Why Choose Us

The area’s most complete funeral service provider - discover the difference

Farris Funeral Service and Crematory offers an integrated choice of service options for end-of-life care. Since 1918, we have strived to help families create the type of service you want. We provide a range of service options: simple, traditional, unique gatherings focused on music, food, and fellowship, all with our famous attention to details and excellent service. With over 100 years of continuous service by the Henderson and Farris families, no other county firm has the depth of experience our family offers.

Continued Vision & Leadership

We are in our 5th generation of service and management. We embrace changes in society and offer unique, personalized services, understanding that old traditions don’t always meet the needs of every family. Over 20 years ago, we were the first funeral home in the county to open our own crematory, recognizing cremation offered families important service options.

Service Options

We offer memorial options from our two locations in Abingdon, at your church, or venue of choice. Our spacious Main Street location offers a large traditional chapel, ample parking, and smaller gathering spaces for visitations. Our contemporary center is conveniently located on the grounds of Forest Hills Memory Gardens and provides a different setting for those families with no church affiliation, and for those that prefer the convenience of doing everything at one location. 

Cremation with Confidence

We are the only funeral home in Washington County that has their crematory on-site at our funeral home. Your loved remains in our care, instead of being taken to a third-party crematory, or an out-of-town location. This, along with enhanced security measures is what we mean by cremation with confidence.

Exclusive Preplanning Programs

We are the only funeral home in the region to offer an exclusive an Event Center for our families. Our newly remodeled facility can be used for events such as a family meal after the service, or a Celebration of Life gathering. Catering options are available with our new, enlarged kitchen.

Expert Cemetery Memorial Designs

We have been helping families in our region design custom and lasting tributes for their loved one for decades. From a simple granite marker to a custom upright memorial, our designs, materials, venders, and experience will help you honor the life and legacy of your loved one. Let us assist you in creating your own unique memorial for the cemetery.

Exclusive Grief Resources

Our exclusive grief resources are second to none. By choosing Farris Funeral Service, our families gain access to the HeartLight Center™.  We all grieve differently, so our support needs can be different. The HeartLight Center™ offers a variety of support groups, workshops, seminars and resources for individuals and organizations so that you can access the support that is meaningful to you. Additional free grief resources include Grief Steps™. 365 days of support for hope and healing during the first difficult year after a loss. 

Exclusive Preplanning Programs

We have been helping families preplan and help their loved ones with preplanning for decades. Our directors can explain the unique options available to you.

In August 2022, David II and his wife Sonya, returned to the business after a ten-year absence. Sonya has been a licensed funeral director and embalmer since 2008 and together, they have over 45 years of combined funeral and cemetery management experience. They feel blessed to continue as the fourth husband-wife management team for the business that is honored to serve the residents of the community they have called home for five generations. 

David M. Farris and his wife Barbara purchased the Farris Funeral Service from his parents in 1982. During the 1990s and early 2000's, David and Barbara shared management with their three children: Kimberly, David II, and Kelly as the business continued to grow and add a second location and crematory. Kim Farris-Luke served as President and led the business until 2022.

Mark Farris married into the Henderson family, and in 1952, Mark and Sally Farris moved to Abingdon to establish a branch of the Saltville funeral home. Several years later they purchased the Abingdon location and in 1974, the firm name was changed to Farris Funeral Service.

In 1918, Mr. D. R. “Rybe” Henderson purchased a country general store in Saltville, Virginia. As was common during that time, coffins were among the items offered for sale to the public. Rybe trained as an embalmer and funeral director, and he and his wife Minnie Barnett Henderson served local families in their homes before establishing Henderson Funeral Home in Saltville, which is still operated by the Henderson family.