Mission Park Funeral Home donates over 400 teddy bears to SAPD
SAN ANTONIO -Mission Park Funeral Home was able to make a big donation to SAPD this morning, giving more than 400 teddy bears!
"They do carry these animals in their trunks so that in times of need, children can find some comfort," said Bonnie Sanchez, Receptionist at Mission Park South.
The stuffed animals will be handed out to children who have either witnessed or been a victim of a crime.
Local businesswoman appointed as Chair of Texas Funeral Service Commission
SBG San AntonioMay 9th 2024
Kristin Tips, the president of Mission Park Funeral Chapels and Cemeteries of San Antonio, has been appointed by Governor Greg Abbott as the official Chair of the Texas Funeral Service Commission.
Read Full News Release[Release from Office of the Texas Governor | Greg Abbott]
'Ashes to ashes': Son of Bexar County's first medical examiner honors long-held promise
San Antonio Express-NewsJan 31, 2024
In a touching tribute, Vincent Hausman honors his promise to his late grandparents by uniting their ashes at Mission Park Cemetery. This ceremony commemorates Dr. Robert Hausman, Bexar County's pioneering medical examiner, and his wife, Helen. Dr. Robert Hausman, renowned for his groundbreaking work and controversial stand against police brutality, left an indelible mark on the field of forensic pathology. Read more about the family's emotional journey and Dr. Hausman's legacy in this full article by Vincent T. Davis.
Funeral homes offer free services to Uvalde victims
SBG San Antonio - 5/26/22
After the mass school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers, two funeral homes are helping the families affected. Rushing-Estes-Knowles Mortuary and Hillcrest Memorial Funeral Home have announced they'll be offering free funeral services for all the victims.
San Antonio businessman Robert 'Dick' Tips shared on viral meme page
My San Antonio - 1/15/22
On Thursday, January 13, owner of a San Antonio funeral home, Robert "Dick" Tips, made his debut on the popular meme page @foosgonewild. The clip is a excerpt from an iconic San Antonio-area advertisement for Tip's end-of-life business.
FEMA accepting applications for COVID-19 funeral expense reimbursement
NEWS4SA - 4/12/21
Mission Park Funeral Homes official said they've had a 50% rise in funerals because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In many cases, involving a lot of families that were not expecting to bury someone so young. "So many people never experienced a pandemic or experienced having to have a funeral service this unexpectedly so to be able to have some resources to come back to you it’s a beautiful thing," said Dick Tips, CEO, Mission Park Funeral Homes.
The “Last Responders”: Funeral Homes Helping Families Grieve COVID-19 Deaths
As society has grappled with the collective trauma of thousands of deaths due to COVID-19 in Texas, and across the country, those working in funeral homes and cemeteries continue to help families grieve. Kristin Tipps with Mission Park Cemetery considers herself a “last responder.” Her job is to help families with their final resting spot.
Kristin’s Mission
Southern Calls, Vol. 30, December 2020
We caught up with this thirty-something lady whirlwind, who together with her husband Dick Tips, is reinventing funeral services during a national pandemic and dramatically expanding one of the largest family owned funeral businesses in Texas. Kristin’s story of becoming a funeral director in her twenties and then a statewide funeral commissioner appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to help shape the future of funeral services in Texas, is all about overcoming challenges and following your heart. Read more.
As COVID-19 Death Toll Climbs, Busy Funeral Homes See ‘Added Grief’ for Mourning Families
The Rivard Report – 7/23/20
In 1918, as the Spanish Flu pandemic took the lives of 881 people in San Antonio, the founder of a local funeral business wrote a message on the pages of a family Bible. Will Chambers told of “troubling and difficult times where we are saddened to avoid public spaces” and preparing for a “formidable adversary.” In March, his descendants, the owners of Mission Park, took those words to heart and began preparing for a modern-day pandemic that has taken the lives of 298 residents in San Antonio, with no clear end in sight. “It’s all come true,” said Mission Park CEO Dick Tips of his great-grandfather’s writings. Read more.
Fellow officers, family and friends gather to honor fallen deputy De La Fuente in San Antonio
San Antonio Express-News - 7/21/20
A somber procession for Bexar County Sheriff's Deputy Timothy De La Fuente made its way Tuesday morning from Mission Park Funeral Chapels South to Community Bible Church on the North Side for a ceremony with full honors.
