Our Beginnings

The original building was constructed in 1936, and had its beginnings operating as Mays Funeral Home. Then in the early 1940’s it became Mays - Parsons Funeral Home.

This business was later sold and began operating as Bartlett - Welch Funeral Home in the later 1940’s.

In early 1952 it became known as Whittington Funeral Home, after C. Ray Whittington completed graduation from Cincinnati School of Embalming, which is now known as Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, in 1951. It was then sold to R.L. Keller and became Keller Funeral Home in 1954. Ray then was involved with other funeral homes in the Kanawha Valley, and along with his wife, Catherine, owned several cemeteries in Ohio, and then established Good Shepherd Mortuary in South Charleston in 1966. He and his wife then repurchased the funeral home in 1968 and continued to run both establishments until his passing in 1981. Since the funeral home had undergone several name changes in the past, Mr. Whittington felt that the community had become comfortable with the name, and he wanted to continue the goodwill started by the Keller family, so the name stayed the same. After Ray passed away, the funeral homes continued under the guidance of Catherine and in 1989 the funeral home in South Charleston was sold and she continued to focus her efforts here in Dunbar which was also her birthplace, so she felt at home here.