Reviews of Joseph Gawler's Sons, LLC (Mortuary)

A. Zuck

I am incredibly grateful to the staff at Joseph Gawler's, in particular, Teresa Schnur. When my mother passed away suddenly on April 23, 2019, I did not know where to turn. I must be honest, I choose Gawler's based on the beautiful and professional website and because they are part of a larger company, Dignity Memorial, of which I am familiar with. Teresa put me right at ease during our first meeting. She was comforting and professional. She took her time with me (over two hours), showed me all the options and I never felt rushed or pressured into spending money where I did not need to. In the end, we put together a beautiful visitation and Catholic mass at my local parish for my mom, all the paperwork needed to be buried in Manila is in order, and I feel I could simply enjoy the comfort of friends and family without worrying about the details. I know my mom got the honorable and first-class sendoff that she deserved. Believe it or not, I now have good memories of this difficult time. I made the right decision.

Joralemon Virgincreche

We used Gawler's many years ago when they weren't owned by a giant conglomerate, and although they were very expensive, we were pleased with the level of service provided. Not this time around. They are extremely overpriced, we weren't impressed with the staff's demeanor (a bit smarmy), and we were promised (twice) that one particular item would be comped, then when we went back to sign the contract, all of a sudden it was no longer comped, and they were suddenly not willing to comp it. Not very professional! So we immediately drove over to DeVol in Georgetown, where we paid less than half of what Gawler's was asking (for exactly the same items and services), to a still family-owned enterprise. We had no experience with DeVol at all and had only seen an ad for it right before walking into Gawler's, so we had no idea what to expect, but we were pleased. And we saved a lot of money which would have made our deceased loved one very happy. Resist paying Gawler's prices.

Wendy Soroka

Everyone at Gawler's was kind and professional, but we would like to express our appreciation in particular to Teresa Schnur. From the first phone call, she demonstrated a balanced mix of sympathy, skill and competence. This is not an easy thing to go thru and I cannot imagine not having Teresa to guide us. We received MANY complements on how Gawler's arranged our Visitation Service and thought of many extra's like valet parking and refreshments. I would recommend them to anyone.

Vanlal Hruaia

If I could give this place ZERO stars, I would. This place is way too, too, too, too too, overpriced even after picking the simplest of the simplest options for my deceased husband. My bill was nearly 10 grand. Of that, 6k was the cremation cost. They really, really take advantage of the grieving family. Highway robbery at its finest. Moreover, they do not accept money from an estate account. I am going to call Suburban hospital (where my husband died) and ask them to take off this funeral home from their list that they provide to family members of the deceased. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE AT ALL !! Choose another funeral home and save your money !!!

James Sanderson

Incredibly professional staff! Beautiful facility. Gawler's handled my brother's funeral 13 years ago, and they were so amazing, I'm using them again, this time for my spouse. If you want the funeral of your loved one done properly, there is simply no question - Go to Gawler's. They are incomparable in the DC area.

Nancy Fraser

Gawler's did a wonderful job with my mother's funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. Mom had to be flown from Florida so there was quite a bit of co-ordination involved. Theresa was my contact person from Gawler's. She was always caring and reassuring in my conversations with her.

DARRYL BERTOLUCCI

The five stars are due primarily to Teresa Schnur . I also must compliment the people who greeted me each time I came to Gawler's. They were invariably polite and helpful. Now to Teresa. I received the call from the skilled nursing facility informing me that my wife had passed away at 8PM.During the time that the staff was putting together the info to send to the ME, I had to compartmentalize as best I could. I began to call funeral homes...my wif'e's death was a shock...no planning had been done. I called Gawler's and Teresa answered. She in no way was pressuring me...she was, indeed, very calming. I decided to use Gawler's because of her manner. After cremation was decided upon, there were some bumps...snow, a federal holiday..which caused delays. Teresa kept me informed. I choose to purchase an urn in my wife's favorite color on my own. That was not a problem. I fully congratulate Gawler's on having Teresa Schnur as Assistant Manager.

Sean k

Very professional staff and would highly recommend them for their services. They treat you with dignity and respect. From being greeted when you first come in, to the day or service. Kevin and Theresa made planning for my mom’s service so much easier to do, considering. Thank you all for your professionalism and awesome work.

