Honoring life with custom funeral, cremation & green burial services
Explore the rolling hills and forests of our grounds and discover how nature restores peace, presence, and connection.
Explorer ServicesOur mission is simple. To return to nature and to each other
About Fernwood Funeral Home, Cemetery, and Crematory
Fernwood is a historic funeral home and cemetery set among the Marin coastal headlands of the San Francisco Bay Area. What began in the late 1800s as a traditional burial ground became one of the country’s earliest green cemeteries, where individuals of all faiths are guided in honoring a life and returning a loved one to nature.
All services — from cremation to ceremony and burial — take place on-site and are performed by our experienced and dedicated team. We approach each step with intuitive care, professionalism, and a deep regard for cultural and faith-based traditions. Whether planning a Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, or Hindu service, or a non-faith-based custom memorial, our team ensures every detail is carried out with authenticity, care, and respect for what matters most.
A vision rooted in land, care & memory
Mindfully guiding a return to nature
Returning to the earth is a sacred and timeless passage. This belief guides Fernwood’s commitment to green burial and environmentally mindful cremation, carried out through certified sustainable practices that honor life and the land.
Continuing memory through place
A final resting place allows remembrance to take on physical form, where cherished memories can be recalled, and connections with loved ones endure. At Fernwood, this is defined by the peaceful, restorative presence of nature.
Ongoing, connected care
We guide families as they move through loss with an experience that feels right for them. All services are carried out in-house — loved ones never leave our care — with every step shaped by emotional, cultural, and sensory fluency.
Our services
Green Burials
Natural interment that returns to the earth with minimal ecological impact, using biodegradable materials and no embalming. As a true green cemetery, Fernwood offers an ecological funeral option that supports land conservation while honoring each life.
Gan Yarok Jewish Burial
Gan Yarok offers Jewish burial in harmony with nature, guided by tradition and environmental care. As the first Jewish green cemetery in the United States, it unites sustainable tradition with deep cultural respect.
Cremation Services
Cremation at Fernwood is carried out at our on-site crematory. Each cremation is paired with the planting and long-term care of native trees, designed to more than offset carbon emissions over the coming decades. This commitment is carried out by Fernwood at no additional cost to families.
Traditional Memorials
Fernwood offers traditional funerals, family plots, and custom memorials for those who value heritage and religious practices. Our experienced team guides families in shaping services that reflect their traditions and faith.
Landscape as a vessel for remembrance
In rhythm with nature, the voice of remembrance becomes clear, inviting us to honor and be nourished by memory itself.
Fernwood is a sanctuary for this return, a natural, environmentally attuned memorial landscape set within dozens of acres of coastal forest and meadowland in Marin County.
The art of honoring a life
Our work is grounded in deep respect for this passage and the knowledge that it exists within a realm of gentleness, duty, and care.
There is a richness of depth in honoring a life: the wishes expressed, the memories that remain, the resonance of their impact. At Fernwood, we approach each service through a practice of careful listening, guiding families in the curation of ceremony and place that honors the preciousness of the individual.
From the many considerations of a funeral service to the selection of a gravesite or the planting of a memorial tree, every decision and gesture is made with intention and reverence. Our work is grounded in deep respect for this passage and the knowledge that it exists within a realm of gentleness, duty, and care.
Take a virtual tour of Fernwood
Explore Fernwood through our 360-degree virtual tour. Discover our Remembrance Room and crematory, and experience the setting from anywhere.
The values that guide us
We are authentically inclusive and honor expressions of love, grief, and remembrance in all forms.
Inclusivity
We listen deeply, attune to every detail, and walk beside families at every step.
Empathy
We go beyond surface gestures and serve with reverence, honoring the weight and wonder of a life lived.
Depth
We are devoted to our role as stewards — of land, of tradition, and of the profound trust that families place in us.
Devotion
We ensure our promises, practices, and places are worthy of the lives we honor.
Integrity
Why families choose Fernwood Funeral Home
Families choose us for services that honor tradition, protect the land, and support a meaningful, personal legacy.
Spiritual and personal significance
Fernwood honors diverse beliefs through personalized ceremonies and faith-based services, creating meaningful remembrance shaped by each family’s traditions, values, and spiritual practices.
Commitment to sustainability
As a green cemetery and pioneer in ecological burial, Fernwood protects the land through conservation and habitat preservation, offering funeral care that honors both loved ones and the ecosystems that hold them.
Detailed and dependable staff
Our experienced, supportive team offers personal attention, steady guidance, and genuine care for each family. Our commitment to serve shapes every interaction, ensuring you feel held, heard, and supported throughout the entire process.
Legacy and history
With roots dating back to the 1800s, this historic Marin County cemetery has earned generations of community trust. Shaped by Sausalito, Mill Valley, and Tiburon’s landscape, Fernwood offers a lasting place of remembrance grounded in heritage.
