City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
John Banville Jr
Sanford, North Carolina
Age 81.
Died 02/04/2026.
John and his wife, Patricia (Higgins) Banville, moved to North Carolina from Fredericksburg, Va., in 2005 and also lived in Lancaster, Pa; Rockwall, Texas; Bay Village, Ohio; and San Francisco, California.
John graduated from Staunton Military Academy in 1963. He and Patricia met at Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa, and John had a long and varied career that included regional sales manager for the medical supply company Invacare and managing sales operations and lumber broker for the hardwood floor company, Derr Flooring. His work took him and his family to many parts of the country.
John and Pat raised four boys – John, Lee, Matthew and Patrick – and shared many memories with them over the years, as well as more than a few inside jokes, whether it was his uncanny impression of the dog talking or his unwillingness to let go of a passed dinner plate. They were almost always still funny when re-lived over and over again. John had a great sense of humor. If he teased you, you knew he liked you. The person he liked best and teased most often was his wife. John and ‘Hig’ had a long and happy marriage of 58 years.
In his retirement, John enjoyed tending his yard and walking on his treadmill. He loved reading – mainly books on American history and the Wall Street Journal. He had opinions on football and which of Arby’s sandwiches was the best (definitely the Beef ‘n Cheddar), among other topics. He and Pat took many memorable trips, among them to the low countries of Europe and to Charleston and Savannah.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Margaret (Peg) Banville, and his sister, Barbara Silver, whom he dubbed Boo-Boo.
In addition to his wife, he’s survived by his sons, John Banville and Judy of Loudonville, N.Y.; Lee Banville and Jule of Missoula, Mt.; Matthew Banville of Richmond, Va.; and Patrick Banville of Sanford; three grandchildren, Kate and Maggie Banville of Missoula and Klasen Banville of Richmond; and five nieces.
No memorial services are planned at this time. If so moved, donations may be made in his name to hospice organizations of your choice.
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.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$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 offers Alkaline Hydrolysis. The Alkaline Hydrolysis process uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.