Beck Funeral Home

Clayton, GA

Carrie Beck is a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer serving families at Beck Funeral Home in Clayton, Georgia. A graduate of Rabun County High School, she continued her education at Mid-America College of Funeral Service in Jeffersonville, Indiana, where she earned her degree in Funeral Service.

Carrie returned home to Rabun County to join her family's funeral home, where she works alongside her father, Samuel R. Beck, continuing the family's tradition of compassionate and personalized service. As a second-generation funeral director, she is committed to honoring every family's unique needs with professionalism, integrity, and genuine care.

Hightower Funeral Home

Bremen, GA 

Hello, my name is Jacquelyn Hightower McKinzie, and I am a fourth-generation funeral director and embalmer at Hightower Funeral Home in Bremen, Georgia.

I graduated from Bremen High School in 2013 before earning my bachelor's degree in Public Administration from Auburn University in 2018. I then attended John A. Gupton College of Mortuary Science and graduated in 2020. It is especially meaningful to me to share this alma mater with my grandfather, Richard Hightower, who graduated from John A. Gupton in 1958. Returning home to serve alongside my family was never a question, it was exactly where I knew I was meant to be.

Growing up in the funeral home taught me that funeral service is about far more than making arrangements. It is about walking with families through some of the hardest days of their lives, offering comfort, compassion, and hope when they need it most. This profession has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. At five years old, I proudly showed my first family in for their first viewing, and from that moment on, I knew this was where my heart belonged.

For my family, funeral service has never simply been a career; it is our ministry to the community that has loved, trusted and supported our family for generations. It is a privilege to continue the work started by those who came before me, serving each family with the same compassion, dignity, and personal care that have been the foundation of Hightower Funeral Home for generations. Being entrusted with someone's loved one is one of life's greatest responsibilities, and I consider it an honor every single day.

In 2022, I married my wonderful husband, Dalton McKinzie, and together we are raising our two-year-old son, Chayson. Watching him grow reminds me daily why family matters so much. It is our prayer that one day he will choose to continue our family's tradition of serving others as the fifth generation, but above all, we hope he grows to love people and serve them with the same compassion that has been passed down through our family for generations.

It is truly an honor to serve as District Chair of the Georgia Funeral Directors Association. I am grateful for the confidence my fellow funeral directors have placed in me and look forward to serving our members while strengthening the profession we all love. I believe funeral service is one of the most meaningful callings a person can have, and I am thankful to stand alongside so many who have dedicated their lives to caring for others.

Watson-Hunt Funeral Home

Perry, GA

Lisa has lived in Perry, Georgia, most of her life. She graduated from The Westfield Schools, received an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration from Middle Georgia College in Cochran, and graduated from Georgia Southwestern College with a Bachelor's Degree in Middle Grades Education. Always eager to further her education, she returned to Georgia Southwestern for a Master's Degree in Reading Education. After over a decade of teaching school, she became a stay-at-home mom with her newborn twins. While she enjoyed her babies, an opportunity to serve her community was presented, and Lisa accepted a part-time position with Watson-Hunt Funeral Home as a Family Services Counselor, assisting families with pre-planning their own funerals. It wouldn’t be long before she discovered a hidden passion for directing and planning funerals, and she returned to college and earned an Associate’s Degree in Mortuary Science from Ogeechee Technical College. She proudly turned her part-time position into a full-time career and is a Georgia Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer. Lisa has taken courses and is also a licensed Georgia Life Insurance Agent, a licensed Georgia Cemetery Sales Agent, and is an NFDA Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC) and an NFDA Certified Cremation Services Provider (CCSP). She is a member of the Georgia Funeral Directors Association and the National Funeral Directors Association. Lisa has been nominated for Perry Business Woman of the Year and was the 2013 recipient of the Seabie Hickson Community Service Award presented by the Perry Chamber of Commerce. On January 1, 2020, she purchased Watson-Hunt Funeral Home from long-time owner and funeral director, Mr. Draper Watson, whose parents began Watson-Hunt Funeral Home in the late 1950's.

Lisa makes her home in Perry with her children, Catherine “Sissy” Hays, and Cary “Tank” Hays. Her daughter, Korah Beth Clark, lives and works in Murray, Kentucky. Lisa is a member of Perry United Methodist Church, where she previously served on the Administrative Board. She is a long-time member of one of the Women's Service Leagues in Perry, the Balvaunuca Club. She is the founder and annual Event Chairman for Balvaunuca’s Mistletoe Market since it's inception in 2005. Lisa continues to serve on the Board of Directors for Jay's HOPE, a Childhood Cancer Foundation, and served on the Board of Directors at Heart of Georgia Hospice, a non-profit Hospice Organization serving all of Middle Georgia. She loves Perry and Houston County and is proud to continue serving the community in various ways.

Townsend Brothers Funeral Home

Dublin, GA

Kenny Jones began his dedicated career in the funeral service industry in 1989. He earned his degree from Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service in 1991. Today, he serves as the General Manager of Townsend Brothers Funeral Home, where he proudly serves Dublin-Laurens County and the surrounding areas.

With nearly four decades of experience, Kenny finds deep personal fulfillment in serving families and helping others during their most challenging moments. His commitment to compassionate care is reflected both in his professional work and his active involvement in the community, including his membership in the Dublin Exchange Club.

Outside of his work, Kenny is devoted to his family. He shares his life with his wife of 32 years, Tamanie. Together, they have two children, Alex (married to Caroline) and Alyssa. Kenny is also the proud grandfather (“Buddy”) to his two grandchildren, Ford and Baker.

Cobb Funeral Chapel

Moultrie, GA

Rocky L. Ezell, CFSP, began his career in funeral service in 1998, at Whiddon-Shiver Funeral Home in Thomasville, Georgia. From there, Rocky worked at Clark Funeral Home in Cairo, Georgia (2002-2009), as a Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer, Abbey Funeral Home in Tallahassee, Florida (2009-2023), as Senior Licensed Funeral Director in Charge, again at Clark Funeral Home (2023-2025), until he assumed the reins (March 2025), as Managing Director of Cobb Funeral Chapel and Cobb-Suncrest Memorial Gardens in Moultrie, Georgia, helping continue the legacy that Gayla and Bobby L. Cobb established in 1974.

A 2007 honors graduate from Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro, Georgia, with an Associate of Funeral Service Degree, he obtained his Georgia License in December 2007, followed by his Florida License in October 2009. In 2015, he obtained the designation as Certified Funeral Service Practitioner from the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice. He has been an active member of the Academy of Graduate Embalmers since 2007 and has served as Sergeant-at-Arms since 2022. He is also a member of the Georgia Funeral Directors Association, serving as Sergeant-at-Arms at the 2025 Summer Convention, and now serves as the District IV Chairman.

Roundtree Funeral Home

Homerville, GA

Jonathan Roundtree is a native of Ware County and was raised in Blackshear and Homerville. He is a graduate of Clinch County High School and a 2000 graduate of Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service in Atlanta, GA. Jonathan also owns Frye Funeral Home in Nahunta, GA and is a partner at Miles-Odum Funeral Home in Waycross. He is a former president of the Academy of Graduate Embalmers of Georgia. Jonathan is married to the former Apryl Bateson. Apryl is employed by the Ware County Board of Education as a First Grade Teacher at Williams Heights Elementary. They have two daughters, Alyssa, and her husband Deloache, she is a Speech Therapist in the Savannah area, and Clara Grace who is in a Junior at Georgia Southern University. And one granddaughter, Rowyn.  He enjoys boating, golf, hunting, and spending time with his family.