DeFiore Jorgensen Helps Families Add Personal Touches to Services

DeFiore Jorgensen Funeral & Cremation Services

The man was the ultimate Chicago Cubs fan and his family asked Carol DeFiore and William Jorgensen whether they could do something for his funeral to reflect his passion for the Cubs.

The family asked if his obituary could include a request for everyone attending to wear Cubs gear.

“It was a sea of blue and red,” DeFiore said. “It was awesome.”

, 10763 Dundee Road, Huntley, also hosted a recent funeral with sweets tables. The deceased was known for his sweet tooth so the family brought in cookies, brownies and other sweets.

“It was a reflection of who he was,” DeFiore said. “It brought comfort to them.”

Funerals are changing with families choosing to add more personal touches rather than having strictly traditional services, she said. The funeral home, which celebrated its second anniversary last month, works with families to meet families’ needs.

DeFiore and Jorgensen have been funeral directors for more than 20 years. The business partners, who’ve been friends for years, were drawn to Huntley after DeFiore’s parents moved to Sun City Huntley four years ago.

DeFiore pitched the business idea to Jorgensen. It took another two years for the building to be approved and constructed. It was a process the two were involved with closely. DeFiore would bring cookies to the site and got the nickname “Cupcake.”

Sitting in an office at the funeral home, DeFiore said she has to pinch herself sometimes because it’s everything she dreamed it would be.

“We are happy to be here, we feel very much part of the community,” DeFiore said. “It’s important to us to be part of the community. We really believe in Huntley. It’s our home.”

Both DeFiore and Jorgensen direct funerals embalm and do crematory services but each have their own strengths. Jorgensen handles the business side while DeFiore is the creative one. She tries different ideas to make funerals personal. She puts together videos of family photos to show at services for the families. The video provides comfort and healing to families, she said.

She and Jorgensen have keep their minds open to what families want to try.

“It’s one of those things, it’s definitely not for everyone,” she said, of the more creative funerals. But with all funerals, she “feels so blessed that people allow me into their life at a terrible time, not every gets to do that.”

DeFiore Jorgensen also keeps touch with the families they serve. The funeral home has a Christmas program and has a Celebrate Life Concert coming up June 30. The concert will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Admission is a canned foot item to donate to the Grafton Food Pantry.