City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Maureen R. Master
Raleigh, North Carolina
Age 87.
Died 03/10/2023.
04/18/1935 – 03/10/2023
Mrs. Maureen Reilly Master left this world on Friday, March 10, 2023 surrounded by loved ones. She was 87 years old. One of the most cheerful, exuberant and supportive people you could ever wish to know, she was generous and kind to all, and unfailingly devoted to those she loved.
In 1958, Maureen married the love of her life, Edward J. Master at the age of 23. He described her well in a love letter he sent to her in 1956, before they married, where he wrote: “When I think of your tenderness, understanding, strength and beauty, I only become more obsessed with you. To see you is a real feast to my spirit and to hold or be near you has a certain blissfulness about it.” Along with references to songs and movies of the time, missed snowball fights due to the lack of snowfall that winter, and their mutual love of springtime, Eddie (as she then called him) also referred to the “tribe” of children they would raise once they were married.
True to their goals, they did raise a tribe of seven children – and somehow remained just as much in love until the end of their lives as they were in the early days of their courtship. When she lost him in 2014, she knew she would never be as happy again as she had been when he was alive. She was not one to complain and she found joy wherever she could in the final years of her life, spending time with her children, grandchildren and friends, and staying in touch with her siblings, but after her “Eddie” was gone, she had no fear of death and was ready to leave whenever called. As she put it, “I've had a good life. I did all the things I wanted to do.”
She committed her life to being a good and loving wife and mother and a dedicated Registered Nurse. Her priority was always her family, but she took pride in her career, as well, knowing she was putting her education to work helping others. Even when she retired from nursing, she continued to volunteer in the community as a volunteer nurse at the Interfaith Health Clinic for low-income patients without health insurance and at the Catholic Charities Food Pantry, both in Raleigh. In the late 1960s and early 1970s she served on the Panel of American Women, a group founded to promote awareness of prejudice, discrimination and racism and to foster better race relations. She always wanted to make the world a better place by giving back. When she could no longer leave the house to do volunteer work, she spent much of her time crocheting beautiful baby clothes for donation to new mothers at a local women’s shelter.
She will be greatly missed by many, but her loved ones take comfort in knowing that now she is free.
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.