Dalton Funeral Services

Dalton Funeral Homes' motto is " Comforting families for 85 years" That is the exact opposite of what happened when I held my father's wake at the New Hyde Park location on February 21, 2014. While I expected a quiet, reverential setting to grieve the loss of my father with family and friends, another funeral service was taking place in a room across the hall. This service included chanting, drumming and singing all enhanced by the use of a microphone and amplifiers. The noise was so loud that even closing the door to the room did not help and our prayer service was interrupted by all of the noise. In addition, there was the smell of incense burning throughout the evening which nauseated some of the visitors that came to pay their respects. In addition, there were so many visitors to the other service, I believe it violated local fire department ordinances with overcrowding. When I complained to the funeral director he explained that this was "normal" and that they cater to all faiths. While I fully respect this, and believe all should be permitted to grieve in their own way, it should not interfere with my religious customs and beliefs. If I had been advised of this possibility in advance, I would have gladly moved to another of the Dalton funeral homes that are in the area. Instead, in addition to the grief I felt at the loss of my father, I felt embarassed, humiliated and additionally stressed by the circumstances of the evening. Dalton funeral homes has done nothing to address by concerns. My advice is to find another funeral home.