City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation

Obituary
Brett Aten, Jr.

Wendell, North Carolina

Age 40.
Died 02/18/2025.

Brett Aten, Jr.
If you are reading this, you were brought here by love. A love so expansive, that you feel it in the deep parts of your soul. A love that you have for Brett Aten Jr. Knowing Brett meant you were not his friend, you were more important than that to him, you were his family. The second born son of Teresa and Brett Aten, Brett Young Aten Jr was also the husband and soul mate of Amanda Aten (Peacock). Together for 25 years, they are the definition of unconditional, infinite love. Their love is eternally unbreakable, and though he is no longer here in the physical sense, their love will endure forever and could never diminish. Brett was a loving father to his only child, his pride and joy, his son that he had the honor of passing his namesake on to; Brett Young Aten III. Brett beamed with joy being the father to Brett III, and was always, and forever will be, so very proud of the amazing young man he had the privilege to help raise. Brett was also brother to Jay IV and Jonathan Aten, an uncle to Esmeralda, Jay V and Amelia, and a new grandpa to a gorgeous baby girl he never got to meet, Emalynn Verena Aten. Emalynn will know the amazing man her grandfather was through stories, photos and family; his memory and legacy will never fade, it is simply too strong to.

Brett Young Aten Jr was the kindest, funniest, most generous and genuine man that existed. He passed unexpectedly on 2-19-25 and it has devastated everyone that knew him. He was only 40, so young, but so wise. If you ever needed anything, the shirt off his back would be yours. At the drop of a hat, he'd be there. He was generous even in death, being an organ donor; he was able to gift a second chance to several others in need. He loved to laugh, tell corny dad jokes, love on his family and friends, play and watch hockey and football, and he absolutely loved music and cars. He took great pride in his work and could fix and remodel anything. But he was also more than that; he was a shining light for everyone he met.

In lieu of flowers, the family has set up a Go Fund Me account to help with his final expenses and to support his widow Amanda and son Brett III through navigating his loss. If you can find it in your heart to donate to this cause, please know the Aten family (immediate and extended) will be forever grateful for your generosity. If you can't right now, please share this link to spread the word to help the Aten family keep his memory burning as bright as his smile was.

https://gofund.me/468c3957

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

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Direct Cremation

$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.

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Cremation with Solidified Remains

$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.

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Cremation with Visitation

$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.

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Immediate Burial

$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.

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Traditional Funeral

$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.

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Green Burial

$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.

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Aquamation

$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.

City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremations