The Howze Mortuary, Inc. is a family owned and operated funeral home located in the Northern part of Greenville County. The mortuary is owned by Townes and Kathleen Howze and they have been helping families in the area for 35 years.

The mortuary traces its roots back to 1948 when Harold Stillwell opened The Stillwell Mortuary in a two story home on North Poinsett Street in Travelers Rest. Around 1950 Mr. Stillwell built a new modern facility just down the street and continued to serve the community until 1958.

Then in 1958 the mortuary was sold to James M. O’Dell and he continued operating at this location until 1963. In 1963 Mr. O’Dell decided it was time to grow so he bought a home at the corner of State Park Road and Poinsett Street and remodeled it to become the new O’Dell Mortuary.

In August of 1972 Townes and Kathleen Howze purchased the mortuary from Mr. O’Dell. In 1973, the name was changed to The O’Dell-Howze Mortuary and six months later it was changed to The Howze Mortuary and it has remained the same for the last 35 years.

On June 20, 1996 ground was broken for our current state of the art funeral home. On April 27th, 1997 a dream of Townes and Kathleen’s to give the Travelers Rest area a new funeral home was realized. Our new mortuary has a 200 plus seat chapel, 4 spacious viewing/visitation rooms and ample parking. We at The Howze Mortuary believe that personal service is the backbone of our business and for the last 35 years we have offered service that is second to none.

In 1972 when Townes & Kathleen Howze purchased the O’Dell Mortuary they did not know anyone in the Travelers Rest area. The one thing they did know was they intended to provide the best service of any funeral home in the area. As a result of this vision the mortuary has become an intricate part of the Northern Greenville landscape in the last 35 years. The reason for their continued success is the care and personal service they give each family they serve. Townes & Kathleen and the staff of The Howze Mortuary believe that funeral service is a calling and because of this they have strived through the years to treat each family with dignity and respect. As a result of this never ending compassion that has been shown to so many families in the area the mortuary is regarded as one of the best in the upstate. At The Howze Mortuary our motto is “Growing through Personal Service”.

Charlton Townes & Kathleen Abell Howze Owner/Manager Townes & Kathleen purchased the mortuary in 1972 from James O’Dell. Townes is a graduate of Cincinnati College of Funeral Service and has been a licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer for 45 years. Townes served on the South Carolina Board of Funeral Service from 1995 to 1998; He was the South Carolina Funeral Director’s Piedmont Group Funeral Director of the Year in 2005; He was chosen to receive the National Service Award from the Rotary Club of the Foothills in 1995 and is currently serving on the Bank of Travelers Rest advisory Board. Kathleen is Past President of the South Carolina Funeral Director’s Ladies Auxiliary.

Raymond U. “Bo” Brown, III Assistant Manager Raymond is a licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer and has been employed with The The Howze Mortuary, Inc. since 1994. He is a graduate of Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service. He was the South Carolina Funeral Director’s Piedmont Group Chairman in 1998 and is currently serving on the North Greenville Hospital Advisory Council.

Steven A. Norman Licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer Steve has been employed with The The Howze Mortuary, Inc. since 1998. Steve is a graduate of Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts and Piedmont Technical College of Funeral Service.

Dean Weinmueller Licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer Dean has been employed with The The Howze Mortuary, Inc. since 2002. Dean is a graduate of Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service.

Beth Richards, M.Div. Apprentice Funeral Director/Embalmer Beth has been employed with The The Howze Mortuary, Inc. since 2006. Beth is a graduate of Furman University, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and Piedmont Technical College of Funeral Service.

Roy Wood Associate Roy has been with The The Howze Mortuary, Inc. since 1984

Greg Robertson Associate Greg has been with The The Howze Mortuary, Inc. since 2003

Ben Plumblee Associate Ben has been with The The Howze Mortuary, Inc. since 2004

David McCauley Associate David has been with The The Howze Mortuary, Inc. since 2004

Doug Lupo Associate Doug has been with The The Howze Mortuary, Inc. since 2005

Jim Braziel Associate Jim has been with The The Howze Mortuary, Inc. since 2006

Jeremy Chism Associate Jeremy has been with The The Howze Mortuary, Inc. since 2007