Our History
The Howze Mortuary, Inc. is a family-owned funeral home, located at the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains in northern Greenville County, serving families for over 78 years.
The mortuary’s history dates back to 1948, when Harold Stillwell opened Stillwell Mortuary in a home on North Poinsett Highway in Travelers Rest. Around 1950, he built a new facility nearby and operated there until 1958. That year, James M. O’Dell purchased the business and continued at the same location until 1963, when he relocated it to a remodeled home at State Park Road and Poinsett Highway, renaming it O’Dell Mortuary.
In 1972, Townes and Kathleen Howze acquired the mortuary and renamed it The Howze Mortuary, Inc. the following year. In 1996, construction began on the current facility, which opened in 1997, featuring a spacious 200-seat chapel, four visitation rooms, and ample parking.
In 2009, Raymond “Bo” and Brynda Brown purchased the mortuary and continued its tradition of compassionate, family-oriented service to the Travelers Rest community.
On December 30, 2025, the funeral home entered a new chapter as Matthew Moyer and his wife, Susan Roberts Moyer, became its new owners, continuing a long-standing tradition of care. Matt brings 30 years of experience in funeral service, including 14 years spent serving families right here at The Howze Mortuary—a place that already feels like home to him.
Together with their dedicated staff, Matt and Susan are deeply committed to honoring the legacy that began in 1948. Their goal is simple but meaningful: to walk alongside every family they serve, offering not only professionalism, but genuine compassion, understanding, and personal care during life’s most difficult moments.
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Matt Moyer Owner/President/Manager/Advance Planning Director/SC Licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer, FDE2739
Matt has been with The Howze Mortuary since July 2012. A native of Easley, South Carolina, he graduated from the Funeral Service Program at Piedmont Technical College in July 2002. He is a licensed South Carolina funeral director and embalmer and also holds a South Carolina preneed license.Matt is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association and South Carolina Funeral Directors Association (Piedmont Group). He is married to Susan Roberts Moyer of Greenville, and they attend Easley Bible Methodist Church. They have four children: Clark, Dalton, Duncan, and Will.
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Chad Payne SC Funeral Director/ Embalmer, FDE2830
Chad has been a licensed funeral director and embalmer since 2004, receiving his A.A.S. in Mortuary Science from Piedmont Technical College in Greenwood. He is a Certified Crematory Operator and a Certified Preplanning Consultant with the National Funeral Directors Association and is also a member of the South Carolina Funeral Directors Association.Chad is married to Julie Wardlaw Payne, and they have three children, Bella, Breydan and Jackson.
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Cheyenne Westwood SC Licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer, FDE4810
Cheyenne earned her associates degree in Mortuary Science from Piedmont Technical College in August of 2023 and has been licensed since December of 2025. She has been a certified crematory operator since 2022. Cheyenne is married to Austin Westwood and they have three children, Jacob, Paisley, and Maci.
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Jonathan R. Norris Full Time Associate, Non-Licensed
Jonathan has been with The Howze Mortuary since February of 2015 and is a graduate of Wade Hampton High School. He holds his Certificate in Funeral Directing from the Funeral Service Program at Piedmont Technical College in Greenwood, SC. Jonathan is married to the former Chelsea Snyder and they have four children, Liam Wade Norris, Amelia Rose Norris, Baker Thomas Norris and Hazel Jane Norris along with their family pet dogs, Chuck, Willow and Scout. Jonathan enjoys playing golf in his spare time and spending time with his family and friends.
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Susan Moyer Part Time Associate, Non-Licensed Staff
Susan is married to Matthew Moyer, and they have four Children, Clark, Dalton, Duncan, and Will. Susan plays the piano and attends Easley Bible Methodist Church.
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Tyler Holmes SC Apprentice Funeral Director/ Embalmer 4784
Tyler is currently serving his apprenticeship in funeral service. A graduate of Hampton Park Christian School, Tyler grew up in Taylors, South Carolina, the son of Aubrey Walker and Benny Holmes. He is pursuing his calling to serve families with care and respect during their most difficult times. In his free time, Tyler enjoys hiking, camping, fishing, and studying history. His love for the outdoors and appreciation for the past shape the dedication and compassion he brings to his work.
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Mike Conroy Part Time Associate, Non-Licensed Staff
Mike joined the staff of The Howze Mortuary in November of 2023.
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Benny Holmes Part Time Associate, Non-Licensed Staff
Benny has been with The Howze Mortuary since September of 1999. Benny grew up in Travelers Rest, graduating from Travelers Rest High School and is a Lieutenant with the Wade Hampton Fire Department - Wade Hampton Blvd. He has one son, Tyler, along with 5 stepchildren: Emma, Noah, Eli, Owen and Alex. Benny is married to Measha Holmes and they enjoy traveling to the mountains and the beach.
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Joseph Hudson Part Time Associate, Non-Licensed Staff
Joseph joined The Howze Mortuary in September of 2019. He is currently the Minister of Music at Cleveland First Baptist Church in Cleveland, SC. Joseph is a graduate of Travelers Rest High School and has furthered his education at North Greenville University. In his spare time, Joseph is an avid collector of railroadania and enjoys fishing with friends.
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Del Huff Part Time Associate, Non-Licensed Staff
Del has been with The Howze Mortuary since February of 2020. He attended Travelers Rest High and Greenville Technical College where he earned his AS Degree in Electricity/Electronics. Del and his wife Kim started Splash Pools Inc. here in Travelers Rest and owned the business for 28 years before selling in 2016. Del is a veteran of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force and retired from the Air Force Reserves in 2011. Del and Kim are members of Locust Hill Baptist Church.
