About

Located in historic downtown Monroe, Purdy & Kerr with Dawson Funeral Home has provided caring and compassionate funeral and cremation services to families in the rural Washington area since 1905. Our funeral home proudly serves an area from Granite Falls to Fall City, including traveling up Highway 2 over Stevens Pass to Leavenworth.

Our team works very closely with families to create unique and memorable funeral arrangements that honor and celebrate loved ones.

Creating unique celebrations of life

Chapel at Purdy & Kerr with Dawson Funeral HomeEvery person is unique, and we believe that every life deserves to be honored with a one-of-a-kind tribute. This is our underlying principle and belief. Whether you prefer a traditional funeral service, an intimate memorial with close family and friends, or an elaborate celebration with a live band, themed decor and a catered reception, there's almost no limit to what we can do for you. All we ask is that you provide the inspiration and we'll take care of the rest.

We offer many services at Purdy & Kerr with Dawson Funeral Home, including catered receptions, floral arrangements, celebrant services, bereavement travel assistance, access to professional grief counselors 24 hours a day, video tribute programs and online obituary postings.

We strive to ensure that all families are satisfied with every decision they have made and follow up with each family in the days after the service as part of our aftercare program.

Advance planning for funerals and cremations

A Dignity Memorial associate speaking with a client while sitting at a desk. For families who wish to make funeral arrangements in advance, our associates are here to advise, either individually or as a group, on the various options available to plan a funeral, cremation or memorial service ahead of time. For decisions as personal and long lasting as funeral and cremation planning, we urge you to visit with one of our funeral planning professionals. We’ll partner with you to ensure you know all of your options.

Cremation services in Seattle

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. And now we offer both traditional flame cremation and water cremation.

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 cremation providers—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.

 

Now offering human composting

Human composting is an alternative to burial and cremation. Inside a vessel created especially for this purpose, organic elements, such as wood chips, mulch and wildflowers, gently transform a body into nutrient-rich soil. Your family may choose to use this soil to plant trees or flowers, or you can place it in a location meaningful to you. The remaining soil is sent to conservation land on the Olympic Peninsula to aid projects such as reforestation, improving soil health and restoring challenged ecosystems.

Compassionate funeral care close to home

Arrangement room at Purdy & Kerr with Dawson Funeral HomeAs part of the Dignity Memorial® network of funeral homes and cemeteries, we have a large pool of expertise and resources available to us. Our experienced team utilizes an ongoing, up-to-date internal training and online class system well-respected in the funeral industry. We know that every family trusts us with the care of their loved one, and we take our time to carefully present all of the options available so you can make the best decisions for your family.

The Washington community is very important to us. We work very closely with community organizations and are a proud member of the We Honor Veterans program.

Please contact us if you need immediate assistance or if you would like more information about our services.

History

Located in historic downtown Monroe, Purdy and Kerr has proudly served our community since the early 1900s, covering an area from Granite Falls to Duvall and the Sky Valley communities of Sultan and Gold Bar.

Century-old funeral home

The house on West Main that is now the home of Purdy and Kerr Funeral Home was originally built in 1905 as a residence for Manne Lundstam, owner of Monroe Cash Store. Founded by E.E. Purdy and Sons, the funeral home purchased the Lundstam house and converted it to a funeral chapel. Several changes have been made to the original house over the years, but the character and quality of the service have remained the same.

Lawrence Whitfield joined E.E. Purdy and managed the firm as a resident funeral director and partner. Cecil Kerr followed Mr. Whitfield as a partner and resident manager.

Decades of service

In 2004, Purdy and Kerr merged with Purdy and Dawson in Snohomish, combining to become Purdy & Kerr with Dawson Funeral Home.

Today, we are proud to be a member of the Dignity Memorial Network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers, and continue to provide excellent service.

Celebration of Life Planning

Our planners are celebration of life experts. We plan more celebrations each year than any other provider, and we know just what to do to create a uniquely beautiful and heartfelt tribute with attention to detail like no other.

Every family who entrusts us with their loved one’s service can expect an event that includes:
  • meaningful music celebration of life
  • cherished memories celebration of life
  • a personalized message celebration of life

Start planning a celebration of life today

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Get inspired by our offerings

When planning a celebration of life, your imagination is the only limit.

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Plan a Simple Cremation

Simple can still mean exceptional. Let us show you how.

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Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

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Remember the one you love

Honor the memory of your loved one with cemetery flower placement.

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Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

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View arrangements

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Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

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View arrangements

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Unable to find an obituary?

Not finding what you are looking for? Search for your loved one's obituary across any of our other locations.

VIEW OBITUARIES
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Express your sympathy with flowers & gifts

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View arrangements

Vintage photos scattered

Unable to find an obituary?

Not finding what you are looking for? Search for your loved one's obituary across any of our Washelli locations.

VIEW OBITUARIES
Vintage photos scattered

Unable to find an obituary?

Not finding what you are looking for? Search for your loved one's obituary across any of our other locations.

VIEW OBITUARIES

Meet Our Team

Here for you when you need us.

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