A premier San Antonio funeral home

Porter Loring Mortuary North accommodates all types of services, from traditional funerals to celebrations of life, intimate gatherings to large events. With flexible spaces for funerals and receptions, the funeral home provides a contemporary, comfortable environment for planning services and hosting family and friends.

Families love our light-and-bright decor, relaxed atmosphere and modern celebration venue, complete with technology, from streaming music to tribute video production to live webcasting, that ensures loved ones near and far can be part of a remembrance.

Personalized memorials, multicultural services and eco-friendly farewells

At Porter Loring Mortuary North, we believe that every service should be as unique as the life lived. Our associates capture the essence of your loved one to create an event that honors your special person and gives friends and family a chance to come together and remember.

Perhaps it’s a barbecue in honor of the pit master, complete with bottles of homemade sauce for guests to take home. Maybe it’s a garden-themed party with a butterfly release. It could be a grand celebration of life with live music and more or a simple ceremony with the environment in mind. (Porter Loring Mortuary is a member of the nonprofit Green Burial Council.)

We also specialize in religious and cultural funeral traditions. Whether you’re observing Catholic rituals, incorporating Hindu practices or following Jewish customs, we can help you honor your loved one in significant and special ways.

No matter your wish, no matter the detail, we handle it all. From floral arrangements to decor to catering, we guide you through your choices with care.

Planning memorable meals

At Porter Loring, we look to accommodate as many needs as possible for families dealing with personal loss. After all, funerals, memorials and visitations are more than just acknowledgments of a loved one's passing. They're also opportunities for family and friends to gather, remember and share refreshments.

Event planner Don Strange of Texas is our exclusive catering partner. San Antonians know the company for the very best in taste and service. With decades of experience and a reputation for unforgettable events, Don Strange elevates every gathering with meticulous attention to detail. Menus range from signature sweets to a Mexican fiesta or a Hill Country barbecue.

Cremation in San Antonio

Porter Loring Mortuary North specializes in cremation and cremation memorials. With a private crematory, the ability to host witness cremations, expertise in scattering ashes and an experienced team, we provide service that is second to none.

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

• 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.

There are many cremation providers in Bexar County. Here’s what you can expect when you choose Porter Loring Mortuary North for your loved one’s cremation:

• Custody of care guaranteed. Our identification pendant and custody-of-care program help safeguard the identification of your loved one.
• Exclusive custody of your loved one. Once your loved one is in the care of a Dignity Memorial^® provider or trusted partner, they’re in our care until they’re returned to your family.
• Licensed, certified, conscientious staff. All Dignity Memorial crematorium operators in Texas are licensed and certified by the Cremation Association of North America, or CANA. Unless there are special circumstances and your family has requested otherwise, only one person at a time is cremated. Additionally, the crematorium chamber is thoroughly cleaned before the next person is cremated.

Veterans funerals and burials

We deeply appreciate those who have sacrificed for our freedoms and feel privileged to honor veterans and their families in need of funeral, cremation and burial services. Our experienced funeral directors are dedicated to ensuring that every veteran is honored in a manner befitting their service and giving their families the support they need.

Grief support groups

The loss of a loved one can be devastating, and many people don’t know where to turn or how to cope. We’re here to help you through the bereavement process. You are not alone.

We can help you find peace and healing. Our support groups are open to anyone in the community who is struggling with the loss of a loved one. Please call bereavement coordinator Molly O’Phelan, PhD, RN, LMFT at (210) 227-8221 to learn more about the group that would be most appropriate for you and reserve a spot.

Men’s Grief Support Group

What does recovering from the loss of your wife look like? How do you move forward while maintaining the memory of your cherished partner? Our Men’s Grief Support Group helps men 65 and older answer these questions in a supportive, constructive group environment.

• Time: Every Monday, 1-2:30pm
• Place: Alamo Heights United Methodist Church, 825 E. Basse Road, San Antonio, TX 78209 (in room W100)
• Facilitator: Molly O'Phelan, PhD, RN, LMFT, bereavement coordinator

Fellowship in Grief

When a husband loses his wife, there is grief to contend with and many life changes that must be faced. Our Fellowship in Grief support group offers a space for middle-age and younger men to address their challenges, including taking care of their families, while learning new skills in navigating their grief journey.

• Time: Second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, noon-1:30pm
• Place: Porter Loring Family Care Services, 2119 Mannix Drive, San Antonio, TX 78217 (in the conference room)
• Facilitator: Molly O'Phelan, PhD, RN, LMFT, bereavement coordinator

Grief Support Group for Women

Grieving with those who share similar grief experiences can often be the key to unlocking healing. Our Grief Support Group for Women 60 years and older who have lost a husband offers a safe and supportive environment where women can express their grief and discover ways of coping and healing.

