Our History
Our facilities offer a warm and inviting atmosphere that will be sure to please you.
Appalachian Funeral Services and Crematorium is totally new to Jackson County and the surrounding area. We are local people, here to serve our friends and family. We are owned by David and Carmaletta Gates. David is originally from the Sylva area, while Carmaletta is originally from the Little Canada area of Jackson County. Both families have been Jackson County residents for several generations.
Appalachian Funeral Services is located in a 12,000 square foot building, designed specifically as a funeral home. We have a large covered porch in the front for family gathering, as well as a covered portico running the length of the building. This portico will allow for convenient loading of the family and rest of the funeral procession regardless of the weather.
Our lobby boasts leather couches, arranged before a huge gas fireplace. There is more than ample space for conversation groups throughout the lobby and large hallway. We have comfortable chairs and benches to accommodate those who need to rest a bit or form a seated group.
Our chapel is 2,400 square feet, with chairs which can be moved and reconfigured, making the room multipurpose. We can accommodate a funeral service, a visitation, or a morning meeting of local pastors with only minor changes. A modern sound booth adjoins the chapel, allowing videotaping and/or projection of services, as well as sharing these images over the world wide web.
We have two large viewing rooms, with comfortable couches and chairs to provide conversation areas for families and friends. Each viewing room is equipped with a large flat screen television to allow memorial tribute videos of your loved one to be shown during the service. Our arrangement room has examples of caskets, urns, and other needed accessories for developing services which are fitting memorials to individuals and lives well spent. We offer locally made urns as well as many other styles. Our in-house crematorium allows us to provide complete burial and crematory services. You can be assured your loved one will not be moved to another facility, or another county.
Our funeral home is designed to help families feel at home. Both our facilities and our staff are dedicated to serving clients and their families with respect, care, and dignity. Let us take care of you and your loved ones during your times of need.