Virginie Vaselopulos

After dealing with the sudden death of a friend without any close family here, I recommend to grieving families to take their time before choosing a funeral home. Consider the price and convenience issues before signing any documents (and ask which funeral homes will accept a direct payment from the life insurance). And separate carefully the emotional aspects from the business aspects....

Karen Corso

Teresa Schnur may be relatively new to Gawler's, but she is obviously a well-seasoned professional. She is very personable and cooperative, and she offered excellent suggestions that made the process easier than I had anticipated. With people like Teresa on board, Gawler's will continue to maintain it's stellar reputation.

Jim Eckersley

Our father and mother had the foresight to visit Joseph Gawler's, many years in advance of their eventual passing, to prearrange their funeral plans. Fortunately for us, nearly all details were decided upon and pre-paid. They also visited the cemetery of their choice and prepaid. Pre-planning is the only way to fix and control costs. Pre-planning is an act of kindness toward surviving friends and relatives. Pre-planning allows you to shop for the services you want and can afford. When our father passed away in 2005, we had only a few details to decide upon. Gawler’s helped provide a memorable service for a much-loved man. When our mother recently passed away, in Hospice, at age 100 we were out of state. In this event, we knew a few days ahead of time that mother’s days were limited. We contacted Theresa Schnur at Gawler’s who assured us that they often work with family who may be far away at the time of passing. All final details were taken care of long distance. Our first meeting with Theresa was a few days later at the beautiful well-planned memorial service. We couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Jean Johnson

Five stars to Teresa Schnur, Assistant Manager, Funeral Director at Joseph Gawler's Sons. Ms. Schnur was most helpful during all aspects for the arrangements and cremation of my friend. She was prompt and available for my questions; extremely qualified, and was just plain nice. I would recommend Ms. Schnur to anyone that needed assistance during this particular time in life.

Jennifer Salaj

Unprofessional, unresponsive to family needs, doesn't verify legal documents prior to wrongly creating someone.

Jan ONeill

Worst possible place/people with incredibly high fees ($8k for a simple cremation??? What????). The incompetence and lack of compassion and sincerity made this a horrific experience. The whole thing was creepy and would have been laughable if I wasn't grieving so badly. Felt like a really bad movie. I do NOT recommend Gawlers on Wisconsin Ave.

linda Suggs

Was very expensive for lack of service received. Funeral director not very sympathetic and I had a very difficult time getting death certificate. Mistake was made by Gawlers on date. I ha d to get medical examiner involved I would not recommend them to anyone. And have sent email to director telling him what I thought

Yolande Fox

It has taken me quite a LONG time to mull this over since my Mother , Yolande Betbeze Fox ( Miss America 1951) passed in Feb 2016 to consider writing a review but I feel I have to since the very last sight of my Mother will not leave my mind. It is permanently embedded. For this reason alone I feel I must do this. If I could leave a MINUS ZERO star review I would but that’s not an option . I was never contacted by Gawlers asking for clothing for my Mother . She was to be cremated. I was asked to see her the day I signed their contract & they that dressed her in something she NEVER would’ve allowed in her house much less on her person. I will not further tarnish her memory by writing what her final outfit was but will say it was highly inappropriate. They should have commicated with me. I am an only child & Mother was a widow, even in my deep grief I would have happily found a simple outfit in her closet but was NEVER asked to do so. How was I to think of this on my own when I could barely breath? They are supposed to be professionals. They proudly claim to help the bereaved through the process and yet they do NOT. There was nobody but me for them to ask & I was never contacted until they wanted to be paid. They are not worthy of your money or your time. Certainly not worth trusting your loved ones with. A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT ON EVERY LEVEL.

Merry Lo

My family's experience with Joseph Gawler's Son was exceptional when we were making the arrangements for our Mother. Teresa Schnur and Kennedi Syphax were compassionate and understanding. They helped my family and me stay focused on what we had to do and offered their opinion when appropriate. Teresa, Kennedi, and the other representatives of Gawler's were accommodating when we requested last minute changes in the arrangements. They made a heavy-hearted and sorrowful situation easier to accept. I thank them for all their assistance and guidance.