Search Obituaries by Name
Enter a first name, last name, and state to prepare an obituary, death record, memorial, and public record lookup.
Asheville & Arden, North Carolina obituary and family-action guide
Find Groce Funeral Home Obituaries and Use the Correct Asheville-Area Location
The official Groce Funeral Home obituaries directory covers Groce Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Western North Carolina. Its searchable archive lets you search by keyword, first name, last name, city, birth year and death year, then open the person’s full obituary for service details, maps, guestbook activity and memorial tools.
There is an important 2026 change: Groce’s former East Asheville location at 856 Tunnel Road ceased operation June 1, 2026. Groce now routes current arrangements and future services through its West Asheville and Lake Julian locations. This guide explains that transition, obituary searching, event-address verification, burial, cremation, aquamation, current price information, death certificates, Buncombe County probate, Social Security, Veteran benefits, grief support and preplanning.
Immediate answer
Groce Funeral Home Obituaries: Start Here
Do not automatically navigate to Patton Avenue or Long Shoals Road. Open the individual obituary and find the exact Services block. A church, cemetery, school, chapel or other venue may be different from the Groce location assisting the family.
Important 2026 correction
Groce East Asheville / Tunnel Road Closed June 1, 2026
Asheville, NC 28805
Groce’s official East Asheville page says the location ceased operation effective June 1, 2026.
New arrangements and future services are handled through the two active Groce locations.
Groce says staff members from Tunnel Road continued with the organization.
Groce says the physical pre-need files from Tunnel Road were moved to West Asheville and those arrangements remain secure. Groce says it will honor them at either active location or help transfer them to another funeral establishment.
If you previously planned at Tunnel Road
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Do not assume the plan was cancelled
Groce specifically says existing pre-need arrangements remain in place.
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Call West Asheville or Lake Julian
Ask staff to locate and review the existing plan.
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Confirm where future services should occur
You may want West Asheville, Lake Julian or transfer to another provider.
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Request written confirmation of changes
If anything about the plan is updated, keep the revised documentation with the original contract.
Historical obituaries, old website sections and Groce’s January 1, 2026 General Price List were created before the June closure. Those documents can legitimately contain 856 Tunnel Road even though the location is no longer operating for current arrangements.
Read the June 1 transition notice → verify what happens to existing pre-need plans → note that West Asheville and Lake Julian are the continuing locations → call one of those active locations if your family previously used Tunnel Road.
Official obituary search
How to Find a Groce Funeral Home Obituary Step by Step
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Open Groce’s current obituary directory
Begin with Groce’s own database when you need family-approved service information.
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Start with first and last name
Use the dedicated First Name and Last Name fields rather than typing a long query into a general search engine.
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Add city when needed
The City field can help distinguish people with similar names in Western North Carolina.
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Use birth or death year for older memorials
Groce provides separate year filters that can make historical searches much faster.
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Open “View Full Obituary”
The result card is only a preview. Open the individual memorial before relying on service details.
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Verify the correct person
Compare life dates, birthplace/residence and family information.
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Scroll to “Services”
Check each event individually. Groce memorials may display the venue, room, date, time, phone, map and calendar options.
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Identify the funeral home assisting the family
This tells you whether West Asheville or Lake Julian is handling arrangements, but it does not necessarily tell you where the public funeral is being held.
Enter first/last name → add city or year only if needed → select View Full Obituary → scroll to Services → confirm funeral-home-assisting information and each event address separately.
Live-directory verification
Recent Groce Obituaries Visible During This Review
Groce’s official current-obituary directory was actively publishing 2026 memorials during the August 25 review. Examples visible in the live feed included:
Groce can publish another memorial after this article is updated. Use the live official feed for the newest death notice or service announcement.
Subscribe to new Groce obituaries
- Open Groce’s obituary archive.
- Scroll to Subscribe to our Obituaries.
- Enter your email address.
- Submit the subscription.
- Keep any confirmation email.
Historical obituary research
Groce Has a Deep Searchable Obituary Archive
Groce’s obituary system is not limited to current services. Its archive is extensively paginated and contains older memorials going back many years, making it useful for family history, genealogy and locating older service records.
When you know the person’s name
- Search full name.
- Try surname only if needed.
- Add city.
- Add death year.
- Open the full obituary.
When the name is uncertain
- Use keyword search.
