Wilmington Funeral & Cremation
“Nothing could have prepared me for the phone call. I received on Sunday afternoon July 26, 2026, Telling me that my husband was dead. We had been together for 47 years. That’s a lot of life! He was in a nursing home/rehabilitation center receiving physical therapy and occupational therapy. His discharge papers to come home were being processed. I thought I would be seeing him in just a couple days. My son refused to believe me when I called him and screamed “Dad is dead!“ He said to me, “No Mama, you’ve got it wrong!“ Then he received his own phone call from the facility. This phone call to me struck my heart like a meteor! It shattered my world. I did not know what to do. I screamed. I cried so hard and for so long that I could not breathe! I could not complete a single thought. I was lost! The next day, my stepson who had recently attended the funeral of a coworkers father stepped up and got us on track. He asked his coworker for advice, a recommendation, and contact information. It was Jason who first made contact with Samantha Kroes at Wilmington Funeral Home and Cremation. He then came to us saying he felt very comfortable with us using your facility. Because I am disabled and am recovering from a broken leg. Samantha came to me. I immediately began to lean on her. Her professionalism, empathy, and caring, were such a comfort. I knew we were in the right hands. Samantha took care of everything. She explained the types of services that were available to us, she explained the payment options available, she even knew how to make sure my husband, a US Navy veteran received the military honors he was due. She took as much stress off of our shoulders as was humanly possible. When my husband was transferred from the hospital Morgue, to the funeral home, Samantha called me. She said, “He is here with me now. I am taking good care of him, and I took his ring and watch and locked them in the safe for you“. I know it sounds silly, but her words brought me such comfort. I could tell that he was being treated with dignity and respect, just as if he was alive. That meant the world to me.. The obituary written by Samantha was beautiful and said exactly what my husband had wanted it to say!The service was perfect. It was just what he wanted and just what we wanted for him. Samantha made sure that his memory would not fade away from those who knew him and loved him. The portrait, the collage board , the memory cards are still so beautiful! The Red roses given to me at the service felt like they came from my husband. Red roses were one of his two favorite roses, and he always gave me red roses. 🌹 I am keeping the rose petals in a memory box. Because of Samantha and the care and professionalism she gave to our family and the dignity she gave my husband Wilmington Funeral Home and Cremation will be taking care of me when it’s my time to go home, but I’m hoping that’s not for a long long time. Samantha will always have a place in my heart! My family and I could not have made it through this without her! The finality of this devastating loss is beginning to sink in, And it has opened a whole new level of grief, pain, loss, and sorrow that I never knew existed. I have learned that grief is normal, natural, and necessary, for as long as it takes. I have also learned that grief is love with no one there to pour it out upon. I honestly don’t believe at this point, that I will ever recover from this loss. My husband was my home and now I am homeless.”
