Fernwood Cemetery & Funeral Home in Mill Valley, California, offers a rare combination of natural beauty, compassionate service, and complete memorial care. Nestled on 32 acres of oak-studded hillsides overlooking Tennessee Valley, Fernwood provides a serene sanctuary where memorials, burials, and cremations unfold in harmony with nature.
A true full-service funeral home and cemetery, Fernwood blends traditional care with modern environmental consciousness—offering natural burial grounds, Jewish burial gardens, and an on-site crematory, all within a tranquil, park-like setting.
Every memorial at Fernwood is designed with intention, authenticity, and respect for personal beliefs. Families are guided by experienced funeral directors who help shape services that reflect the individuality of each life—whether religious, interfaith, or secular.
The contemporary Remembrance Room provides a bright, welcoming space for ceremonies, reflections, and receptions. Its adjacent outdoor patio and waterfall garden invite guests to linger, remember, and celebrate in peace.
For outdoor gatherings, the natural landscape of Fernwood offers breathtaking settings among trees, meadows, and pathways—ideal for simple graveside services or full commemorations that honor both the spirit and the setting.
Fernwood provides complete traditional burial services, including casket selection, graveside ceremony coordination, professional care, and interment. Skilled staff handle all logistics with sensitivity and professionalism, ensuring each service proceeds seamlessly.
Fernwood is nationally recognized for its leadership in green and natural burial. In this environmentally mindful approach, bodies are not embalmed with toxic chemicals, and biodegradable caskets or shrouds are used instead of metal or sealed containers. Vaults and liners are eliminated where possible, allowing natural decomposition and a genuine return to the earth.
The result is a living landscape—rolling hills and wildflowers rather than manicured lawns—where loved ones rest beneath native trees and families can walk among natural markers that blend beautifully into the land.
Within Fernwood’s grounds lies Gan Yarok, the first certified green Jewish cemetery in the United States. Here, Jewish burial customs are honored with simplicity and reverence in an environmentally conscious way. Services follow traditional Jewish rituals, supported by Fernwood’s experienced staff and local clergy partnerships.
For families seeking simplicity, Fernwood also provides direct burial services without formal ceremony, along with coordination for local, national, or international transfer of remains.
Fernwood’s cremation program reflects the same standards of dignity and environmental care that define all its offerings.
An on-site crematory ensures families receive personal, trustworthy service without the need for outside providers. The equipment uses clean-burning natural gas and meets high environmental standards.
Families may choose from several options:
Simple Direct Cremation, for those preferring minimal ceremony.
Witnessed Cremation, allowing loved ones to gather in a private suite and observe the beginning of the cremation process, often accompanied by words, prayer, or reflection.
Cremation with Memorial Service, combining the cremation with a full ceremony in the Remembrance Room or outdoors.
Cremated remains may be returned to families, scattered in designated areas, or interred within Fernwood’s natural burial grounds, memorial boulders, or elegant columbarium niches.
All services are clearly itemized, providing complete transparency. Families can choose from a range of caskets, biodegradable containers, urns, and shrouds that align with either traditional or green burial preferences. Professional services include arrangements, permits, transportation, staff assistance, and coordination of the entire event—from first call to final committal.
Fernwood encourages families to consider pre-planning. By documenting burial, cremation, and service preferences in advance, individuals can ease future burdens on loved ones. Pre-planning ensures that every detail—from music and readings to cemetery location and memorial style—is honored exactly as intended.
The staff is trained to assist with meaningful, affordable, and legally secure advance arrangements.
Fernwood welcomes people of every faith, culture, and philosophy. Whether one’s beliefs are deeply religious or purely humanistic, each ceremony is designed to be personal, meaningful, and true to the life being remembered.
Families often comment on the gentleness and warmth of the Fernwood environment. It is a place that feels less like a cemetery and more like a nature preserve—alive with birdsong, sunlight, and the comfort of continuity.
Honoring Lifetimes works hand-in-hand with Fernwood’s staff to help families plan, personalize, and officiate beautiful memorials and celebrations of life. We ensure every ceremony—whether in the Remembrance Room, under a heritage oak, or at the cremation suite—captures the soul and story of the one being remembered.
From officiation to ceremony design, readings, music, and symbolic gestures, we guide families through every choice with compassion, clarity, and heartfelt expertise.
Fernwood offers packages ranging from simple direct services to comprehensive memorial events. Prices vary depending on the type of burial, cremation, or ceremony chosen. The staff provides written estimates and options at every stage, ensuring families can make informed, confident decisions.