Our History

Gary Deiters started in the funeral business 30 years ago serving people of all faiths and beliefs. In 1989 when he first started, cremation was chosen by less than five percent of the families he served. In 1991 when he became the manager of Graceland/Fairlawn Funeral Home and Cemeteries in Decatur, he also became a Certified Crematory Operator. In 1999 he started his own funeral home in Washington and in 2005 he added a second location in East Peoria. In January of 2009, a crematory was added to that operation. Gary started and operated the only family owned funeral home in the area with its own crematory on site. Although this type of operation has its benefits, the cost of operation is expensive.

In 2017, Gary sold the operation in Washington and continues to operate Gary Deiters Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc. in East Peoria.

Cremation Specialist is the next generation of service to the families that choose cremation. Over the years as more families have chosen cremation, many of their needs and desires have changed. In today’s mobile society, many families are dispersed and need an electronic form of communication with the ability to make choices at a time that is convenient and comfortable for them. We developed this company to meet your needs when it comes to finding a low-cost cremation provider, but in addition to that, a provider that doesn’t cut corners and has created a more efficient way of providing simple cremations.

We stand behind our reputation and will continue to serve our community with the values instilled by our funeral directors.

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