City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Ellen Cash Thornton
Raleigh, North Carolina
Age 88.
Died 09/13/2024.
A native of Durham County, NC, Ellen was the eleventh and final child of the late Jesse Tyrus and Mafie Lea Mangum Cash. She enjoyed being the baby of her family, diligently looked after by her eight brothers, who affectionately called her Miss Ellen and preceded her to Heaven: Benjamin Tyrus, Fred Green, Jesse Russell, Calvin Alexander, James Dallas, Charles Edward, Thomas S, and Troy Mangum Cash. She has also been reunited with her two beloved sisters, Gladys Elizabeth Cash and Katie Cash Duke Rose.
After raising her own three children, she was the long-term nanny of around a dozen amazing children that she sheltered, taught, and guided with a gentle hand and a loving heart. She was also a motherly figure to her thirty nieces and nephews, who came to love her sweet, doting nature and attentiveness just as much as her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren did. When Ellen wasn’t caring for her many loved ones, she acted on her love for nature and flowers, holding fast to her belief that even the smallest sparrow and bloom is sheltered by the hand of the Lord.
She is survived by her three children, William Thornton (Caroline), Dwight Thornton (Sue), and Joy Barwick (Stuart), as well as her five grandchildren, Michael Thornton (Danielle), Jessi Mitchell (Tobie), Mary Arenas (Chris), Kasey Thornton, and Ian Barwick. She will also be missed by her four great-grandchildren, Macon Mitchell, Ethan Thornton, Emily Thornton, and Holly Arenas.
The family would like to thank her amazing caregivers—Latesha Coley, Winnie Okinyi, and Prisca Ogachi—as well as the firemen of Raleigh Fire Department Engine 28 down the road from her home, who offered their friendship and care to Ellen and her family in both good and difficult times.
Ellen Thornton was a supporter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Disabled Veterans of America, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and the Loeys-Dietz Syndrome Foundation. In lieu of flowers, we welcome you to send donations to the organization of your choice in her honor as you feel led.
Per her wishes, a visitation will be held from 2-3pm on Saturday, September 21st at Ellis Chapel United Methodist Church (2516 Levi Lane, Bahama, NC, 27503) before a short graveside service where we will celebrate the home-going of this amazing servant of Christ.
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.