City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation

Obituary
Stephanie Thurston

Henderson, North Carolina

Age 37.
Died 10/15/2023.

Stephanie Thurston
Have you ever met someone who has absolutely no sense of direction? A person who could go to the same location 10 times, and still turn Left on the wrong road every time? That was my sister, Stephanie. I’m allowed to joke about it because we share that trait. If you put us together, you could cancel it – we’re taking double the wrong turns while arguing about whether or not the house is yellow or light blue with lots of flowers around it (Steph), until someone finally starts flashing the porch light on the BRICK house with one tree and no flowers. You could count on Steph showing up late, but you could always count on her showing up, and always greeting you with the same unconditional love that knew no bounds.


Steph had the prettiest, most genuine smile, that lit up the room. She had the biggest, most forgiving heart, but please don’t mess with her babies! Steph was only 4’ 11 ½” (Don’t forget that ½ in!!), but she stood tall for those she loved.

Above ALL, her son’s, Adam (17) and Aden (11). Those boys were the light in Steph’s eyes and she never shined brighter than she did when she was with them. Next were her nieces and nephews: Christian, Niasia, Maile, Marcus, and Kalel. Grand nieces and nephews: Lani, Kailani, East, and Kaiden.

Steph had the power to change any mood with her voice. When she sang, people shut up and listened. She had a beautiful voice and the ability to make any song her own. I have no doubt that she’s up there, in heaven, out singing the choir leader and doing Angel makeovers! She loved doing makeup and hair for anyone and did an amazing job. If you had a secret you just couldn’t hold in and needed to tell somebody, Steph was who you told. She would protect your secret and never judge you for it. She may have reminded you every now and then, if she needed ammunition, but you knew she had your secret under lock with no key and you could trust her.


Steph, we will forever LOVE you and miss you. Please tell Mom we love her and will you please ask her where those black boots went?!?? You can tell me when I see you again. I love you!!!!!!!!!


Stephanie was preceded in death by Anne Miller (Grandmother), Albert Stevens (Grandfather), Yvonne Stevens (Grandmother), Paula Miller (Mom), Sherwin Stevens (Uncle), Kelly Stevens (Aunty), Devontre Brooks (Nephew), Kierra Brooks (Niece), Elijah Brooks (Nephew).


Stephanie is survived by, James Miller (Father), Terrell Thurston (Husband), Adam and Aden Thurston (Sons), Jodi Brooks (Sister), Travis and Maria Kealoha (Brother), Christian Brooks (Nephew), Niasia Brooks (Niece), Maile Brooks (Niece), Marcus Kealoha (Nephew), Kalel Kealoha (Nephew), Lani Preddy (Grand Niece), Kailani Brooks (Grand Niece), East Preddy (Grand Nephew), Kaiden Brooks (Grand Nephew).



We will host a balloon release to remember Stephanie on Sunday @ 5pm, at Lake Crabtree.

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

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Direct Cremation

$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.

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Cremation with Solidified Remains

$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.

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Cremation with Visitation

$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.

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Immediate Burial

$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.

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Traditional Funeral

$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.

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Green Burial

$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.

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Aquamation

$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.

City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremations