A.J. Desmond and Sons Funeral Home

We had a very good experience with AJ Desmond at their Royal Oak location. Gary was great to work with. He was very compassionate, polite and courteous. The staff at AJ Desmond bent over backwards to accommodate our every need. During a very difficult time for us as a family, they worked behind the scenes to make the entire visitation and service go smoothly. I highly recommend AJ Desmond and Sons.

I thought for sure I’d be the 1^st to review a funeral home, but I’m actually glad I am not. I am also glad that Sara’s review almost word for word echoes the way I felt about Desmond’s.
When I lost my father, I really had no experience planning a funeral. It goes without saying — it’s horrible, but Desmond’s made it literally as easy as possible. We worked with Gary and by the end of the week, we considered him family. He was so helpful and warm and funny. He rolled with all our emotions and requests.
We had some ideas about what we thought might be nice — Gary filled in every crack and assisted us every step of the way. Where we hadnt thought of things, he was quick to make sure to help us with having a seamless event.
As far as specifics, we utilized the upstairs. We knew there would be a fairly steady flow of visitors and it allowed us the entire upstairs, with a small kitchen and meeting room. It also had its own set of bathrooms.
We had a bit of a concern with the older people making their way up the stairs, but the staff was quick to assist and personally escorted them up the elevator.
Another thing I especially liked about the upstairs is that it had 2 exits out of the main room. I spent a decent amount of time in the side room, which kind of allowed a less overwhelming feeling. It was also nice, because i (guests too) didnt feel claustrophobic in the main room.
A new offering of Desmonds is the option to have the remembrance service video taped. I wasnt crazy about the idea, but my mom kind of liked it, so decided «why not?». I am actually kind of glad we did. I dont really like to watch it too much, but it really has proved to be a nice remembrance especially for my mom.
We also had anticipated quite a few elementary and preschool aged kids who would be at the visitation. Desmond helped us by providing a table where we could set up coloring pages for them. A little unconventional, but my sisters kids did a great job entertaining themselves — and I certainly would suggest it if you are in a similar situation.
Although I didnt deal with the payment and insurance portion, my mom only had positive things to say about how quickly and efficiently everything was handled.
My thoughts are with you if you are looking at this review due to an unfortunate circumstance, but I think you will be doing yourself a favor by choosing Desmond & Sons.

I feel a bit morose and melancholy writing a review on a funeral home, but in times of lost the last thing one needs to deal with is uncompassionate, faulty business at a funeral home. That’s why I highly recommend Royal Oak’s A.J. Desmond and Sons Funeral Home. I attended a funeral for a very close friend here and I have nothing but good things to say. The funeral home is clean and serene and the staff did anything and everything they could to ensure the satisfaction of not only the grieving family, but those attending the funeral. I felt welcomed and cared for during the wake as well as the funeral
Funeral home also has a gorgeous and hospitable area where families to gather to grab a cup of coffee or just get away from all the attendees and clear their mind a bit. The staff was continually coming in to make us coffee and tea and anything else we needed. What I liked about this funeral home is that the staff was genuine in their actions and sentiments. Located on Woodward, A.J. Desmond Funeral Home comes highly recommended.