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John Moon Part Time Associate, Non-Licensed Staff
John has been with The Howze Mortuary since September of 2020. John and his wife Judy are members of Northwest Baptist Church. John is an avid golfer and they both enjoy spending time with their grandchildren and traveling to the beach and Disney World.
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Randall Norris Part Time Associate, Non-Licensed Staff
Randall "Pistol" Norris has been with The Howze Mortuary since June of 2016. He is married to the former Sherry Goodreau and they are members of Clearview Baptist Church in Travelers Rest and reside in Greenville. Randall is the father of Jonathan Norris who is a Funeral Director Assistant here at the mortuary; two daughters, Lindsay Barker and Lauren Swan, and is the son of Jerry and Patricia Norris. Randall is employed with Blackhawk, Inc. and in his spare time he loves to fish, has a clown ministry with clown name "Pistol", sings with the group "Heartsound Quartet" and dresses as Santa during the Christmas season.
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John Parker Part Time Associate, Non-Licensed Staff
John retired from ministry leadership in July of 2023 to return to Easley, SC with his wife Cathy in order to care for John’s ailing parents. John and Catherine graduated from Bible College in 1978, were married that summer and immediately went into full time ministry. They planted a new church in south Alabama, and pastored in Easley and Indiana for a total of 34 years in Pastoral ministry. John served as Director of International Missions for his denomination, The Bible Methodist Connection of Churches for eight years. His last role in ministry leadership was in the position of Conference President of the Southern Regional Conference of the Bible Methodist Connection of Churches. John and Cathy have a son and three daughters, and 11 amazing grandchildren. John is currently leading worship music at their home church, Easley Bible Methodist and speaking for Revivals, Conventions and Camp Meetings. He is enjoying working with the team at Howze Mortuary. He says it feels more like ministry than work!
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Duncan Moyer Part Time Associate, Non-Licensed Staff
Duncan is a student at Bob Jones Academy. He plays in the handbell choir and loves working with technology. He attends Easley Bible Methodist Church.
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William Moyer Part Time Associate, Non-Licensed Staff
Will is a student at Bob Jones Academy. He plays trumpet in the Highschool band and loves to go to the gymn after school. He attends Easley Bible Methodist Church.
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Phillip Tate Part Time Associate, Non-Licensed Staff
Phillip joined The Howze Mortuary in January of 2020. He is employed by the City of Travelers Rest as the Director of Public Works. Phillip is a graduate of Travelers Rest High School and is married to Debbie Tate.Phillip and Debbie are the proud parents of Bailey Tate and Emily Tate.
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Jerry Norris Part Time Associate, Non-Licensed Staff
Jerry has been with The Howze Mortuary since September of 2016. Jerry is the elder statesman in the Norris trio that works here at The Howze Mortuary. Jerry and his wife Patricia are members of Clearview Baptist Church in Travelers Rest.
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Doug Godfrey Part Time Associate, Non-Licensed Staff
Doug has been with The Howze Mortuary since March of 2016. Doug has been in the ministry for 23 years and is currently the pastor of Little Mountain Baptist Church in Wellford, SC. Doug and his wife Amy live in Lyman, SC and they have three children: Morgan, Sam and Luke along with a new granddaughter, Macie Illa Grace Godfrey. Doug is employed with The Greenville County School System and proudly served his country in The United States Marine Corps. having served in Iraq.
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Raymond “Bo” Brown III SC Licensed Funeral Director, FD2346/SC Licensed Embalmer, EMB1818
Raymond has been associated with the mortuary since 1994. He and his wife Brynda purchased the mortuary from The Howze Family in 2009 and owned it until December 2025 when they sold it to Matthew and Susan Moyer. Originally from Piedmont, SC, Bo is a 1977 graduate of Wren High School and 1996graduate of Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service. He is a life member of the Travelers Rest Historical Society, National Railway Historical Society, Vice President of the Railroadiana Collectors Association, Inc., President of the Carolina Railroad Heritage Association and has in the past had a Christian ClownMinistry. Bo and Brynda enjoy traveling and looking for Railroad Memorabilia along with meeting up with fellow collectors attending shows around the country. In retirement he & Brynda plan to travel around the country and ride as many railroads as they can.
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Dean E. Weinmueller Semi-Retired SC Licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer, FDE3213
Dean was employed with The Howze Mortuary from March of 2002 until his retirement in June of 2024. Dean is originally from Vassar, MI and prior to working in Funeral Service, Dean had a successful career in Textile Manufacturing. Dean attended Bob Jones University and is a 2005 graduate of Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service in Atlanta, GA. He is a member of The National Funeral Directors Association and South Carolina Funeral Directors Association - Piedmont Group. He is married to Teresa and they have two sons: Hans Weinmueller (Kathie) and Erich Weinmueller (Andrea); and grandson, Tyler. Both of his sons are Deputies with The Greenville County Sheriff's Department. Dean and Teresa are members of Freedom Baptist Church in Berea.
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Dave Hamblen Part Time Associate, Non-Licensed Staff
Dave has been with The Howze Mortuary since November of 2016. Originally from Lima Ohio, Dave is a retired Respiratory Therapist with Spartanburg Regional Hospital. Dave and his wife Laurie are residents of Easley, SC and enjoy traveling to the beach and spending time with their family, especially their grandchildren.
