City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Tommy Yellin
Cary, North Carolina
Age 12.
Died 03/26/2025.
What Tommy lacked in genetic material and height was made up for in charm and determination. He will be remembered for always laughing at the funny parts, giving the best hugs, and his unflappable enthusiasm for vacuuming and sweeping.
Tommy’s accomplishments included being born with so much hair that it was visible on prenatal ultrasounds, riding in the back of an ambulance (twice), having his photo on the front page of the Raleigh News & Observer, having the world’s best eyelashes, flirting with everyone in the UNC Ophthalmology waiting room, rolling across the stage for his elementary school promotion, playing eight seasons of baseball with Miracle League of the Triangle, and learning how to speak three very important words (“Oreo,” “bye,” and “Patrick”).
Tommy died just after midnight on March 26, 2025, at his home in Cary, NC. He was in the arms of Mom and Dad, with a cherry tree blooming outside his window.
Tommy is survived by his #1 Favorite Person (dad Wes), his #2 Favorite Person (younger brother Patrick), and mom Lori (unranked, but doesn’t take it personally). He was also loved by his grandparents (Grandma Anne, TaTa, Grandma Gina, and Grandpa Mike), aunts, uncles, cousins, and countless friends.
The Palen-Yellin family thanks all of the people who loved and supported Tommy in school, in medical care, and in the community. In particular, they are grateful to Dr. Ceila Loughlin and the team at UNC Pediatric Pulmonology and Dr. Jeff Rutledge and the team at Cornerstone Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine; their compassionate care got Tommy through nearly 13 years on this earth.
In lieu of flowers, please give more hugs, and support Medicaid and disability rights. Donations to the following organizations would also be appreciated:
• Miracle League of the Triangle (https://www.mltriangle.com/sponsor/donate-now/), which brought joy to Tommy and his family throughout his life;
• Transitions Kids hospice (https://www.transitionslifecare.org/donate/), who comforted Tommy and his family at the end of his life; and
• The Children’s Interstitial Lung Disease Foundation (https://bit.ly/Tommy_Yellin_Memorial), which supports research to save the lives of kids like Tommy.
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.
$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.
$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.