Waltrip Funeral Directors

Traditional burials and cremations

For 50-plus years, our commitment to our community has remained unchanged, yet our funeral home has always responded to the changing needs of families. Though much of our experience is in conducting traditional funeral services for all cultures and backgrounds, we recognize that more families choose cremation. If your family is interested in a witness cremation—also known as cremation viewing—we can help arrange that.

Grand space and the Waltrip Chapel

Your comfort is top of mind for us. Many of our guests remark on the grandness of our building and the immaculate landscaping, which make it a special place for families to plan a funeral. Waltrip Funeral Directors offers spacious staterooms and a large funeral home chapel. Our building is wheelchair accessible for guests who are elderly or physically challenged.

The building has a welcoming atrium filled with natural light and a fountain. Families like to gather here for friendly conversations before going into the chapel. The atrium is ideal for evening visitations and makes a beautiful backdrop for a gathering.

The Waltrip Chapel is the largest chapel in the area. Decorated in cream and gold, with architecture influenced heavily by Puritan elements, it seats up to 225 people. There are 2 staterooms for visitations or intimate memorial services. Each stateroom has a separate lobby from the chapel, which gives these areas their own distinct feel.

Receptions and catering

Our staff focuses on creating a comfortable environment for family and friends to gather and support one another, and for most people food is comfort. You can work directly with our caterer in selecting from various choices of cuisine. Though we do have set menus to choose from, you are not limited to those menus. Whatever you'd like, from French pastries and coffee to Italian pasta and wine, we'll do our best to make sure you enjoy it. And we always pay attention to the details—right down to the forks and plates.

Personalized funerals

Waltrip Funeral Directors focuses on creating a memorial service that honors your loved one’s legacy. Many people aren’t aware of all the ways a funeral can be customized. Our staff listens to your family and presents ideas that reflect your loved one’s life. Maybe we play rock-and-roll music while friends recall fun memories, or perhaps you bring in boxes of costume jewelry for guests to take home.

Our Celebration of Life^® ceremonies take the idea of personalization a step further. After discovering you or your loved one's interests and hobbies, a funeral celebrant designs a festive, party-like event around those passions. We truly celebrate life like no other.

We honor veterans

Proud supporters of the U.S. armed forces, we understand the unique needs of America’s veterans and their families and have conducted many military funerals. As a Level One Founding Community Partner with We Honor Veterans, our staff is knowledgeable in the benefits available to veterans and their families. 

Waltrip Funeral Directors works closely with VFW Post 8790 and the local American Legion. We are experienced at notifying and arranging an honor guard. We routinely connect with active-duty military to conduct ceremonial flag folding, playing of "Taps" or the firing of volley shots as a salute. With respect, integrity and dignity, we will walk you through the steps of creating a veteran's memorial service that truly honors the life and sacrifice of your loved one.

Lyndon Howell of the VFW said this about Waltrip Funeral Directors: “They’ve been very good. We’ve had a couple of veterans who were homeless, and through Waltrip Funeral Directors we were able to have a service and internment. We work together very well.”

Community involvement

We’re proud to support the close-knit Spring Branch community. We are very engaged with our Brookdale Senior Living Communities. We regularly attend community events, promoting area festivals and initiatives to support our neighbors. 

Each holiday season, Waltrip Funeral Directors also participates in a community favorite, Christmas in the Park. As a member of Spring Branch Ministry Partners, we participate in presenting the Biblical story of Christmas. The event is filled with dramatic presentations by actors, choirs, crafts, cookies and even donkey rides. This elaborate event is held on the second Sunday in December at Spring Valley Village Park, and draws thousands of attendees. 

In addition, we celebrate the Easter season with our annual Easter Sunrise Services bringing our entire community together in a multi-denominational gathering. 

History

Robert L. Waltrip founded our funeral home in 1962, after recognizing the needs of the expanding community of Spring Branch. The Houston business leader later founded Service Corporation International (SCI), the largest network of funeral, burial, cremation and cemetery service providers in North America.

Before 1962, Robert assumed funeral director duties at Heights Funeral Home, which had been established by his grandmother, Mrs. S.P. Waltrip, and his father, Robert E. Waltrip. Using what he learned there, Robert carried on the tradition of providing families with exceptional funeral care.

Over all these years, we've continually renovated our building and grounds at Waltrip Funeral Directors, so modern families would be exceptionally comfortable here. We'll continue to find new ways to make our funeral home welcoming, inviting and updated for generations to come.

J.D. Power President’s Award

Since 1962, we’ve fulfilled the direction set by our founder Robert E. Waltrip: Treat people well and remember their needs. We consider the Spring Branch community an extension of our family, and this focus has instilled a trust that causes families to return to Waltrip Funeral Directors. When a family comes back to us, we know we've done a good thing, and that's rewarding.

In 2016, J.D. Power and Associates presented Dignity Memorial® affiliates with its President’s Award in appreciation and recognition of its commitment to excellence in customer satisfaction. The J.D. Power surveys showed that “97% of respondents would recommend us for funeral services.”

When Mr. Waltrip and SCI Chairman & CEO Thomas L. Ryan accepted the award, he did it right here at Waltrip Funeral Directors.