- Try a known family surname.
- Use city/community.
- Use approximate birth/death year.
- Compare candidate memorial details.
An older obituary can help identify parents, spouses, siblings, churches, cemeteries and community connections, but treat those statements as family-approved memorial information—not as a substitute for certified vital records.
A historical Groce memorial may show Tunnel Road, an older chapel, church or cemetery. Do not use a historical event address as today’s Groce contact location.
Individual obituary tools
What You Can Find on a Groce Memorial Page
If a service is not shown, that does not necessarily mean there will be no service. Groce’s obituary directory specifically says to contact the funeral home when the information being sought is not listed.
Avoid the wrong destination
“Groce Funeral Home Is Assisting” Does Not Always Mean the Funeral Is at Groce
Ava Michelle Manley’s memorial identified Groce’s Lake Julian team as assisting the family, while the public funeral and visitation were held at Biltmore Church’s Arden campus at 35 Clayton Road.
Dr. Lucian Candler Rice Jr.’s Celebration of Life was scheduled at Chatlos Memorial Chapel at The Cove, while Groce’s Lake Julian team assisted the family. The memorial also included parking/shuttle guidance.
Current active locations
Groce Funeral Home West Asheville and Lake Julian
West Asheville
1401 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28806
Phone: (828) 252-3535
Office hours:
Mon-Sat: 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Sun: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Groce says telephone assistance is available 24/7/365.
Lake Julian
72 Long Shoals Road
Arden, NC 28704
Phone: (828) 687-3530
Office hours:
Mon-Sat: 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Sun: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Groce says telephone assistance is available 24/7/365.
Confirm whether you need Lake Julian or West Asheville → check the posted office hours → use the individual obituary rather than the general location page when you are attending a specific service.
A death has occurred
Use Groce’s Immediate-Need Route When Someone Has Died or Hospice Says to Call
Groce’s homepage separates planning into two clear routes: Immediate Need when someone has died or is expected to die soon, and Advance Need when services will not be required for at least 30 days.
Immediate Need
Use this when a death has occurred, death is expected soon, or hospice has instructed the family to contact the funeral home.
Advance Need
Use preplanning when services are not expected for at least 30 days and you are making future arrangements for yourself or another person.
If hospice has already told you to contact the funeral home, call the Groce location you intend to use rather than starting with an online obituary form. The obituary comes later; transportation and care arrangements come first.
Prepare before the conference
Information Groce’s Planning Forms Ask Families to Prepare
Groce’s online pre-need and cremation-planning forms reveal the practical information families may need during arrangements. Preparing the same information ahead of an at-need meeting can reduce repeated calls and spelling errors.
Identity / vital statistics
- Full name.
- Sex.
- Marital status.
- Date of birth.
- Place of birth.
- Residence.
- Occupation.
- Education.
Family information
- Spouse information.
- Father’s full name.
- Mother’s full/maiden name.
- Sons and daughters.
- Grandchildren.
- Siblings.
Funeral / life details
- Physician.
- Church membership.
- Clubs/organizations.
- Veteran status.
- Funeral location.
- Minister/officiant.
- Cemetery.
- Music.
Before the obituary is drafted, have one person verify the legal name, parents’ names, spouse, children, siblings and cemetery. This is especially useful when several relatives are giving information to the funeral director.
Do not put Social Security numbers, insurance account numbers, medical records or private financial details into a shared obituary draft or send them to FuneralHomeObituaries.org.
Disposition choices
Burial, Cremation and Memorialization at Groce
| Choice | What it can include | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional burial | Viewing, visitation, chapel/church service and cemetery burial. | Casket, cemetery, vault/outer container, vehicle and service charges. |
| Graveside service | A ceremony directly at the cemetery. | Cemetery address, grave opening/closing and service setup. |
| Direct cremation | Transfer, basic funeral-home services and cremation without a ceremony. | Container, urn and required permit/medical-examiner charges. |
| Cremation + ceremony | Visitation, body-present service, chapel memorial or graveside ceremony. | Package inclusions and merchandise. |
| Aquamation | Water-based alkaline hydrolysis with memorial choices. | Current package, viewing and final-placement choices. |
Groce’s cremation materials specifically discuss memorialization, viewing and multiple placement choices for cremated remains.
