Rabenhorst opened a state-of-the-art crematory next door to its downtown Government Street funeral home.

In 2019, both locations of the funeral home became part of the Dignity Memorial® network. Alvin P. Rabenhorst Jr., Karen Rabenhorst Kerr, David L. Rabenhorst and G. Scott Rabenhorst are proud to carry on the tradition of offering the highest level of service to the community of Baton Rouge and surrounding areas.

Coach Raby

Oscar’s oldest son, Harry A. Rabenhorst, was one of the better-known family members to serve as president of the funeral home. Known as “Coach Raby,” he spent 43 years at LSU as assistant football coach, head basketball coach, head baseball coach, assistant athletic director and athletic director.

Perhaps his most notable achievement was in 1935, when the LSU basketball team defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers to win their only national championship. Although “unofficial” because the NCAA Tournament did not yet exist, there was still the very competitive American Legion Bowl, from which the victor was regarded as the champion.

Coach Raby had three other victorious seasons before joining the Navy to fight in World War II. During his 32 years as coach, LSU won three SEC titles and a Sugar Bowl Tournament Championship. The Rabenhorst family carries on his legacy by passionately supporting Louisiana State University athletics, just as they proudly carry on the legacy of exceptional funeral service in Baton Rouge.