Owners Charles and Julie Link felt it important to keep Shannon Family Mortuary in Orange, even purchasing a nearby home so they could be close when families need them. Shown here (from left) is the team: Pete Julienne, Service Director; Cynthia Rodriguez, Funeral Arranger; Julie Link, Funeral Director; Charles Link, Service Director (and Julie’s husband); Diana Millan, Arranger and Salina Miller, Advanced Planning Specialist and Chamber Ambassador of the Year.
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Best Funeral Home: Shannon Family Mortuary
Shannon Family Mortuary, founded in 1933 by Ralph Shannon, now thrives under the caring stewardship of husband-and-wife team Charles and Julie Link, maintaining its commitment to personalized, family-owned service in an industry increasingly dominated by corporate chains.
“It’s very important to us to remain family owned because we can cater to families’ personal needs and we can keep our prices down,” explains Charles, who began working for Shannon in 2011.
Julie joined the business bringing an entrepreneurial spirit and deep empathy for grieving families. Her journey into funeral service began when Charles asked the Shannons to bring Julie in to assist on a funeral.
“Families were hugging me that didn’t even know me just for delivering flowers. It felt good and purposeful,” Julie recalls. “It just kind of snowballed into me becoming a licensed funeral director in the State of California.”
The mortuary offers comprehensive services, including cremation, burial, viewings and religious ceremonies, with particular expertise in Catholic services.
“We can accommodate all kinds of requests from families,” Julie notes. “A loved one may pass somewhere else but wishes for their remains to be in Orange. We handle those logistics.”
Mayra Soto has known the Links for a long time and has used the mortuary several times in the past five years.
“I highly recommend them. Their service is exceptional,” says Soto. “They are very caring and compassionate. You feel like it’s family taking care of family during one of the most difficult times of your life.”
In recent years, the Links have observed increased price shopping among families and a shift toward cremation services, now comprising 60-70 percent of their business compared to 50 percent a decade ago. COVID-19 accelerated the adoption of online arrangements, with many families now choosing to complete funeral planning from home.
Despite these trends, their core mission remains unchanged.
“We are there for the family members who are going through the worst time in their lives,” Julie explains. “It really does make us get out of bed every morning knowing we are going to help someone.”
The emotional weight of their profession requires careful balance.
“Everyone who works here is pretty much an empath, so you do take on some of the grief at times and you do cry with the families,” Julie acknowledges.
Their team, including bilingual Spanish-speaking staff, supports each other through the emotional demands of serving grieving families.
Recognition as “Best in Orange” validates their approach. “We have an amazing team here,” says Julie. “They—and the community—are the reason we won.”
Looking ahead, the Links hope to continue serving Orange for another two decades while preserving the Shannon tradition.
“Our purpose in life is to serve the families in the community,” says Julie.
Shannon Family Mortuary
1005 East Chapman Ave., Old Towne Orange, CA 92866 / 714-771-1000
Mar / Apr 2020 Shannon Family Mortuary article.
