Four generations of the Westbrook family. The chapel that knows your pastor, your hymns, and the order of service.
Grace and peace to you in this hour.
Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine. May they rest in eternal peace.
ברוך דיין האמת · Blessed is the True Judge.
Theodore Westbrook opened this chapel on Euclid Avenue in 1928 — a single chapel and a horse-drawn hearse, serving the German Lutheran and Irish Catholic neighborhoods that surrounded it. Today his great-grandson, Dr. Marcus Westbrook, runs the firm with his sister Anne. The neighborhood has changed many times since 1928. Our work has not.
Cleveland is one of the most religiously textured cities in America. In a single week we may serve a Catholic Mass at St. Ignatius of Antioch, a Jewish funeral in coordination with Anshe Chesed’s chevra kadisha, a homegoing celebration at Antioch Baptist, and a quiet graveside committal for a Presbyterian family with no congregation at all. We know the rites because we have practiced them — together with your clergy — for ninety-eight years.
The chapel is on call twenty-four hours a day. The phone is answered by a member of our family, not a service.
Use the pack switcher in the navigation above to see how the chapel speaks for each tradition we serve — or visit a tradition page directly.
Protestant and non-denominational families. We serve alongside your pastor.
RITEThe Vigil, the Mass of Christian Burial, and the Rite of Committal.
הלוויה · HALVAYAHChevra kadisha, shemira, burial within 24 hours, shiva coordination.
HOMEGOINGThe wake, the celebration, the obituary, the repast.
A traditional Christian funeral service — Scripture, hymns, eulogy, prayer of committal. We work alongside your pastor; we do not replace him.
A time before the service for family and the community to gather, view the loved one if they choose, and offer words of comfort.
A gift to the children. Many of the families we serve plan the service before the time of need. There is no charge for the conversation.
Service · Saturday, May 3 · 11:00 AM · Westbrook Memorial Chapel
Mass · Tuesday, May 6 · 10:00 AM · St. Ignatius of Antioch
Halvayah · Wednesday, May 7 · 11:00 AM · Anshe Chesed
FIRST · 1928
Founder. Opened the chapel on Euclid Avenue with a horse-drawn hearse and a single oak casket on display.
SECOND · 1958
Theodore’s son. Expanded the firm’s work with Cleveland’s Catholic parishes during the postwar boom.
THIRD · 1986
Built the chapel’s relationships with Anshe Chesed and the city’s Jewish community in the 1990s.
FOURTH · 2014
Funeral director and Yale-trained theologian. Serves with his sister Anne, the firm’s general manager.
The unveiling — the stone-setting at the grave eleven months after burial — is the second goodbye. We have coordinated thousands of unveilings with Cleveland’s Jewish cemeteries since 1928. The date, the cemetery, the stone, and the gathering: we hold it.
The repast is the last gathering. Our staff coordinates the fellowship hall, the meal, the church mothers, the program — so the family does not lift a thing. The community feeds the family, and the family is finally allowed to rest.
Many of the families we serve come to us first as planners — making the decisions they hope will be a gift to the children. We sit with you, walk through the service, and write nothing down that you do not want written. There is no charge.
Westbrook walked our congregation through three deaths in the same month. Every service was correct, the pastor was never made to feel rushed, and the family was carried.Rev. James Holloway · First Presbyterian Church of Cleveland Heights
On call · twenty-four hours · seven days a week.
Phone: (216) 555-0142
Email: office@westbrookchapel.example
Parking: Free guest parking lot on E. 15th Street behind the chapel. Street parking on Euclid Avenue is metered through 6 PM.
Transit: RTA HealthLine BRT (Stop: E. 14th & Euclid) is one block west; rail at Tower City is a 12-minute walk.
Accessibility: Step-free entrance from the parking lot. The chapel is fully accessible. Large-print orders of service available; ASL interpreters arranged on request.