A Meaningful Tribute, Planned with Compassion
When someone you love passes away, planning a service can feel overwhelming. You may know exactly what your loved one wanted, or you may be facing decisions you never expected to make. Wherever you are in the process, the Shawgo family is here to listen, explain your options and help you move forward one step at a time.
Since 1935, four generations of our family have helped Central Illinois families create meaningful ways to remember the people they love. That experience has taught us that there is no single right way to say goodbye. A service may follow familiar traditions, reflect a loved one’s personality or bring family and friends together in an entirely personal way.
We will take the time to understand your loved one’s wishes, your family’s needs and the details that made their life unique. From completing paperwork to coordinating the service, our family will remain beside yours, providing compassionate guidance and attending carefully to every detail.
Funeral and Memorial Services Centered on Your Family
Shawgo Memorial Home offers a range of services, but you do not need to understand every option before calling us. We will walk you through the choices, answer your questions and help you decide what feels most appropriate for your loved one and your family.
Explore Your Funeral Service Options
There is no single right way to honor someone you love. Some families find comfort in a traditional visitation and funeral, while others prefer cremation, a memorial service or a quieter gathering.
The Shawgo family will explain each option and help you create an arrangement that reflects your loved one’s wishes, your family’s traditions and the way you want to remember their life.
Traditional Funeral Services
Traditional funeral services may include a visitation or viewing, a formal ceremony and burial or cremation afterward. Each element can be personalized to reflect the life, beliefs and relationships of the person being honored.
Explore Traditional Funeral Services
Cremation Services
Choosing cremation does not prevent your family from holding a visitation, funeral or memorial service. We will explain the available options and help you decide when and how cremation will take place.
Memorial Services
A memorial service offers family and friends a meaningful opportunity to gather and remember without the body present. It may be held soon after the death or at a later date that allows more people to participate.
Help with Planning and Arrangements
There are many practical decisions to make following a death. Our family will explain each one clearly and help coordinate the details so you do not have to manage them alone.
Assistance may include:
- Choosing the right type of service
- Completing necessary paperwork
- Preparing and placing obituary information
- Coordinating cemetery arrangements
- Assisting with cemetery lot purchases at selected cemeteries
- Embalming and other preparation services
Making decisions for the future? Explore funeral pre-planning to learn how documenting your wishes can provide clarity and peace of mind for your family.
Caskets, Urns and Memorial Products
The items chosen for a funeral or memorial can reflect personal preferences, family traditions and plans for a loved one’s final resting place. We will explain the available options and give your family the time and information needed to make comfortable decisions.
Selecting a casket, urn, monument or other memorial item is a personal decision. The Shawgo family will explain the available options, answer questions about materials and pricing, and help you choose something that reflects your preferences and plans. You will be given the information and time needed to make a decision without unnecessary pressure.
Available selections include:
- Caskets and casket rentals
- Urns and cremation products
- Burial vaults and related merchandise
- Monuments and memorial markers
Additional Assistance When You Need It
Some circumstances require arrangements beyond the service itself. With generations of experience, the Shawgo family can help families understand these less familiar processes and coordinate the necessary details.
Additional services include:
- Assistance with body donation arrangements
- Handling trusts and life insurance assignments
- Transferring remains to another funeral home
- Coordinating out-of-state transportation
- Online obituary placement
Gentle Guidance Through Every Step
When someone you love passes away, it can be difficult to know what to do next. You do not have to figure it out alone. The Shawgo Memorial Home family will listen, answer your questions and gently guide you through each step.
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Call Us Whenever You Need Us
Contact Shawgo Memorial Home at any time following a death. We will listen, explain what needs to happen next and coordinate the immediate arrangements. You do not need to have every detail or decision figured out before you call.
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Share What Matters Most
We will meet with your family to learn about your loved one, discuss any wishes that were shared, and listen to what feels right for you. There is no pressure to have every answer before we begin.
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Create a Meaningful Tribute
Together, we will plan a funeral or memorial service that reflects your loved one’s life, personality and values. We will also help with the details, including paperwork, obituary information, merchandise and cemetery arrangements.
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We’ll Take Care of the Details
Once the arrangements are made, our family will carefully coordinate the service and attend to each detail. We will remain available throughout the process, giving your family the space to focus on remembering your loved one and supporting one another.
Testimonials
Thank you for helping me bring my baby home!!! I lost my baby and the hospital was just going to discard as medical waste. They said the only way I could get my baby back was someone with a funeral director license came to pick up. I called Shawgo because they were the closest to me and they were more than willing to help. They gave me the option for burial or cremation. Filled the death certificate since hospital didn’t. They went above and beyond and I’m so thankful for them.
Went here to a nice service for my aunt. Facilities are nice but the seating arrangement was a little odd.
When my husband died they made all the efforts for Rex to be cremated as he wanted. I felt so safe and cared for plus loved. They are great people and show so much love for those grieving for their departed loved one. All the care I got I highly recommend because they did a great act of love and care that’s genuine and real.
The service was excellent. Nice parking lot and funeral home layout. I would have given 5 stars if coffee was available to the family. God rest your soul Myrna Phillips.+
The Shawgo family does a great job at making you feel comfort in a sad situation.
Great small town service with a professional and personal feel.
Made a difficult time much easier on the family. Caring and attentive staff.
Questions Are Natural. We’re Here to Help.
A funeral is generally held with the deceased’s body present, while a memorial service takes place without the body present. Both offer family and friends an opportunity to gather, remember and support one another. Funerals are often held shortly after a death, while memorial services provide greater flexibility in timing and location. Either type of service can be personalized to reflect the life being honored.
Yes. Choosing cremation does not prevent your family from holding a visitation or funeral. You may have a traditional service with the body present before cremation, hold a memorial service after cremation or arrange a private family gathering. The Shawgo family will explain the available options and help you create an arrangement that feels right for your family.
Begin with any wishes your loved one expressed, along with your family’s beliefs, traditions and needs. You may also consider whether viewing the body is important, when relatives can gather and whether burial or cremation has been selected. You do not need to make these decisions alone. We will listen to what matters to your family, explain each option and help you choose a service that feels meaningful and appropriate.
Yes. A service may include favorite music, meaningful readings, photographs, videos, personal belongings, family traditions or stories that capture your loved one’s personality. Friends and family members may also participate by sharing memories, offering readings or serving in other roles. Personalization does not have to be elaborate; even a few thoughtful details can make a service feel deeply connected to the life being remembered.
Some immediate arrangements must be coordinated soon after a death, but you do not need to have every service detail decided before calling us. Contact Shawgo Memorial Home when a death occurs, and we will explain what needs attention first and which decisions can wait. Funeral timing may depend on family travel, cemetery arrangements, religious traditions and whether burial or cremation is chosen. We will help you develop a schedule that considers both practical needs and your family’s circumstances.
Working with a family-owned funeral home means receiving care from people who are personally connected to the business and the community it serves. Four generations of the Shawgo family have helped local families through times of loss, passing down both practical experience and a commitment to compassionate service. Decisions are made locally, and our family is directly accountable for the care yours receives. We take the time to listen, explain your options and help create a tribute that reflects your loved one rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach.