Hughes Funeral Alternatives at Hillcrest Abbey Cemetery

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Hughes Funeral Alternatives at Hillcrest Abbey Cemetery

AQUAMATION - MEMORIAL SERVICES
HISTORIC CEMETERY Local Business

08/27/2025

In our Garden of Renewal, aquamated remains are buried with a soil mixture and - over the course of just a few months - they can fully return to the Earth.

For those who are laid to rest in our Garden of Renewal, we feature a memorial wall where names are etched. Even after returning to the Earth, this gives families a permanent place to remember, visit, and be with loved ones.

The Garden of Renewal is nestled within the crypt walls of the new chapel, and it's a beautiful, quiet place.

08/11/2025

Follow along as we take a look through Hillcrest Abbey and its historic buildings, and how Hughes Funeral Alternatives is making use of these storied grounds today.

Our "new chapel" ('new' being relative) is the building closest to the road on Sublette. This is where most of our visitation and funeral services take place, and one of the first things you'll notice about our new chapel is its striking mosaic glass windows and steepled roof.

Attached to the new chapel are outdoor crypt spaces, which are still in active use.

07/30/2025

Choosing cremation - water or not - doesn't preclude other funeral options.

For those who choose cremation, you can still have a viewing with the body present before cremation happens. This gives family and loved ones a chance to say goodbye with an open casket; the only difference would be that the service doesn't conclude at a gravesite.

If you don't want a viewing with the body pre-cremation, you can still choose to have a service, with or without the cremated remains.

As always, contact us if we can help with arranging services.

07/23/2025

Today, let's talk about the grief that accompanies complicated relationships.

As humans, it's normal to argue, break up, become estranged, or have any number of difficult feelings about a relationship. And when we lose those people, grief can manifest in strange, unexpected ways.

You might experience guilt, regret, relief, resentment, anger, numbness, etc.. People are incredibly complicated, and so are our relationships.

Feeling something other than 100% sadness doesn't mean that you're a bad person. It doesn't mean you don't care, it doesn't devalue your relationships or your humanity in any way. How our grief makes us feel, doesn't define us. Don't beat yourself up for not having the grief reaction you think you should have.

If you're having difficulty with your grief, try talking to someone who didn't know the deceased. You can't process your own emotions if you're simultaneously regulating for someone else in mourning, so an outside perspective could give you space to process your feelings without judgment.

This is a big topic to try and neatly wrap up in one post - let us know if you'd like to hear more.

07/17/2025

Larkspur - also known as Delphinium - is a beautiful but toxic flower native to North America and parts of Europe.

In Greek mythology, when the hero Ajax threw himself upon his sword, larkspur bloomed from the blood on the ground.

Later, larkspur was considered a deterrent against vampires, ghosts, and witches. The English would sprinkle larkspur petals in their bathwater to ward off these dangers, and larkspur was planted around stables to protect cattle as well.

Today, larkspur is bred for flower shows, and is a popular component of English gardens. Perhaps because of its beauty and toxicity, it's sometimes seen as a symbol of sacrifice and love.

Although it's not a traditional funerary flower, because it is native to N. America, larkspur is a good addition to green burial biomass arrangements.

07/09/2025

The old chapel at Hillcrest is the historic centerpiece of the abbey grounds.

The chapel's design was built for funeral services prior to cremation. At the time it was built, cremation was still a very new concept to the populace. The old chapel used an elevator platform to slowly lower caskets from the chapel down to the floor below, mirroring the experience of watching a casket being lowered into the earth.

It's been a long time since the old chapel was in use, but we hope to give this historic jewel the love and attention it deserves!

07/04/2025

Happy Fourth of July! Here's some weird historical trivia to take into the long weekend:

* Two of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, would go on to become US Presidents.
* Coincidentally, both Jefferson and Adams died on the same day - July 4, 1826 - the 50th anniversary of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence.
* John Hancock's now famous signature is so large on the Declaration, simply because he was the first to sign. (Contrary to some legends, it was not to prove a point to King George - much like trying to find space to put your own signature on a communal "Happy Birthday" card, Hancock's signature went first, so it's thought that everyone else simply had to fit their signatures around his.)

07/02/2025

Well, we're officially in the thick of fireworks season, which means being extra attentive to our anxious four-legged family members!

You probably know the drill to keeping your dog calm, but here are some good tips to try:

• Plan walks ahead of time. Go for long walks well before the sun sets, so you can avoid going out during the evening. As always, make sure that your dog's collar/harness are secure before you head out.

• Play white noise. It may not be possible to drown out the sound of fireworks entirely, but using a sound machine, a fan, or leaving the TV on can mask the bangs and pops. If you have an inner room you can hang out in with your dog, that might also be a good setting for them.

• Project calm. Animals are very good at picking up on our emotions, so if you're anxious, your dog may begin to mirror your anxiety. If you're relaxed and calm during fireworks, that will reassure your animal that no, the world probably isn't ending.

What routines work for you and your family? Let us know - we can make it through the noisy season together!

06/25/2025

For all of our horticulturalists out there, please stay safe in this heat wave if you're doing any daytime gardening!

🤙Check in with a friend if you're going out into the heat

🥤Stay hydrated (and start drinking water well before you start working!)

⛱️Take plenty of breaks and know your limits

And of course, look out for your friends and neighbors. There's no such thing as too careful in this weather!

✏️Graphic courtesy of the CDC.

06/20/2025

In an increasingly digital world, how do we handle our loved ones' online footprints?

Being able to check a loved one's old posts can be a source of comfort. And of course, there's the convenience of having thousands of photographs and posts at your fingertips.

At the risk of sounding like a doomsday prepper though, it may not be a bad idea to keep redundancies of your most cherished memories!

Social media platforms come and go, and if you lose your password or get locked out of your account, you might not be able to refollow a deceased loved one's profile page anymore.

Digital backups saved to a personal folder are great for peace of mind, but there's also something to be said for printed physical copies.

Studies have repeatedly shown that holding something tangible can help with grounding, especially in grief. When we can no longer hold our loved ones, sometimes a physical representation of their memory is the next best thing.

What do you think about archiving digital memories of our dearly departed?

06/12/2025

Brand new sidewalk along our Garden of Renewal 😎

06/03/2025

🦅 The director will see you now!

Address

3211 Sublette Avenue
St. Louis, MO
63139

Website

http://www.HughesFuneralAlternatives.com/

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