Groce-specific disposition option
Groce Also Offers Aquamation in Greater Asheville
Aquamation is also called alkaline hydrolysis. Groce describes it as a water-based process using approximately 95% water and 5% alkaline solution rather than flame.
Flameless process
The body is placed in a vessel where water circulation, temperature and alkalinity accelerate tissue hydrolysis.
Viewing can still happen
Groce says families may choose a viewing before aquamation, and embalming can still be performed when a public viewing is selected.
Mineral remains returned
After the process, the remaining inorganic bone mineral is dried, processed and returned to the family in a form similar to cremated remains.
Questions to ask before choosing aquamation
- What is included in the current aquamation charge?
- Can we have a private or public viewing first?
- What container is required?
- What urn or final-placement options are available?
- How long should the family expect before remains are returned?
- Are there additional permit or transportation costs?
Read What happens? → review viewing questions → read how the water-based process works → decide whether aquamation fits your family’s preferences → use Groce’s inquiry form or call (828) 252-3535 for current pricing.
Understand what Groce provides
Groce Complimentary and Memorial-Service Features
Audio / visual
Groce describes large-screen televisions, fixed and handheld microphones and recorded-music capability in its facilities.
Photo slideshow
Families can use photographs and audiovisual equipment to create a memorial presentation.
Service recording
Groce’s complimentary-services page says services held in Groce chapels are recorded and a copy is provided to the family.
Technology changes. Ask whether a current service is recorded, livestreamed, delivered digitally or provided in another format rather than assuming the historical DVD description still applies exactly.
Current price transparency
Groce’s Current General Price List Is Effective January 1, 2026
Groce publishes an official General Price List with prices effective January 1, 2026 and notes that prices are subject to change without notice.
The January price list still names the East Asheville/Tunnel Road facility because the PDF predates that location’s June 1, 2026 closure. Use the PDF for its effective-date pricing information, but use Groce’s live Contact/Locations pages for today’s operating locations.
Groce’s current online advance-need cremation examples
The online pre-need cremation planner displayed the following package starting points during the August 2026 review. These are package amounts shown by Groce’s own online planning tool, not a guaranteed final invoice.
Groce’s Traditional Service package includes additional items such as embalming, preparation, facilities/staff for a chapel funeral, evening visitation and stationery that are not included in its basic Cremation Only option.
Examples of additions visible in Groce’s online planner
- Certified death-certificate copies: $10 each.
- Medical Examiner fee when required by the described cremation circumstances: $50.
- Dove release option for the graveside package: $200.
- USPS forwarding of cremated remains: $75.
- Containers and urns vary by selection.
- Newspaper obituary charge is listed as to be determined.
Confirm the effective date → review professional services → preparation/care → facilities/staff → transportation → burial/cremation/aquamation options → merchandise → then ask Groce for a written current quote for your exact arrangement.
Select a package → read every included service → review required container and urn choices → check cash-advance items → review the order summary before providing vital statistics or submitting anything.
Consumer protection
How to Use the FTC Funeral Rule When Comparing Groce Prices
Useful call script
“I am comparing arrangements. Please tell me the current itemized price for [direct cremation / aquamation / immediate burial / visitation and funeral / graveside service], what the basic-services charge includes, and which cemetery, crematory, permit, obituary or other third-party charges are additional.”
Review telephone price rights → GPL requirements → casket and outer-burial-container pricing → direct-cremation container rights → statement of funeral goods/services → compare those protections with Groce’s current GPL.
Planning ahead
Groce Preplanning: Separate Your Wishes From the Funding Decision
Record your wishes
Document burial, cremation or aquamation preference, service style, clergy, cemetery, music and family information.
Review funding options
Groce discusses prepayment as one financial option. Ask exactly what price components are guaranteed and what remains subject to future costs.
Tell the family
A plan is more useful when the person likely to make arrangements knows it exists and knows where copies are stored.
Groce’s online pre-need process
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Enter contact information
Groce asks who is completing the plan and who the planning is for.
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Enter vital information
The planner gathers identity, birth, marital and parent information.
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Add family, work and education information
This can later support death-certificate and obituary preparation.
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Meet with Groce before signing financial documents
Ask about price guarantees, cancellation, transferability and how the funds are protected.
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Keep copies
Store the contract and planning information where a trusted family member can find them.
