COVID-19 Information

• Face coverings will be required inside the funeral home; this is for visitors and staff.  
• Health screenings for all who enter  
  
• Temperature check 
• Have you been feeling sick/coughing 
• Is anyone in your home feeling sick 
• Have you been exposed to someone with Covid-19  

• If screening is passed, an arm band will be issued 
• If screening is failed, the person will be asked to conduct their business by phone or online 
• Social Distancing will be encouraged. Capacity will be closely monitored for services and visitations. Employee work spaces have been further separated. 
• Register books will be signed by staff members 
• Hand Sanitizer will be provided 
• Areas of use will be cleaned regularly 
• All arrangements will be made possible through phone calls and online options 
• If an employee has had an exposure to someone who is sick, they will be asked to stay home and monitor their symptoms; they may seek testing at any time. If an employee feels unwell, they will be required to stay home 
• If there is a positive test result, they will be expected to self quarantine for the length of time recommended by their health care advisor 

Grace Gardens Funeral Home and Crematory is one of thirteen funeral homes that make up Higginbotham Funeral Homes of Texas, Inc., a family corporation serving Central Texas since 1881. Our funeral directors and staff that work for us joined this profession to serve others. They have an innate desire to guide people through a journey of unknowns. Given the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working to continue our calling to serve others.

In accordance with CDC, county, state, and federal guidance, we are requiring face coverings and health screenings for employees and guests. We will provide gloves for our employees and guests as requested. We will have hand sanitizer available. Register Books will be signed by employees. We encourage families to contact us by phone, email, or through our Collaboration Center as much as possible. We are able to make arrangements 100% online if necessary, but we will still meet with families that would like to come in as long as we abide by government’s guidance. While office hours may vary, our staff is available on call 24/7.

Inside our facilities we strive to maintain a clean environment. Our staff is thoroughly cleaning our funeral home daily and sanitizing common touch surfaces as visitors come and go.

We are asking our care-team, or removal personnel, to wear PPE (Personal Protective Equipment, like masks, shoe covers, gowns, and gloves) and limit their contact with people. As a precautionary measure, we may ask people to leave the room with your loved one, to help prevent accidental exposure to you or your family. After your loved one is brought into our care, we will work our hardest to allow you to see them.

Current guidelines allow gatherings with social distancing. We will limit attendance to provide distancing. We have made our seating throughout the building to provide for social distance. We are working diligently to offer alternative methods that include recording services, offering live streaming, and helping to arrange other ideas. Friends and family that are not attending may sign the Guest Book available on our website or on our Facebook page. 

Visitations at this time will have limited attendance to allow for distancing, and will have an extended time frame to allow for smaller groups. – We have an obligation to adhere to the issued guidelines. We will allow your loved one to lie in state ahead of services. We invite you to send a video talking about how your life was changed by their loved one, or your favorite memory. You may email the video to our funeral home or share on our Facebook page. 

Graveside services and committal services are governed by individual cemeteries; most cemeteries are setting up a limited number of chairs to help maintain social distancing. We ask that social distancing be observed, some attendees will need to stand beyond the tent.

We ask that you call and set up a time for a phone conference with one of our funeral directors or pre-need specialists. In most cases we will be able to drop off paperwork in person for signatures or send contracts through email that may be completed and digitally signed.