History & Staff

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.

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 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 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.

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 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 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.

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 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 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.

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.