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History & Staff
At Pierce-Jefferson Funeral & Cremation Services, we have provided customizable memorial services for many years. Personalized service options allow you to honor your loved ones in a way that is both meaningful and healing. We hope to provide support and caring while delivering memorial services that celebrate life and help families find the peace they deserve.
If you’re seeking an honorable celebration of life in Kernersville and the surrounding areas, we invite you to learn more about where we came from and the dedicated people behind our work.
A History of Caring
The historical building on West Mountain Street at Cherry Street occupied today by Pierce-Jefferson Funeral Service has seen many changes over the years.
(Photo by Melissa Marvin)
When driving down West Mountain Street, it is difficult not to notice the grandeur and sophistication of the Pierce-Jefferson Funeral & Cremation Service.
Although it is hard to miss the home now, with its bright white columns and large windows, years ago the house was hidden from view with trees and vegetation.
The home first began as a small and narrow two-roomed educational building for the children of Kernersville.
The Masons built what was then known as the Plunket Place in 1856 as a subscription school supported by tuition from each student. According to the Bicentennial Book, students in the 1850s paid between $5 and $10 a month to attend the school.
As the town's population grew though, the need for greater education became apparent for the increasing number of students.
In 1864, Kernersville High School, originally known as the old Kernersville Academy, was opened and the Plunket Place was no longer needed as an educational institution.
The structure was bought, renovated and added on to, in order to become the Henry Shore Home in 1890.
Visible alterations were made to the home including additional rooms and a wrap-around covered porch.
Change would not be a stranger to the structure over the next couple of decades.
In the 1930s the Henry Shore Home became the Linville Funeral Home.
Along with the change in identity came four large white columns to adorn the front of the building.
The columns were brought to Kernersville by train by Ad Linville and attached to the home four years later. The conversion into a funeral home came at a time when columns were revolutionizing the country.
Throughout the Great Depression, many families were left on the streets without a home. When a loved one would pass away, the family was left without a resting place for the family member until the burial.
To alleviate this problem, the families would ask a nearby homeowner to store the body until a grave could be dug - hence the birth of funeral homes.
It was traditional for a family to live in the upstairs of the home and conduct business downstairs. The Linville Funeral Home was bought by the Ragland Funeral Home sometime after 1942, but the Linville's left their legacy by carving their name and the year 1942 on the concrete floor of the embalming room which was located in the basement of the house at the time.
According to old logbooks found in the home, an average service cost in 1964 was about $5.
In 1965, Jack Pierce bought the home from Ragland and moved himself, his wife Martha and their three children, Mike, Pam and Rick into the home.
For five years the family lived in the upstairs apartment of the home while they ran their funeral business on the ground floor. In 1970, the family moved out of the home in order to dedicate the entire structure to funeral services.
A chapel was added to the right wing of the house in 1973. Unfortunately the Pierce family was unaware at the time that one of the first funerals held in the new chapel would be that of their young son Mike. Michael was killed while riding a go-cart in July 1973. The chapel is dedicated in the memory of the Pierce's dear son and brother.
In 1983 a visitation area was also added on the left wing of the home.
Pierce sold the business in 1981 to a regional funeral firm but continued to manage the business until his retirement in 1996. Jack Pierce, in partnership with Danny Jefferson, again purchased the business that is now known as Pierce-Jefferson Funeral Service on Dec. 1, 2004.
Pierce was instrumental in the operations of the business until his death Oct. 30, 2005.
Today, Pierce-Jefferson Funeral Service operates two full service funeral homes, offering traditional burial funerals, traditional cremation services and a complete array of funeral related items.
An authentic stained-glass window from the Plunket Place era still glows in the original exterior wall. And guests are offered a peek into the past by looking at one specific area of the green carpet covering the floor where the original outside wall can be seen where the foundation has settled.
Lambeth Chapel
Approximately 1950 and after a number of years with the former Hanes Funeral Home in Greensboro, Odell Lambeth decided he wanted to have his own Funeral Establishment. He partnered with Fred Troxler, who owned the land that the new funeral home would occupy, and Ralph Hutton, a funeral director from Topeka, Kansas. Together they formed what was initially known as Lambeth-Hutton-Troxler Funeral Home. Odell handled most of the design work and supervised the construction of the new facility, which opened in 1953. A short time later it was felt that the name Lambeth-Hutton-Troxler was too long and unwieldy, thus the name was changed for a brief time to Lambeth Funeral Home. Ralph Hutton soon left the business, and in recognition of Fred Troxler's contributions and service the name was changed to Lambeth-Troxler Funeral Home.
