Planning for the end isn't exactly a topic people bring up over Sunday brunch. It’s heavy. It’s awkward. Honestly, most of us just avoid it until we’re forced into a fluorescent-lit office during the worst week of our lives. But if you’ve lived in Northwest Indiana or the greater Chicago area for a while, you’ve definitely driven past Chapel Lawn Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens in Schererville. It’s that massive, sprawling green space on US-41 that seems to go on forever.
Most people assume all cemeteries are basically the same—some grass, some stones, a quiet room with stiff chairs. They aren't.
There’s a specific way things work at Chapel Lawn that catches people off guard. Because it’s a Dignity Memorial provider, it operates with a level of corporate scale that’s different from your local family-owned plot. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it changes the experience. You’re trading that "mom-and-pop" feel for a massive infrastructure that can handle everything from a simple cremation to a high-production traditional burial without breaking a sweat.
The Reality of Location and Logistics
Let’s talk about the physical space first. Chapel Lawn Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens sits on about 120 acres. That’s huge. If you’re visiting a loved one, you don't just "walk in." You drive.
The layout is divided into these distinct "gardens," which is basically industry-speak for sections. Some are dedicated to specific groups, like the Garden of Honor for veterans. If you’re a vet or a family member of one, this is usually where the conversation starts because the VA benefits and the specific honors provided here are a big draw. They do the folding of the flag, the Taps—the whole nine yards. It’s impactful.
One thing that surprises people? The "upright" vs. "flat" debate.
A lot of the sections at Chapel Lawn are "memorial gardens," which means the markers are flush with the ground. From the road, it looks like a giant, perfectly manicured park. This makes maintenance easier for the crew, but some families find it frustrating if they were envisioning a towering Victorian headstone. If you want an upright monument, you have to be very specific about which section you're buying into. You can’t just put a statue anywhere.
Why the "Funeral Home" Part Matters
Back in the day, you’d go to a funeral home in town and then drive a funeral procession to a separate cemetery. Chapel Lawn is what the industry calls a "combination" location. The funeral home is right there on the cemetery grounds.
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Efficiency is the name of the game here.
You aren't dealing with a 20-car motorcade through Schererville traffic. You have the service, you walk or drive thirty seconds, and you’re at the graveside. Honestly, it takes a lot of the logistical stress off the table. When you’re grieving, the last thing you want to worry about is whether the third car in the procession made the yellow light at 77th Avenue.
Inside, the facilities are... well, they’re polished. It feels like a high-end hotel lobby. This is where that Dignity Memorial branding comes in. They have the "Life Well Celebrated" philosophy, which basically means they’ll try to customize the service to whatever the person liked. If the deceased loved the Cubs, they’ll find a way to work in the blue and red without it feeling tacky. Sorta.
The Cost Factor Nobody Likes Talking About
Let’s be real: Chapel Lawn isn't the cheapest option in Lake County.
Because it’s part of a national network (Service Corporation International, or SCI), the pricing is structured. You’re paying for the convenience, the brand, and the long-term assurance that the grass will be mown in fifty years.
- Pre-planning: They push this hard. You’ve probably received the mailers.
- The "Travel" Benefit: One weirdly cool thing about being part of a giant network is that if you buy a plot at Chapel Lawn and then move to Florida and pass away there, your "plan" can often transfer to another Dignity provider.
- Opening and Closing Fees: These are the "hidden" costs people forget. You buy the plot, but you also pay for the actual digging and filling. At a place this size, those fees are standard but can be a bit of a shock if you haven't looked at a price list lately.
Understanding the Cremation Shift
Even though it’s called a "Memorial Garden," a massive chunk of what they do now involves cremation. The old-school idea that cremation means you just keep an urn on a mantle is dead.
At Chapel Lawn, they have columbariums (those walls with niches for urns) and cremation benches. They’ve even got "scattering gardens." If you want to be cremated but still want a "place" for people to visit, they’ve built out the infrastructure for that. It’s a bit more modern than the sprawling fields of marble you see in the older sections of the property.
