A sister business of Tezak's, Genuine Care Cremation aims to make funerals more affordable for people wanting an immediate cremation.
John Ferak
SHOREWOOD, IL — A new business sign just popped up this month along Jefferson Street that is unlike any other in the village of Shorewood. The sign proclaims "Genuine Care Cremation."
Curious about the new sign, Joliet Patch's editor stopped by this week to find out more about this new business in Shorewood.
Turns out, Genuine Care Cremation is a sister company of Tezak Funeral Home, 1211 Plainfield Road.
"Some families and their loved ones have made it very clear that an immediate cremation is their final wish. We have established a niche business within the funeral industry to simplify that choice," the business website reads.
It's owned and operated by Ryan Hayducak, funeral director and one of the owners of Tezak's.
"It's a completely separate entity," Hayducak said of Genuine Care Cremation. "It's family owned and operated ... I run both facilities."
So why did Hayducak start Genuine Care Cremation?
"Over the last eight years, I've noticed a lot of families preferring to be able to itemize services out and have the option of hosting their own memorial service," he said.
Genuine Care Cremation can lower the costs of a funeral service "by taking a lot of the overhead from more of a full-size funeral home, offering a simple office setting," he explained.
Hayducak's new storefront is at 807 West Jefferson St. Unit S in Shorewood. It's in the Park Plaza Plaza just east of the Shorewood Police Department along Route 52.
Since he put up his new sign along Shorewood's busy thoroughfare, Hayducak said he has already picked up new customers.
Genuine Care Cremation hopes to draw business from Joliet, Shorewood, Plainfield, Minooka, Channahon, Morris and surrounding communities, he said.
Hayducak said the Shorewood storefront does not have set office hours, but staff is available for appointments.
Cremations will not occur at the Shorewood location.
Instead, Genuine Care Cremation will use the River's Edge Crematory, which is inside the Tezak Funeral Home in Joliet, Hayducak said.
Still, Genuine Care Cremation is "able to offer video tributes, prayer cards, register book packages, composing obituaries, scheduling church and cemetery services, providing any and all materials needed to host your own celebration of life," he said.
To learn more, visit the website for Genuine Care Cremation here.
To schedule an appointment, Genuine Care Cremation can be reached at 815-274-1317.
The pricing breakdown for Genuine Care Cremation is included at the bottom of this article.
Genuine Care Cremation is a new business that opened in Shorewood. It's a sister business of the Tezak Funeral Home in Joliet. Image via John Ferak/Patch