North Carolina consumer route
How to Verify a Funeral License or Request a Preneed Contract Copy
The North Carolina Board of Funeral Service’s consumer portal provides practical tools for consumers dealing with funeral establishments and preneed contracts. The Board itself explains that it is not a government agency, although North Carolina law governs its work.
License lookup
Verify a funeral establishment or individual license.
Preneed contract copy
Request a PDF copy of a preneed contract.
Recovery claim
Use the Preneed Recovery Fund process when applicable.
Complaint
The portal provides a route for complaints involving a licensee or business.
If your family cannot find the original preneed paperwork, first ask Groce to locate the file transferred from East Asheville. If you still need formal contract documentation or license verification, use the NC Board consumer tools.
Select Request Copy of Preneed Contract, Look up License, File Preneed Recovery Claim or Licensee or Business Complaint → use only the form/lookup matching your problem → save submitted documents.
What comes after arrangements
A Practical Asheville After-Death Task Order
Some institutions will require letters testamentary, letters of administration or other estate documentation before allowing another person to act.
Buncombe County vital records
How to Get a Certified Death Certificate in Buncombe County
Buncombe County Register of Deeds
205 College Street
Asheville, NC 28801
Vital Records: (828) 250-4300
Hours:
Monday-Friday
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Current county price
Certified death certificate: $10 each.
Uncertified copy: $0.25 each.
For in-person certified copies, bring valid photo identification and payment.
Who can obtain a certified copy?
Buncombe County says certified vital records may be issued to the immediate family members identified by the county, an authorized agent or a legal representative. Public-record access and certified-copy eligibility are not the same thing.
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Confirm Buncombe County is the correct record source
Use the county where the death was recorded for the county route.
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Choose in-person, mail or online
Buncombe provides all three routes.
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Prepare the deceased person’s information
The online request asks for the full legal name and date of death.
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Identify your relationship
The online service asks how you are related to the person named on the record.
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Pay the current certificate fee
The county lists $10 per certified death certificate.
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Save confirmation
Keep the online or mailed-request documentation until the record arrives.
The county FAQ says online certificate purchases are generally processed within two business days when all required information, valid ID and payment are provided.
Choose In-Office, By Mail or Online → review certified-copy eligibility → prepare valid ID → check the $10 fee → if mailing, include the request form, ID copy, payment and a stamped self-addressed envelope.
Buncombe County probate
How to Start an Estate After a Groce Funeral
Buncombe County Courthouse
60 Court Plaza
Asheville, NC 28801
Clerk of Superior Court: (828) 259-3400
Hours:
Monday-Friday
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Prepare before contacting the clerk
- Original will if one exists.
- Certified death certificate.
- Preliminary list of assets.
- Names of heirs/devisees.
- Basic information about debts.
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Find the original will
Check safes, files, the attorney and prior clerk safe-keeping arrangements when applicable.
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Obtain a certified death certificate
NC Courts identifies this as the standard formal proof of death in the probate process.
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Identify assets
Create a preliminary list but remember that some financial information may require court-issued authority before an institution will release it.
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Confirm the correct county
A North Carolina resident’s estate may generally be administered in the county where the person was domiciled at death.
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Check whether a simplified procedure applies
North Carolina has collection-by-affidavit, summary-administration and other options for some estates.
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Contact the Clerk of Superior Court
Ask what filing process applies before completing the wrong set of forms.
NC Courts currently provides Guide & File tools for certain probate matters including Year’s Allowance, Summary Administration and Small Estate Administration.
NC Courts currently identifies the original will if one exists, certified death certificate, application/preliminary inventory and a $120 filing fee when formally beginning full estate administration.
The will becomes legally important through the probate process rather than through a ceremonial family reading.
Read Filing → identify probate vs non-probate assets → confirm the proper county → review small-estate options → use Guide & File when eligible → contact Buncombe Clerk at (828) 259-3400 when the procedure is unclear.
Unexpected / reportable deaths
When the North Carolina Medical Examiner Is Involved
You still select the funeral home
When the medical examiner has custody, the family can still choose Groce. The funeral provider coordinates release and transportation after the examination.
Viewing is not at OCME
North Carolina OCME says its facility does not provide family viewing; viewing can be arranged with the funeral provider after release.
Cause can initially be “pending”
Toxicology or other testing can take months. A supplemental death certificate can later update the final cause/manner.