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The staff there—people like the funeral directors who’ve been there for decades—actually have to be part-event planners. It’s not just about the casket anymore; it’s about the catering. Yes, they can do food. In 2026, the "funeral lunch" is happening more and more inside the funeral home itself rather than at a separate banquet hall.
The Veterans Section: A Deeply Specific Service
If you’re looking into Chapel Lawn Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens for a veteran, there’s a nuance you should know. The Garden of Honor isn't just a name. They work closely with local VFW posts and the American Legion.
There’s a specific protocol.
The military honors usually happen right at the shelter or the graveside. If you’ve never heard Taps played live across an open field, it’s... it’s something else. It lingers. The funeral home handles the paperwork for the government-provided headstone, which is a massive relief because federal bureaucracy is the last thing anyone wants to deal with while mourning.
Common Misconceptions
People think once you buy a plot, you own the land. You don't. You own the "interment rights." Basically, you own the right to be buried there. The cemetery retains the land and handles the perpetual care. At Chapel Lawn, they have a dedicated fund for this, which is why the hedges are always trimmed and the paths are clear even after a Lake Michigan blizzard.
Another thing? The "vault" requirement. Lake County soil can be wet and heavy. Chapel Lawn, like most modern cemeteries, requires an outer burial container (a vault). This prevents the ground from sinking over time. It’s an extra cost, but it’s why the cemetery doesn’t look like a series of hills and valleys after twenty years.
The Atmosphere: Peace vs. Corporate Scale
If you go there on a Tuesday afternoon, it’s incredibly still. You’ll see people sitting on benches, some families tending to flowers (check their floral policy first, they’re strict about what you can leave behind), and the occasional deer wandering out from the wooded edges.
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It feels permanent.
But you have to be okay with the "corporate" side of it. There are forms for everything. There are procedures for everything. It’s a well-oiled machine. For some, that feels cold. For others, it’s a massive comfort to know that the person across the desk has a checklist for the 400 things that need to happen in the next 72 hours.
Practical Steps for Dealing with Chapel Lawn
If you’re currently in the position of needing to use their services, or if you’re just trying to be a "responsible adult" and pre-plan, here’s how to handle it without getting overwhelmed.
1. Don't buy the first thing you see. The property is huge. Ask to see different sections. The price of a plot can vary wildly depending on whether it’s under a tree, near a water feature, or in a more standard flat-marker section.
2. Get a General Price List (GPL). By law, they have to give you this. It’s a line-item breakdown of every single cost. Take it home. Read it. Don’t feel pressured to sign the "package" deal immediately if there are things in it you don’t need.
3. Check the "Rules and Regulations" book. Every cemetery has one. It tells you exactly what kind of flowers you can leave, what kind of monuments are allowed, and when you can visit. Chapel Lawn is pretty standard, but they do "clean-ups" several times a year where they remove all decorations. If you leave something sentimental right before a scheduled clean-up, it’s gone.
4. Consider the "Perpetual Care" aspect. When comparing Chapel Lawn to a smaller, perhaps cheaper cemetery, ask about their endowment fund. You want to make sure the place looks just as good in 2126 as it does in 2026. Because of its size and backing, this is usually one of Chapel Lawn's strongest selling points.
The reality of Chapel Lawn Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens is that it’s a landmark of Schererville for a reason. It’s a massive, professional, and meticulously kept final resting place that trades a bit of intimacy for a whole lot of reliability. Whether that’s the right fit depends entirely on whether you value that "machine-like" efficiency during a time when your own world feels like it’s falling apart.
Take a drive through the grounds before you ever need to make a phone call. See if the "vibe" fits your family. Walk through the Garden of Honor or the cremation niches. It’s a lot easier to make a rational decision when you aren't crying in a consultation room. Most people realize that once they see the scale of the place, the choice becomes a lot clearer.