• Time: Every Monday, 10-11:30am
• Place: Alamo Heights United Methodist Church, 825 E. Basse Road, San Antonio, TX 78209 (in room W100)
• Facilitator: Molly O’Phelan, PhD, RN, LMFT, bereavement coordinator

Grief Support Group for Younger Women

Working through your grief with other young women who have experienced similar traumas can open doors to healing that you never thought to open on your own. Being in a safe space and learning resilient ways of coping can help you navigate the many challenges of losing a husband early in life, including taking care of the family while learning new skills.

• Time: First and third Tuesdays of each month, 11:30am-1pm
• Place: Porter Loring Family Care Services, 2119 Mannix Drive, San Antonio, TX 78217 (in the conference room)
• Facilitator: Molly O'Phelan, PhD, RN, LMFT, bereavement coordinator

Forever Loved

Our Forever Loved Grief Support Group is a safe, healing space for parents who have lost a child at any age to work through their sorrow and grief. The goal of this group is to help parents find hope and strength without losing the memories of their precious children.

• Time: Every Tuesday, 7-8:30pm
• Place: Alamo Heights United Methodist Church, 825 E. Basse Road, San Antonio, TX 78209 (in room S107)
• Facilitator: Molly O'Phelan, PhD, RN, LMFT, bereavement coordinator

LGBTQ+ Bereavement Support Class

Connecting with others who accept and affirm one’s life journey is crucial in the grief experience. Our eight-week LGBTQ+ Bereavement Support Class provides members of the LGBTQ+ community with a safe, open environment to grapple with the effects of loss and learn to heal. Attending all eight sessions is most beneficial, therefore no new participants are accepted after the second session. Please call Molly O’Phelan at (210) 227-8221 to ask about starting dates for class sessions.

• Time: Thursdays, 6:30-8pm. View our current LGBTQ+ group schedule.
• Place: The Pride Center San Antonio, 1303 McCullough Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212 (in suite 160)
• Facilitator: Darwin Huartson, M.Div, BCC

General Support Programs

Our eight-week Making Your Grief Count program is an opportunity for those who have experienced loss of any kind to work through their grief, learn about healthy coping tools and discover a path to healing in a supportive environment. Due to the nature of the program, no new participants will be accepted after the second session. For more information about the location of the current program or to schedule one at your place of worship, please call Molly O'Phelan at (210) 227-8221.

See a schedule of our current Making Your Grief Count programs.

Funeral and burial planning in advance

In addition to assisting with an immediate need, Porter Loring Mortuary North works with families to make final arrangements in advance. When you plan ahead, you relieve your family from financial and emotional burdens while ensuring your wishes are fulfilled. We offer in-person and virtual consultations, as well as a free Personal Planning Guide.

Lean on us

Our caring and dedicated team considers it a great responsibility when families entrust to us the care of their loved ones. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please contact us if we may assist with funeral or cremation arrangements in San Antonio.

History

The year was 1918. World War I had just ended. Troops were returning from Europe, and so were casualties for burial in hometowns. The upheaval of the times also spread one of the deadliest influenza epidemics in history. For a military town like San Antonio, and for the funeral homes serving the area, the situation posed a serious challenge.

It was against this backdrop that Porter Loring Sr. decided the time was right to introduce a new type of mortuary. He established Porter Loring across from Travis Park.

Founding philosophy

“It was true I was going to bury the dead, but I wasn’t going to be an ‘undertaker.’ Instead, I was going to operate a mortuary—one that had respect for the dead and sympathy for the families who came to it. I was determined to have this philosophy expressed in all the ways I could create, and to ensure every one of my employees would radiate this belief in their work, language and manner of living,” Porter Sr. said in a speech.

For decades, these words have served as a standard for our operations—and a measure of our commitment to the families we serve. And today, though we’ve changed and grown in many ways that Porter Sr. might not have been able to fathom, we think he’d be gratified to see the results of a prediction he made during that same speech so long ago: “We will continue to grow professionally, as long as we hold to our original ideals, and as long as each of us grasps the spirit of the organization.”

If he could see us now, he’d know how absolutely right he was.

We are thankful to be an important part of the San Antonio community. As part of the Dignity Memorial family of funeral homes, cremation providers and cemeteries, we continue our longstanding legacy of helping families honor their loved ones.

Porter Loring Sr.

Porter Loring Jr.

Porter Loring III

Helen Loring Dear