Marana's first mortuary and cemetery will open Friday.
Located at 12146 W. Barnett Road, near North Sanders and West Grier roads, the Marana Mortuary & Cemetery will offer traditional burial and cremation services as well as burial merchandise, including caskets, urns and flower arrangements.
The cemetery's grounds feature 12 separate gardens with special sections for veterans, families and Marana pioneers.
There also are glass-front niches in a room inside the funeral home where families can place the urns of loved ones.
"It has been very well-received," president and funeral director Kevin Burch said of the new facility.
Funeral and celebration-of-life services can be held in the Summit Event Center, which has seating for 200.
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Burch said the center is separate from the funeral home, and is available for other events, such as corporate and family and community functions.
Bob Morken Jr., director of operations for the facility, and others toured several newer funeral homes throughout Arizona before Marana Mortuary & Cemetery was designed, he said.
The Summit center was built with three walls instead of the usual four.
"For a mortuary and cemetery, it's beautiful," Burch said of the design.
Plans to build Marana's first mortuary and cemetery date to January 2008.
Marana's Town Council approved a development agreement for the 23-acre property one year later and construction started in the summer of 2010.
The mortuary donated seven acres of its property to be used for a road realignment project in the area, Morken said.
Plans at the site include adding a crematorium, Burch said.
Burch and his four employees are eager to serve Marana and the surrounding communities.
"Our goal is to be the gathering place for family remembrance," Burch said.
Even though the mortuary has normal operating hours, Burch or a staff member will be available at any time to assist families who have lost a loved one.
"It's a comfort for people to know we answer the phone 24 hours a day," he said.
Marana Mortuary & Cemetery
• Where: 12146 W. Barnett Road
• Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Weekend hours will be added at a later date.
• Costs: Cemetery prices start at $772 for cremation plots, $2,106 for full-size plots and $917 for glass-front niches.
• For more information: Go to maranamortuarycemetery.com or call 682-9900
Contact reporter Andrea Rivera at arivera@azstarnet.com or 807-8430.
