Our History
The history of Webb Funeral Home is the story of two funeral homes in two communities in Mitchell County, North Carolina and long-time funeral director Charles Grindstaff. In 1937, J. W. Webb, a furniture dealer and general merchant, established Webb Funeral Home in conjunction with his general store in the Relief section of the north end of Mitchell County. At that time, his employees were Manuel Roberts and Hughes Burleson, the firm's first embalmer. In 1943, Webb opened a branch in a small house beside the Presbyterian Church on Oak Avenue in Spruce Pine. The firm served five families during its first year in Spruce Pine.
During 1936, Ben F. Quinn, an associate of Westmoreland Funeral Home in Marion, North Carolina, moved to Spruce Pine and opened Quinn Funeral Home in an old home at 208 Roan Road. Charles Grindstaff joined Quinn in the operation of his funeral home in 1948. Following Mr. Quinn's death later in 1948, his wife, Miriam Quinn, sold the business and property to J. W. Webb.
Following the purchase of the Quinn property, Webb closed his firm on Oak Avenue and moved to the facilities that he had purchased from Mrs. Quinn. He brought the Webb Funeral Home name with him. In 1950, a new home, which is the central area of the present Webb Funeral Home, was constructed directly behind the original house. Since the area's economic growth had favored Spruce Pine, the Relief location as phased out during this period. Mr. Webb died in 1965.
At one time, Hughes Burleson, Manuel Roberts, Charles Grindstaff, and Jack Roberts shared in the ownership and management of Webb Funeral Home. Following the death of Burleson in 1964, Bill Roberts, Manuel's nephew and Jack's brother, joined the staff as an embalmer and purchased Manuel's interest in the firm when Manuel retired. Under the management of Charles Grindstaff and Jack Roberts, Webb Funeral Home continued to serve a growing number of families each year.
In 1972, a new brick chapel, preparation room, and parlor were added to the building. The original building was bricked and an attractive two-story white-columned porch was built across the front. In 1979, Jack Roberts sold his interest in the firm to Charles Grindstaff and Bill Roberts. In early 1991, Bill Roberts retired.
During 1992, the funeral home was totally redecorated, including new carpet, paint, wallpaper, draperies, and furniture. A handicap rest room was added, and the preparation room was brought into OSHA compliance. Upon completion of the renovation, Webb Funeral Home celebrated its 50-year anniversary in Spruce Pine with an Open House, refreshments, and performances by several local gospel music groups on Sunday, August 23, 1992.
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Chris Pitman Owner/Manager
Chris has been affiliated with Webb Funeral Home since 1978. He graduated in 1984 from Mayland Community College with an A.A.S. degree in Accounting and is a 1987 Honors graduate of Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service with an A.A.S. degree in Funeral Service. He has been involved with the Mitchell High School Athletic Department for more than forty years where he currently serves as Sports Information Director. In addition to Sports Information Director, he has worked as a statistician for the football and basketball programs. During the 1995-1996 and 2003-2004 seasons he was a statistician for the Mitchell Lady Mountaineer State Champion teams. He is a member of the executive committee of the West - Mid-West All-Star Basketball games. The 2020 season will be his forty-forth year as a statistician and member of the Mitchell High School Mountaineers football team. He is married to the former Pamela Sparks and they have two children, Mallory and Jesse. In April of 2020, he welcomed his first grandchild, Naomi into his family. He is a member of the Bear Creek Baptist Church where he serves as Deacon and Training Union Director.
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Walter Johnson Family Services Director
Since the age of 17, Walter F. Johnson has been in and around the Funeral Service Industry, and is a second-generation employee of Heritage Family Funeral Service. He served his apprenticeship at Hampton Funeral Service in Boone, North Carolina, where he also worked for seven years. Walter is a 2015 graduate of Fayetteville Technical Community College with a degree in funeral service. He is a licensed funeral director, and is a licensed pre-need counselor in North Carolina. Walter is married to Pam (Cornett) Johnson. They have two children, Zack and Kaylee, and they live in Boone, North Carolina. They are active members of Willow Valley Baptist Church (Watauga County), where Walter serves as a deacon and in other leadership roles.
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Michael Hendricks Family Services Counselor
Michael was born in Jacksonville, Florida and graduated from Andrew Jackson High School. He is a licensed life insurance agent, with several years of experience. He retired from Publix Supermarkets in 2016. Michael enjoys assisting our families with their monument needs, aftercare consulting and pre-arrangement planning.
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Mark Huskins Ambassador
Mark is married to the former Donna Garland and they reside in Bakersville. He is a member of the Roan Mountain Baptist Church. Mark has been involved with the Mitchell High School Mountaineers Football program for twenty-five years where he serves as a statistician. He also currently serves as the Assistant Fire Chief with the Ledger Fire Department.
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TJ Miller Funeral Assistant
TJ has been associated with Webb Funeral Home since 1982. He is married to the former, Judy McKinney of the Brummetts Creek community in Bakersville. He has three children, eight grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. He has an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Divinity from Tabernacle Baptist Bible College in Greenville, SC. and he is a member of the Sullins Branch Baptist Church in Spruce Pine, NC.
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Arthur Buchanan Funeral Assistant
Arthur has been associated with Webb Funeral home since the spring of 2020. He is married to the former, Annita Styles and recently celebrated his fifty-sixth wedding anniversary. He has four daughters, seven grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. He has served as the Pastor of the Burleson Chapel Freewill Baptist Church for forty-three years.
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Bryan Hughes Funeral Director/Embalmer
Bryan is a native of Avery County and a graduate of Avery High School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from King College in Bristol, TN and also graduated Salutatorian from Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service in Atlanta, GA with an Associate in Science Degree in Funeral Service. Bryan enjoys fishing, hunting, the beach, contemporary gospel music, and traveling.