Use vital records
Certified death-certificate copies come through the county Register of Deeds or NC Vital Records, not the OCME office.
Provide any case information you were given so the funeral director can coordinate release and determine whether permit or timing issues affect cremation/aquamation arrangements.
Military funeral benefits
Groce Veteran Services and Current VA Burial Benefits
Groce publishes a dedicated Veteran-benefits page and has documented services involving military honors and burial at the Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery.
Bring the DD-214
Groce’s Veteran guidance identifies discharge documentation as a key record for benefit processing.
Military honors
Tell the funeral director about Veteran status early so honors can be coordinated with the appropriate military/Veteran organizations.
Burial benefits
VA may provide burial allowance, plot/interment benefits, transportation reimbursement, cemetery eligibility and memorial items depending on eligibility.
For qualifying non-service-connected deaths on or after October 1, 2025, VA currently lists a $1,002 burial allowance and a $1,002 plot allowance under the applicable eligibility rules.
Prepare for a VA claim
- Death certificate.
- DD-214 or other discharge documents.
- Paid funeral/cemetery receipts.
- Transportation receipts if claiming transportation costs.
- Funeral-home statement of account when requested.
Eligibility, claimant relationship, service history, place of death and timing can affect benefits. Use VA’s live rules for the claim rather than assuming an amount from a funeral-home page.
Check eligibility → review filing deadlines → gather death/discharge/receipt evidence → choose the online application or current VA Form 21P-530EZ → keep the submission confirmation.
Review the records Groce says to prepare → tell the funeral director the deceased was a Veteran → coordinate honors/cemetery plans → use VA.gov for current federal eligibility and payment rules.
Aftercare
Groce Grief Support Resources
Groce maintains a grief-resource directory rather than ending support at the funeral service. Its page includes general grief resources plus specialized support for parents and families experiencing infant or child loss.
General grief resources listed by Groce
- AARP Grief & Loss.
- National Funeral Directors Association grief information.
- Growth House.
- Well Spouse.
- Griefwords by Dr. Alan Wolfelt.
Parent / child-loss resources
- Bereaved Parents USA.
- The Compassionate Friends.
- SHARE Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support.
- SIDS/infant-loss resources.
A bereaved spouse, parent after infant loss and adult child handling a parent’s estate may need very different forms of support. Groce’s resource page is useful because it separates several of those needs.
Identify whether you need general bereavement, caregiver/spouse support or child/infant-loss support → open the organization that matches the situation → check whether it offers local, online, group or one-to-one support.
Local funeral-home identity
Groce Has Served Western North Carolina Since 1929
Groce Funeral Home says it was founded in 1929 by sons of the Reverend T.A. Groce, a Methodist circuit-riding minister who traveled the mountains of Western North Carolina.
W.H. “Bill” Groce, Jr.
Co-Owner / Funeral Director. Groce says he previously served on the North Carolina funeral-service regulatory board and participated in consumer-protection work involving prepaid funeral arrangements.
Scott Groce
Co-Owner / Funeral Director. Fourth-generation member of the Groce family and full-time staff member since 2004.
Trey Groce
Co-Owner / Funeral Director. Fourth-generation owner, manager and operator.
Dale Groce
Former Owner / Retired Funeral Director. Groce says Dale and his wife retired in 2024.
Greg Gillespie
Funeral Director. Long-time Western North Carolina resident and U.S. Air Force Veteran who has worked primarily with the Lake Julian location.
Lio St.Onge
Funeral Director. Groce’s current staff page says Lio joined the funeral home in 2025.
Use it to verify current names and roles → if you specifically need license verification, use the North Carolina Board of Funeral Service consumer license lookup rather than relying solely on a biography.
Current location map
Groce West Asheville Map + Lake Julian Directions
West Asheville
1401 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28806
Phone: (828) 252-3535
Lake Julian
72 Long Shoals Road
Arden, NC 28704
Phone: (828) 687-3530
Open West Asheville in Google Maps
Use this location map only when the obituary specifically lists Groce West Asheville. Otherwise use the address attached to the event on the memorial page.
Actionable official resources
Groce, Buncombe County, North Carolina and Federal Sources
Current Obituaries
Use when: finding a current or older memorial.
Current Locations
Use when: confirming today’s West Asheville or Lake Julian address.
