Our History
In 1923, Paul Cook, an 11 year old farm boy from Grant County, Kentucky, moved to Bristol, Tennessee, to live with his uncle, J. W. Huff and the Huff family, in their apartment above the new Huff and Campbell Funeral Home at 101 Pennsylvania Avenue. He arrived just in time to help move the firm from the old "undertaking parlor" on State Street to the new building, claimed to be the largest and most modern funeral home facility in the entire area. Paul Cook followed his uncle in the funeral service profession and went on to serve Bristol and the surrounding area as a funeral director and embalmer for more than fifty years. The Pennsylvania Avenue location was operated as Huff and Campbell Funeral Home.
J. W. Huff Funeral Service, Huff-Cook Funeral Home, and Paul Cook Funeral Home, when Paul Cook purchased the Huff family interest in the firm in 1942.
Sid Oakley began working at Paul Cook Funeral Home in 1960 when he was 13 years old. He purchased the funeral home on November 1, 1978, and he and Paul Cook managed the firm together until Mr. Cook‘s death on January 5, 1981. In July of 1981, Sid purchased a building and 1-1/2 acres of land on Volunteer Parkway in Bristol, totally renovated the property, and opened Oakley-Cook Funeral Home in January of 1982. The Pennsylvania Avenue firm was closed in March of that year. In 1988 Oakley-Cook became part of Heritage Family Funeral Services.
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Mark Aaroen Manager, Funeral Director and Embalmer
Mark Aaroen has been a licensed funeral director and embalmer for 34 years, and has an extensive background in operations management and staff development having managed firms of various sizes throughout his career. Mark has held membership in several professional organizations including, the National Funeral Director Association and Selected Independent Funeral Homes. Mark is married to Marcy Aaroen and they have three sons. Mark and Marcy are members of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Johnson City, TN.
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Sid Oakley Retired Funeral Director
Sid Oakley founded Oakley-Cook Funeral Home in 1982 and was a co-founder of Heritage Family Funeral Services, Inc and Heritage Family Cemeteries, Inc. He retired from funeral service and from the boards of Heritage Family Funeral Services and Heritage Family Cemeteries in May of 2011 during the fiftieth anniversary year of his employment with the former Paul Cook Funeral Home of Bristol.
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Scott Greene Family Services Counselor
Scott is a native of Johnson City and graduated from Daniel Boone High School. He is a licensed life insurance agent, with several years of experience. He is an ordained minister, having worked extensively in youth ministries and served as Youth Pastor at several local churches. Scott and his wife Patti live in Bluff City. They have one son, Scott (and daughter-in-law Maryl) and one granddaughter, Amber. They attend Chinquapin Grove Baptist Church. Scott joined our staff in 2018 as a pre-need counselor and has also worked in cemetery and monument sales. His duties with us have recently expanded to include assisting our families full-time in aftercare consulting and pre-arrangement planning.
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Kari A Eldreth Administrative Assistant
