Reviews of Gill Brothers Southwest Minneapolis Funeral Home (Mortuary)

Mike M

GILL brothers are the best in america.

Bear Walken

My experience with this company could not have been any better. I have never met a group of people who were as understanding, polite, and patient in a time that is was very hard on our family. The people who work at this establishment were so good to us. I just didn't know what to do. They made sure I was getting the correct planning done. They helped me every step of the way in to terms of the billings, things to register with the state, even things I didn't know I was supposed to do for this type of event happening in my life. When I lost my Mother, one of the most important people in my life. I came to Gill Brothers. In doing so, I found a place that gave her as much respect as if she was their Mother as well. I thank all of you that have helped me in this trying time. Please may god be with you everyday, and protect you until the end of time.

Stephen Mohn

I was employed at the Gill Brothers Facility located at 58th Street and Lyndale Avenue for about two years while an Electrical Engineering student at the University of Minnesota as a night attendant during the mid-1970's. Apparently my verbal articulation made me a suitable night attendant to ensure that initial telephoned death calls at any time during the night were handled with dignity, sincere respect, and efficiency. Efficiency in this context was to ensure that the subsequent care of the deceased would enable maximal comfort for the involved family members. They were obviously steeped in unbelievable grief and attendant confusion. Having done my job I'd go back to sleep; human death was not an engineering matter. Prior to the time of my employment at a mortuary during my mid-20's I had heard all of the mythological horror stories about mortuaries. These included, as examples, their alleged predatory and rather ghoulish financial practices as fed by horrific human grief to sell expensive caskets and water-proof vaults in a way that would assuage unimaginable human pain. I didn't really care because such an easy job was right on the bus line to the University of Minnesota. During my tenure at Gill Brothers my actual personal observation of the highly professional and sincere dedication of the professional staff were beyond any question. Consistently their efforts were directed at the aggrieved comfort of the living--not the dead. If mortal remains necessitated three days for their soul to transfer to Eternity those remains were rolled into a corner of the embalming room for the specified time, there was true sorrow if an 8 year old girl suddenly died of heart failure as found in the family yard by her mother; these and other matters actually penetrated my engineering shield. I was forced to face the fact that in order to responsibly respect human life one must also respect human death, and that is the role that Gill Brothers more than fulfilled. Lastly, Gill Brothers attended to my Grandmother, my Father, my Mother, and especially to my younger only brother who died suddenly of heart failure. He was found dead about four days after his death; he likely died during my birthday. From time to time we spoke of death and it was subsequently critical for me to ensure that his mortal remains be permitted to return to the earth that created him--ten feet of black soil in Minnesota. Gill Brothers ensured that my beloved brother's mortal remains were buried in a wooden cremation casket and a "grave vault" in order that he would rejoin and become again part of what created him. Years later I completed my engineering doctorate at the University of Minnesota and retired after 37 pension years in Corporate Research and Development with several co-authored patents. Through it all, due to Gill Brothers, I've been given a profound sense of peace with respect to my dead brother.