City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation

Obituary
William Daniels

Morrisville, North Carolina

Age 86.
Died 12/19/2023.

William Daniels
William T. Daniels, age 86, passed away at home in Morrisville, NC, on December 19, 2023. William (Bill) was born in Buffalo, NY on November 7, 1937. He was the oldest son of Woodbury and Gladys Daniels and grew up in Amherst, NY.

Bill graduated from the University of Buffalo in 1960, where he was active in the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity and was editor of the yearbook. It was there where he met Doreen Gross. Bill and Doreen wed on August 27, 1960, and had three children: Michael, Jeffrey, and Amy.

Bill was a member of the Army National Guard and was mobilized and stationed at Ft. Dix in 1961 in response to the Berlin Wall crisis. After completing two years of service, Bill worked at Travelers Insurance, eventually becoming a Chartered Life Underwriter. His work moved him and his family from Buffalo, NY, to Newington, CT, Clifton Park, NY, then back to Newington, CT, where he remained until retirement.

In all the places he lived, Bill was active in the community, volunteering with civic clubs such as Lion’s Club and Rotary Club, participating in local politics, and being an active church member. He spent his free time playing bridge and gardening and loved to go sailing. Bill would spend vacation time with his wife and children visiting friends and family in Buffalo, NY, Ontario, Canada, and on the coast of Connecticut (Westbrook).

In 1989, Bill retired from Travelers Insurance and opened a real estate office with Doreen. Once he retired from that, in 2002, Bill and Doreen moved to Littleton, Colorado, to be near their three children.

During retirement, Bill spent time with his children and grandchildren, became a Master Gardener, volunteered with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and was active in a local retired men’s group. In 2012, Bill and Doreen moved to Holly Springs, North Carolina, where their daughter had just moved. Bill continued volunteering for the theater and became a Master Gardner in North Carolina. He started a Retired Men’s Group in Holly Springs and was a member of the Board of Adjustments for the town. Bill had an incredible zest for life, was loved by all, and could always be counted on for a laugh, joke, or pun.

William is survived by his wife of 63 years, Doreen Daniels; their three children, Micheal (Kim) Daniels, Jeffrey Daniels, Amy (David) Dethlefsen; grandchildren Katherine (Conor) Maas, Christopher Daniels, Ryan Dethlefsen; and great-grandchild, Brooks Maas. He is also survived by his brother, Frank (Charlene) Daniels, and cousins Mary Ellen (Michael) McCormick and Grace (Mark) Murphy. He was preceded in death by his grandchild, Emily Dethlefsen.

For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.


You can share this obituary using the following address, or click the button below to share on Facebook.

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

icon
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.

icon
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.

icon
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.

icon
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.

icon
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.

icon
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.

icon
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