City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Robert Emmett Barron
Raleigh, North Carolina
Age 80.
Died 05/02/2023.
Bob was born in 1942 in Norfolk, MA, and lived his early years in Dorchester, MA, before moving to Hollis Queens and eventually to Stewart Manor on Long Island, New York.
Bob graduated from Chaminade High School in 1959 and was in the class of 1963 at St. John’s University. He had a successful career in the fashion industry, working as an Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing with major names such as Diane Von Furstenberg and Nina Ricci in Manhattan. A man of many talents and interests, he went on to become a licensed clinical supervisor and therapist in the psychiatric field at Gracie Square Hospital, also in Manhattan. In 2000, Ellen (Barron, nee Surat, his wife) introduced him to the director of the film ‘A Beautiful Mind’, which prompted an encouraged a curious Bob to attend an open casting call. Bob was cast and thus began his study of acting, performed in several TV, movie, and theatre productions, and ultimately became a member of SAG-AFTRA.
During the Vietnam era, he served as a cook in the US Army Reserves, a passion he kept throughout his life. Bob was an avid fan of sports, especially the New York Giants and Knicks. He also had a great love for music, particularly jazz, and possessed an incredible ability to recall the details of music composition, history, and inspiration for a wide span of artists. Later in life, Bob also took up running and completed 3 New York Marathons.
He was a beloved member of the Unity of Church of Raleigh congregation, where Ellen is the minister. Bob was an active participant in the AV and outreach teams. He truly lived life to the fullest, with a great sense of humor, always making those around him feel known and understood. Bob is survived by his wife of 27 years, Ellen; his daughters Maureen (Stephen); Patty (Chris); son Robert (Kate); and grandchildren Danielle, Peter (Coralie), Stephen, Chloe, Caroline, Henry, Lilly, and Andrew. Robert was preceded in death by his Stepson, Christiaan Surat, his parents, and his brother.
A celebration of life will be held at Unity Church of Raleigh on Saturday, June 17th, at 12:00 pm. This will be live-streamed on the church's website, unitychurchofraleigh.com. To honor him, the family requests that instead of flowers, charitable contributions be made in Bob's memory to Unity Church of Raleigh, located at 5124 Departure Dr. STE 108, Raleigh, NC 27616.
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.
$5866.98
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.