In 2020, Lambeth-Troxler was was re-branded to Pierce-Jefferson Funeral Service, Lambeth Chapel, to highlight the partnership with it's sister firm, in Kernersville. We are proud to be able to more easily serve families in the Triad under the Pierce-Jefferson flag!
Our Staff’s Dedication to Respectful Care
A funeral, or memorial service, should provide family members and loved ones with the chance to reflect, remember, and celebrate a life well-lived. At Pierce-Jefferson, our goal is to create exceptional services and experiences that fulfill the wishes of your loved one. Our experienced Funeral Directors provide guidance on the crucial first steps toward healing.
Kirk R. Bivins
Manager/Location Leader
Pierce-Jefferson Funeral Services
Kernersville and Lambeth Chapels
Kirk is the Manager/Location Leader of the Pierce-Jefferson Funeral Services Kernersville and Lambeth Chapels. He began his funeral career on May 1, 1991. After more than twenty-seven years of service at Rich & Thompson, He was offered a position on February 5, 2019 at Pierce-Jefferson Funeral Service in Kernersville, NC. Kirk recently celebrated 31 years of service in the funeral industry.
Kirk is married to Laura Canady Bivins. They have four children Joshua, Nate, Caroline, and Christian. He is a graduate of The Funeral Service Education Program at Fayetteville Technical Community College. He is a North Carolina Funeral Director Licensee, a licensed preneed counselor, a CANA Certified Crematory Operator, and a Certified Veteran’s Funeral Specialist. Kirk is a retired Firefighter/EMT from the Swepsonville Volunteer Fire Department in Alamance County, NC with more than 21 years of service. He is a graduate of the 2020 Class of Leadership Kernersville. Kirk was recently awarded the 2022 Business Person of the Year with 11 to 99 employees by the Kernersville Chamber of Commerce.
Samuel Robertson
Funeral Director/Embalmer
Pierce-Jefferson Lambeth Chapel
Samuel found a passion for death care at a young age. With over 15 years of experience in the funeral service industry he is currently licensed in the state of North Carolina as well as the Commonwealth of Virginia. Samuel currently holds the title of Assistant Sergeant at Arms for the Funeral Directors and Morticians Association of North Carolina (FD&MA of NC) and sits on the Board of Directors for Children of Deaf Adults (CODA). He is a pioneer of change and takes his work seriously, striving to provide his families with the best care possible. His focus has always been to show compassion, leave his families with a beautiful lasting moment and be a positive impact on his community.
Alexis Plunkett
Funeral Director/Embalmer Apprentice/Crematory Operator
Pierce-Jefferson Kernersville Chapel
Alexis grew up in the rural areas of both Westfield and Yadkinville, North Carolina. After graduating from Salem College in 2020, Alexis moved to Kernersville. Although she obtained her degrees from Salem College with the intention of teaching high school mathematics, life had other plans…
Alexis joined the Pierce-Jefferson team in April of 2021 as a crematory operator. Since joining our team, she has realized her passion for serving families in their greatest time of need. To further pursue her career in the funeral service industry, she has undertaken schooling and an apprenticeship to obtain licensure in Funeral Service.
Katherine Knowles
Funeral Director/Embalmer
Pierce-Jefferson Lambeth Chapel
Born and raised in sunny Southern California, Katherine knew at a young age from her time volunteering at her local funeral home that she had found her calling. Graduating with honors at the age of 22 from the Funeral Institute of the North East in Massachusetts, she finally found her forever home in beautiful North Carolina. She began her apprenticeship at Pierce-Jefferson Funeral & Cremation Services February of 2021 where she could further her passion for serving families in their time of need.
In her spare time, she practices her creative writing with the dreams of one day writing a novel of her own. She has played the viola for fourteen years with her favored pieces to play being her favorite musical, The Phantom of the Opera. Her goal for the future is to achieve her Funeral Service license and to start a small family of her own in Guilford County.
Elaine Casey Tipton
Advanced Planning Specialist
Pierce-Jefferson Kernersville Chapel
Elaine always had a strong interest in the funeral profession. She is a licensed Funeral Director, Embalmer, and Crematory Operator. A Texas native who grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, she moved to North Carolina in 2001. Elaine is a 2013 Funeral Service Education Program graduate from Fayetteville Technical Community College. Advanced funeral planning is her passion. She also holds several community events throughout the year for both Kernersville/Greensboro locations to educate the public about preplanning and veterans' funeral benefits. Elaine and her husband of over 34 years have a daughter who attends NC State, as well as several dogs, cats, and chickens. In her free time, she enjoys skiing, concerts, and gardening.
