Episode 177: Golden Gate Funeral Home

This funeral home's legendary home goings captured worldwide attention and landed it a television series to show off its special way of sending people to their eternal resting places. But new lawsuits allege that, once the cameras switched off, the funerals it delivered were the stuff of nightmares. This week’s episode is Golden Gate Funeral Home.

SOURCES

‘Best Funeral Ever’: Most frightening reality TV show to date?, Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/best-funeral-ever-most-frightening-reality-tv-show-to-date/2013/01/07/8106d82a-58ed-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_blog.html

Selected Petitions from the Dallas County Website: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1X5xh2U62pI7cxl3FUX68sLrHDE4S0abW?usp=sharing

9 Things About Cremation, Elemental Cremation and Burial: https://www.elementalnw.com/2014/05/26/9-things-cremation/

Celebrity funeral director who stars on TLC reality show 'Best Funeral Ever' is sued by 17 families for 'desecrating remains': Claims he returned wrong ashes, disposed of bodies without permission and even filled an urn with tiny white pebbles, Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10449897/Celebrity-funeral-director-Best-Funeral-sued-17-families-desecrating-remains.html

Texas Health and Safety Code Regulations:

• https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/health-and-safety-code/health-safety-sect-716-103.html

• https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/health-and-safety-code/health-safety-sect-716-104.html

• https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/health-and-safety-code/health-safety-sect-716-351.html

• https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._health_and_safety_code_section_716.052

Texas Administrative Code: https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=25&pt=1&ch=181&rl=4

Former Employee Levels Allegations of Misconduct Against Dallas Funeral Home Empire, Spectrum 1 News: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/austin/news/2021/03/08/former-employee-levels-allegations-of-misconduct-against-south-dallas-funeral-home-empire

Golden Gate Funeral Home: https://www.goldengatefuneralhome.com/listings

The Dallas Mortuary Accused of Producing the Worst Funerals Ever, Texas Monthly: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/lost-ashes-decayed-remains-dallas-mortuary-worst-funerals-ever/

Why is This Dallas Funeral Home Facing 17 Lawsuits?, Central Track: https://www.centraltrack.com/why-is-this-dallas-funeral-home-facing-17-lawsuits/

At Golden Gate Funeral Home, Bodies Are John Beckwith Jr.'s Business, and Business is Booming, Dallas Observer: https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/at-golden-gate-funeral-home-bodies-are-john-beckwith-jrs-business-and-business-is-booming-6419194

John Beckwith Jr. Wants to Bury You, D Magazine: https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-ceo/2015/march/john-beckwith-golden-gate-funeral-home/

Google Reviews: https://www.google.com/search?q=golden+gate+funeral+home+dallas%2C+tx+reviews&oq=gol&aqs=chrome.0.69i59l3j69i57j69i60l4.1392j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#lrd=0x864e97df1f461a7d:0x2ec6c8acdf62c914,1

Yelp Reviews: https://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-gate-funeral-home-dallas

News Nation | Ryan Sellers of Hales & Sellers Speaks About the Golden Gate Funeral Home Lawsuit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr6NpWydDiI