‘Last responders’ also feel stress of coronavirus pandemic in San Antonio
San Antonio Express-News – 7/19/20
When Robert “Dick” Tips’ great-grandfather bought land on the South Side of San Antonio that would become Texas’ first perpetual care cemetery, he also bought a family Bible. In it, Will H. Chambers wrote words of wisdom to his wife, for whom he bought the land as a wedding gift in 1907. His jottings include observations on how to get through tough times, including the annus horribilis of 1918, when the Spanish flu killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide and more than 880 in San Antonio
World's first drive-in funeral theater opens in San Antonio
Daily Mail – 4/15/20
As the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to keep lockdowns and social distancing measures in place across the US, a funeral home in San Antonio has started offering a new service to ensure mourners can still say bid their loved ones a proper farewell.
Mission Park Funeral Chapels and Cemeteries became the first in the world to announce plans to open a drive-in theater earlier this month - and one of the first of the unique services was held outside their chapel on Tuesday morning. Read more.
From funeral services to food delivery, how Dick Tips became San Antonio's new 'Milk Man'
NEWS4SA – 4/1/20
Dick Tips has two jobs; Owner at Mission Park Funeral Chapels and Milk Man. He started the second job as the COVID-19 pandemic began to surge and people began to hoard things like milk, cheese and eggs.
"People were taking a little too much that I don't think they could possibly use and I wanted to get it to people who could really use it, really need it and who deserved it," Tips said.
It didn't take long for Tips to work the phones and find out how to buy more than 3,000 gallons of milk, which were delivered on an 18-wheeler from Tyler, Texas. Read more.
Not Just for Funerals Anymore: San Antonio’s Mission Park Celebrates Life’s Milestones
Memento Mori, ICCFA – March/April 2020 Issue
When the Texas Department of Transportation decided to widen Highway 281 in San Antonio, Dick and Kristin Tips, owners of Mission Park Funeral Chapels and Cemeteries, were informed that the state of Texas would be exercising its right of eminent domain. The state’s taking meant that the Tipses’ funeral chapel alongside the highway would have to come down.
The Tipses acquiesced to the state’s highway expansion plans so as not to get in the way of progress. But instead of abandoning San Antonio’s Northside altogether, Dick and Kristin set out to build a new facility to serve the needs of families in that area. Out of the razing of one came the construction of another—a new “Life Center”—in conjunction with a new philosophy that focuses on the meaning and value of life’s many celebratory moments. Read More.
2019
Women of SA Award | Marina Gonzales
NEWS4SA – 11/25/19
Our Women of San Antonio award features women who make a positive impact on lives in San Antonio, and this month, we have a new recipient of the award- President and CEO of Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA), Marina Gonzales. Here to help present the award are Kristin and Dick Tips from Mission Park Funeral Chapels and Cemeteries. Read more.
Mission Park Cemetery hosts 5K for Day of the Dead celebrations
KSAT 12 - 11/2/19
More than 100 participants ran through the Mission Park Cemetery in south San Antonio to honor their loved ones who have passed away. The Celebrating Life 5K Run and Walk is part of the city's three-day celebration for Day of the Dead. Watch Video.
It’s All About Life | Kristin Tips: Serving Others with Compassion and Grace
San Antonio Woman – Fall 2019
As soon as you meet Kristin Tips you immediately learn she’s the mother of twins, she’s married to the love of her life, and she’s a funeral director.
While that might seem like an unexpected career, it’s a profession that she’s passionate about. You can’t help but feel the pride in her voice when she describes the long family tradition of women taking leading roles in this family-owned funeral business.
“Believe it or not, Mission Park is really a love story. Our history in San Antonio goes back to 1890 when my husbands’ great grandfather, Will Harry Chambers bought his wife Clara Mahone Chambers a unique wedding gift… acres of undeveloped land on the banks of the San Antonio River.” Read more.
San Antonio announces new Dia de los Muertos celebration
San Antonio Express-News - 9/12/19
Joined by Mexican telenovela stars, skull-mask-painted dancers and a 10-foot-tall “Selena” covered with 2 million beads, city officials and tourism boosters Thursday announced an elaborate campaign to make San Antonio the cool place for America to celebrate the traditional Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos. Read more.
2017
San Antonio funeral chain invests $1 million in solar power
San Antonio Business Journal – 6/26/17
San Antonio-based funeral chain Mission Park Chapels & Cemeteries has gone green after installing solar power at seven of its locations — adding around half a megawatt of green energy to the grid. Read more.
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