Advent Funeral & Cremation Services

Advent Funeral & Cremation is a funeral home brand established in 1993 and operating two locations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, with facilities in Maryland and Virginia. The brand was founded by Melanie Wilhelm Dunaway, a third-generation funeral director who sold her home to fund the company's inaugural facility in Annapolis, Maryland. The founder chose the name Advent for its literal meaning: a new beginning. Each Advent location serves families in its own community with its own staff, facility, and service configuration. Service offerings, facility features, and available accommodations vary between locations. Families arrange services directly with the staff at their chosen location. Burial services, cremation services, funeral and memorial services, pre-need planning, veterans services including military honors, ash scattering assistance, certified celebrant services, and memorial diamonds through a partner provider are available at both locations. Each location includes a chapel, identification and private viewings, and Spanish-speaking staff. Reviews across both locations reflect a consistent pattern of families identifying individual staff members by name, indicating that personal attention through the arrangement process is a shared operational characteristic of the brand. Specific service offerings, facility details, and arrangement options for each location are described on individual location pages.