If experience is a good teacher, then J.W. Curry & Son Funeral Home is well-schooled. J.W. (Jim) Curry, founder and great-grandfather of Kay Curry, manager, took the train from his home in Princeton, KY to Newbern, TN, where he caught a stagecoach to Dyersburg. In 1881, he established his furniture and undertaking business.
Jim and Julia Curry had 2 children, Joe and Florence Eleanor. Joe married Stella Groves when he was 17. At age 16, he joined his father in the business, affecting a change in the name to J.W. Curry & Son. Jim and Joe were a great comfort to people in their sorrow. They bought the handsome R.M. Hall home on Sampson Avenue in 1921, built-in 1901. It made the perfect site for a business that demands dignity, reverence and serenity because of the rich wood paneling and carvings and being sheltered by large shade trees. The first floor was used for the funeral parlor and the second floor was a spacious apartment for the family. At this time, the furniture business was discontinued.
Joe married Stella Groves and they had 4 children: Frances, Joe (Baby Joe), Tom and Charlotte. Jim died in 1935, followed closely by Joe in 1936, with the owners becoming Baby Joe and Tom representing the third generation.
Tom married Ann Brann in 1948 and they had 2 children, Tom, Jr. and Kay. Tom, Sr. was very active in his business as well as a community leader, taking part in everything for the improvement of his community. At the time of his untimely death in 1972, he was Past- President of the Tennessee Funeral Directors Association, as his grandfather, father and brother had been at different times. Tom, Jr. became the manager after his father's death. Ann, Tom's widow was also very active in the business, until her death in 2001. Kay joined the staff in 1977 and became the manager in 2000. Tom, Jr. and Kay became the fourth generation to operate Curry Funeral Home.
Curry Funeral Home continues to serve with the same professionalism that established the business as a success over a century ago. The entire staff is careful to maintain its aged reputation for thoughtfulness, courtesy and dignity.