East Asheville Transition
Use when: you previously used 856 Tunnel Road or have a pre-need file there.
2026 General Price List
Use when: comparing professional service, preparation, facility, transportation and disposition charges.
Aquamation
Use when: comparing water-based alkaline hydrolysis with flame cremation.
Grief Resources
Use when: seeking bereavement organizations or specialized parent-loss resources.
Death Certificates
Use when: ordering a certified Buncombe County death record.
Estates
Use when: probate, estate administration or small-estate procedure.
Buncombe Courthouse
Use when: confirming courthouse address, hours and Clerk contact.
Funeral Service Consumer Portal
Use when: license verification, preneed contract copy, recovery claim or complaint.
Social Security
Use when: death reporting, lump-sum death payment or survivor benefits.
VA Burial Allowance
Use when: checking funeral, burial, plot or transportation reimbursement.
FTC Funeral Rule
Use when: comparing funeral prices and required disclosures.
Direct answers
15 FAQs About Groce Funeral Home Obituaries
1. Where can I search official Groce Funeral Home obituaries?
Use Groce Funeral Home’s official current-obituary directory at grocefuneralhome.com/current-obituaries/. The search includes keyword, first name, last name, city, birth year and death year fields.
2. What are Groce Funeral Home’s active locations in 2026?
Groce’s current active locations are West Asheville at 1401 Patton Avenue and Lake Julian at 72 Long Shoals Road in Arden.
3. Is Groce Funeral Home on Tunnel Road still open?
No. Groce announced that its East Asheville location at 856 Tunnel Road ceased operation effective June 1, 2026. Current arrangements and future services transitioned to West Asheville and Lake Julian.
4. What happened to East Asheville pre-need plans?
Groce says the plans remain secure and valid. Physical files were moved to West Asheville, and the arrangements can be honored at either active Groce location or transferred to another funeral establishment.
5. What is Groce West Asheville’s phone number?
West Asheville’s current telephone number is (828) 252-3535.
6. What is Groce Lake Julian’s phone number?
Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian can be reached at (828) 687-3530.
7. Are all Groce funerals held at a Groce funeral home?
No. An obituary may identify Groce as the funeral home assisting the family while the public service is held at a church, school, cemetery or other venue. Use the address inside the individual Services block.
8. Does Groce have older archived obituaries?
Yes. Groce’s searchable archive is extensively paginated and contains many years of historical memorials. Search by name, city, keyword or year.
9. Does Groce offer aquamation?
Yes. Groce offers aquamation, also known as alkaline hydrolysis, as a water-based alternative to flame cremation.
10. Is there a current Groce General Price List?
Yes. Groce publishes a General Price List with prices effective January 1, 2026 and states that prices are subject to change without notice.
11. How much does Groce’s online basic pre-need cremation package show?
During the August 2026 review, Groce’s online advance-need cremation planner displayed its Cremation Only package at $3,065 before required container and urn choices and applicable additions.
12. How much is a Buncombe County certified death certificate?
Buncombe County currently lists certified death certificates at $10 each. The Register of Deeds offers in-person, mail and online request routes.
13. Where do I start probate in Buncombe County?
Estate administration is handled primarily by the appropriate Clerk of Superior Court. Buncombe County Courthouse is at 60 Court Plaza in Asheville, and the Clerk’s main number is (828) 259-3400.
14. Does Groce help Veteran families?
Yes. Groce publishes Veteran-benefit information and can coordinate funeral-related Veteran arrangements. Federal eligibility and benefit amounts should still be checked directly with VA.
15. Does Groce provide grief resources?
Yes. Groce maintains a grief-resource page with general bereavement organizations and specialized resources for parents, spouses, caregivers and families dealing with infant or child loss.
Federal benefits
Social Security After a Death
Funeral homes generally notify SSA
SSA says funeral homes usually report a death when they are involved.
Call Social Security
Use 1-800-772-1213 and be prepared with the deceased person’s identifying information.
$255 death payment
A qualifying spouse or, in some circumstances, qualifying child may be eligible.
Survivor benefits
Spouses, former spouses, children and certain dependent parents may qualify depending on federal rules.
Micro-step
Read How to report a death → check the $255 lump-sum death payment → review monthly survivor benefits → follow SSA’s current application instructions rather than relying only on an older funeral-home handout.