City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
James Richard Pessolano
Clayton, North Carolina
Age 83.
Died 06/04/2025.
Jim was a successful businessman who, in partnership with his wife, operated Jim's Buy & Sell and Jim's Bargain Store in Pennsylvania for 28 years. His hard work, integrity, and commitment to his community made both businesses a staple of the area. After retiring, he moved south, where he enjoyed spending time with his family, collecting coins, learning his native language of Italian and cooking some of his favorite dishes for his family. He was always quick and willing to lend a helping hand to those who needed it. He spent many days helping his children with projects at their homes.
A man deeply rooted in family and tradition, Jim was a loving and loyal husband to his wife, Rachael Frank Pessolano, with whom he shared over 50 beautiful years. Together, they raised three children: Joseph Orlando Pessolano (married to Ashley Pessolano), Rachael Jean Mullan (married to Christopher Mullan), and Jeannie Marie Lewellen (married to Wesley Lewellen). Jim took immense pride in his role as a grandfather to Ava Mullan (16), Joshua Mullan (14), Camden Pessolano (14), Sydney Mullan (10), and Elizabeth Pessolano (9), cherishing every moment spent with them.
A lifelong lover of bluegrass music, Jim played the Dobro, mandolin and acoustic guitar. He enjoyed attending jam sessions with friends and going to local bluegrass shows as a listener. Jim’s home was often filled with the sound of twanging strings and heartfelt melodies—a reflection of his gentle spirit and deep appreciation for the simple joys in life.
Jim was preceded in death by his father, James Romeo Pessolano; his mother, Ella Mae Paulick; and his sisters, Frances Elaine Pessolano McMurtry and Karon “Kathy” Darlunde. Their memories remained close to his heart throughout his life.
His legacy lives on through the love he gave, the music he cherished, and the family he so deeply adored. Jim will be missed more than words can express but will be remembered always with love, laughter, and a favorite bluegrass tune.
A private memorial will be held by the family. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Jim’s memory to a charity of your choice supporting cancer research or music education.
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.