City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Christopher Iannello
Raleigh, North Carolina
Age 52.
Died 09/29/2024.
A life-long, devoted Bills fan, Chris was born in Buffalo, NY on January 26, 1972 to Francis (Frank) and Sue Iannello. He grew up in Orchard Park, NY and was an outstanding, record-setting volleyball player at Hamburg Highschool. He went on to graduate from Hilbert College with a degree in Business.
In 1999, he met the love of his life, Early Lynn Easley, during the Great Guinness Toast (an annual worldwide event that happens on the third Friday of February) at Tir Na Nog in downtown Raleigh. They were married for 23 amazing years and have 4 incredible children: Aidan (21), Pierce (19), Jonah (17) and Viktoria (13).
In addition to being survived by his parents, wife, and children, Chris leaves behind two younger brothers, Jacob Iannello and Nicholas Iannello (Jennifer); two nieces, Devyn Lister and Olivia Iannello; and two nephews, Finley & Nolan Iannello.
Chris had a very successful career – becoming the top performing Account Specialist in the nation at Merck, where he was the Rare Disease Account Specialist for the Raleigh territory. He also served on their Leader Listen Group, which is made up of select account specialists who share feedback directly to the VP of the Rare Disease Business Unit. Chris was well-respected and highly thought-of at Merck, known for proactively reaching out to support teammates and colleagues. He was always the first to volunteer and championed a positive “can do” attitude.
Never one to sit still, Chris enjoyed cycling and was also an avid boater. He also loved spending time with all his children 4-wheeling on their ATVs. Chris was very involved in all aspects of his community, whether in his neighborhood or at his church. The past few years, he and Early have been active members of Church Alive in Fuquay Varina, encouraging their family, friends, and neighbors to seek the glory of God. Chris enjoyed his time as a Band of Brothers Ministry member – a brotherhood focused on Christ with a desire to leave a legacy of eternal meaning.
Chris was well known for being funny, quick-witted, reliable, and simply a kind, loving, and giving man. He was always willing to step up and help out anyone in need. He had a habitual tendency to offer a joke, hug, or kind words of encouragement to others. Chris will forever be remembered for his unconditional love, strength of spirit, and unending generosity, but most importantly, he will be remembered for his devout faith in God everlasting. We know he has taken up residence in Heaven to convert as many souls as he can to become Bills and Tragically Hip fans. We will surely all hear a great roar from above when the Bills win their next game.
The family would like to thank the nurses and medical staff at UNC Chapel Hill for their dedication and support during such a difficult time.
There will be a visitation at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 3rd and a celebration of life service at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 4th. Both events will be held at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in downtown Raleigh. Friends are welcome to bring a printed photo of Chris that they would like to add to a photo collage that will be set up in the foyer of the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family would like friends to consider making a donation to help their children’s educational dreams come true. To make a contribution, visit https://gift.my529.org/N1FGPC.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.