Haven of Rest Funeral Home, Crematory and Cemetery sits high on a hill above the historic fishing community of Gig Harbor, WA. Perkins Funeral Home in Gig Harbor purchased a few acres of land adjacent to Highway 16 for use as a cemetery; old records indicate the first burial was completed in 1954. The business was sold to Richard and Ruth Berg in 1964 and they immediately began construction of an on-site Funeral Home and gave the name "Haven of Rest Memorial Park" to the cemetery.
Robert L Glass purchased the business in 1978 and, along with his wife Sharonjoy, have maintained and developed the facilities and purchased additional properties. Under their guidance the Funeral Home/Chapel building was completely renovated in 1989. In 1996 the Mausoleum facility at the entrance to the Cemetery was completely renovated and expanded. Our own Crematory facility was constructed in 1997. Under their careful stewardship new burial gardens continue to be developed and expanded; their long range plan for the future is always focused on serving local families for another three, four, and five generations.
The greater Gig Harbor community continues to grow and change. Ever increasing population growth, development of new homes and businesses, and the addition of the second Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 2007 all continue to affect the life values of our local residents. Change is evident, as well, in the work at Haven of Rest as we seek to meet the funeral home and cemetery needs of families in this community we all call "home". In just thirty years there have been major changes in the way we serve families in their death-care needs. In the 1970s and 80s, more than 60% percent of our local families chose traditional funeral services and burial. Today, all across Western Washington, more than 60% of families are choosing cremation as the preferred mode of disposition. Social theories abound to explain such sea changes in our society; our sense is that today's families are much more mobile and no longer have as strong a connection to the land. Regardless of the cause, Haven of Rest continues to change along with you, as we seek to serve the death care needs of our community.
In response to this change, we have launched Psalmstone Way, and several smaller Psalmstone gardens. We have created these unique features to provide garden-like places at Haven of Rest for permanent placement of cremated remains or for installation of memorial nameplates. While still a work-in-progress, many families appreciate the less-formal Psalmstone setting