Kelly Butler
Lead Administrator
Pierce-Jefferson Funeral Services
Kernersville and Lambeth Chapels
Kelly was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. She, along with husband Darin, are proud to be raising their five children; Lucas, Reese, Emma, Daniel, and Marley, in this city that they love so much.
Although new to the Pierce-Jefferson family, Kelly comes to us with over 10 years of administrative and financial experience.
Kelly believes that her purpose in life is to bring glory and honor to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and she seeks to show His love to those around her. She is a volunteer at the Pregnancy Network of Greensboro, where she serves as a mentor to women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. She is also a living kidney donor.
Kelly and her family are active members of Cornerstone Baptist Church, where she serves on both the prayer ministry team as well as the women’s ministry team. Kelly is passionate about music, painting and crafting, and she’s a big fan of WWII documentaries.
Kathy Prescott
Administrative Assistant
Pierce-Jefferson Kernersville Chapel
A native of North Carolina, Kathy resides in Kernersville. She has two children, Clint and Jessica and an adorable grandson Christian, and beautiful granddaughter Lillian!
Kathy is retired from North Carolina Baptist Hospital after 33 years of service in Administration.
She is very active in community service, volunteering with the Kernersville Shepherd Center, volunteer for Junior Achievement of the Triad, she serves on the Board of the Community Appearance Commission of Kernersville, and has graduated Leadership Kernersville with the award of Most Unforgettable.
She enjoys traveling with friends, and most importantly spending time with her family, grandchildren and puppy, Bishop.
Marnie Buchanan
CANA Certified Crematory Operator/Funeral Attendant
Pierce-Jefferson Kernersville Chapel
Ron Beeson
Funeral Attendant
Pierce-Jefferson Kernersville Chapel
Ron has been a part time funeral attendant with Pierce-Jefferson since 2010. He is married to his wife Jo and has two sons Bryan and Randy. He was raised in the Colfax community and attended Colfax School. He was a member of the first graduating class of Northwest Guilford High School in 1963.
After a 35 year career, Ron retired from Piedmont Airlines having served management positions in customer service at airports in New York and Florida.
Ron and Jo live in Oak Ridge NC and are members of Shady Grove Wesleyan Church. He enjoys golf and spending time with his family.
Phil Hulen
Funeral Attendant
Pierce-Jefferson Kernersville Chapel
Phil is an ordained minister in The Wesleyan Church and has served churches in Indiana and North Carolina. Phil retired after 45 years in pastoral ministry. He has been married to his wife, Cheryl for 48 years and has three sons, Jared (Audrey), Jeremy (Emily) and Justin (Megan). Phil enjoys watching sporting events, playing golf and spending time with his seven grandchildren, Kylie, Jordan, Mikayla, AnnaGrace, Brody, Ella Kate and Dallas.
Roger Frazier
Funeral Attendant
Pierce-Jefferson Kernersville Chapel
Roger is married to Kay M. Frazier and resides in Colfax. They are the proud parents of Mitchell and Kaylee and grandparents “Grammy” and “Pops”to Maddux and Charlotte. Roger retired from Colfax Volunteer Fire Department after 30 years of service as an Assistant Chief. He continues to serve the department and community as a Chief Officer and member of the Board of Directors. Roger also serves as Chairman of the department’s Local Firefighter Relief Fund and Vice Chairman of the Guilford County Fire Protective Association Benevolent Brotherhood.
In his spare time he enjoys playing golf, watching the Andy Griffith Show, and sporting events especially baseball. Roger also enjoys spending time with his family and friends.
Ron Koble
Funeral Attendant
Pierce-Jefferson Kernersville Chapel
Don Martin
Funeral Attendant
Pierce-Jefferson Kernersville Chapel
Don is a retired ordained minister in The Wesleyan Church. Don was raised in Virginia where he met the love of his life, Sandy, and was married in 1974. They have 2 children, Philip and Derek, and 5 grandchildren, Avery, Jaxson, Sophia, Isaiah, and Fiona who they love and adore and enjoy spending time with, especially their ball games.
Don loves playing the piano and gospel music as well as traveling all around God's beautiful world with a goal in mind of visiting all 50 states by the end of 2022.
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