Duggan’s Serra Mortuary in Daly City has consistently been one of the highest rated Diamond Certified companies year in and year out. Family satisfaction with its services and staff is exceptional. Duggan’s is family-owned and operated, and its staff is focused on serving with kindness and compassion. The Duggan family has been serving families since 1885, when all funeral services in San Francisco were transported by horse and buggy. Today, the company is in its fourth and fifth generation of providing personal, family-oriented service for San Francisco Bay Area families and is celebrating more than 62 years at its Daly City location.
The multilingual (Tagalog, Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin) staff of Duggan’s Serra provides a variety of traditional and cremation funeral services for Bay Area families of all cultures and religious denominations. The company’s Daly City facility features unlimited parking.
Duggan's features six large, private chapels with comfortable family rooms, flat-screen TVs and state-of-the-art sound systems for family tributes; three convenient indoor reception rooms; and two outdoor reception areas. The company's preplanning department is available to assist families in preplanning their funeral services "My Funeral, My Way®," and free personal planning guides are available.
“We serve families with respect and dignity, and we strive to create meaningful services that ensure their last memories of their loved ones begin with compassion and peace. We’re absolutely committed to upholding the highest standards of funeral service.”
Planning ahead for a funeral can make the entire process easier for everyone involved.
Arranging the details of a funeral can be a difficult and inconvenient task for those grieving the loss of a loved one. That’s why it can be very beneficial to take care of such arrangements ahead of time if you’re expecting the death of a family member, a friend or even yourself.
Similar to preparing a will in advance of your untimely death to ensure a smooth process of distribution, pre-arranging the details of your own funeral will allow your loved ones to focus entirely on grieving. Such preemptive arrangements can include choosing the manner of burial and service you want, reserving a casket or urn, and taking care of financial aspects. “A lot of people pre-plan their services so their children don’t have to be burdened with those decisions,” says Daniel Duggan, president of Duggan’s Serra Mortuary in Daly City. “By handling all the pertinent details ahead of time, they’re able to eliminate ambiguity and the possibility of their children disagreeing about their final wishes.”
Writing an obituary notice
One of the first things that should be addressed following the death of a loved one is the composition of an obituary notice. However, unlike other aspects of posthumous arrangements that tend to be unwelcome distractions for grieving family members, composing an obituary can be a cathartic exercise—a way to channel grief and begin the healing process. A good obituary will give surviving family members and friends an opportunity to recall the journey of the deceased by highlighting their achievements and celebrating their legacy.
“An obituary notice is basically a synopsis of the deceased person’s life story, both encapsulating the timeline of their life and touching on significant details such as special achievements, hobbies and so on,” explains Mr. Duggan. “A well-written obituary takes thought and preparation, so that should be one of the first things you start working on following the death of a loved one.”
Few funeral service providers earn the prestigious Diamond Certified award, which means they've been independently rated Highest in Quality. Even fewer can also claim five decades of industry experience, but that's exactly the case for Duggan's Serra Mortuary. "Our reputation and proven track record of helping grieving families really set us apart," says President Daniel Duggan. "Since this company was founded in 1963, we've been providing an unwritten warranty of customer satisfaction–if a customer is ever dissatisfied for any reason, we'll do everything in our power to make it right."
Duggan's Serra Mortuary provides traditional and modern funeral services for Bay Area families of all cultures and religious denominations. In addition to handling burials and cremations, the company offers advanced funeral planning services and helps arrange indoor and outdoor ceremonies. Its Daly City facility features three outdoor reception areas and unlimited parking, and its multi-lingual staff members can perform funeral services in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese and Tagalog.
Unlike funeral service providers that are corporate-owned and focused entirely on financial gains, Duggan's Serra Mortuary remains a family-owned and operated business whose primary concern is providing a positive experience for every client. "In recent years, a lot of family-owned mortuaries have been bought out by corporations, and those companies are usually driven to meet financial goals and perform well for their stockholders more than anything else," explains Mr. Duggan. "Conversely, our main goal has always been to help our clients and their families during difficult times. Our compassionate, warm-hearted staff has one objective: to care for the people they serve."
Another attribute that sets Duggan's Serra Mortuary apart from its competition is its ability to offer first-rate funeral services at reasonable prices. "We really value our customers, so we've always tried to keep our pricing structure extremely competitive," affirms Mr. Duggan. "At the same time, we never compromise on the quality of our services, so it works out well for our customers."