Our Story
The Welch Story
In 1914, the Welch Family moved from rural Alabama to establish a hardware and undertaking business in the growing town of Longview. Their commitment to service continued as O. Thomas Welch, Sr. became the first licensed embalmer in Gregg County in 1919. The Welch Family built the first structure in Gregg County to be used exclusively as a funeral home in 1939. The stately, colonial home located at 210 South Green Street would serve families for many generations. In September of 1998, work began on a “state of the art” new funeral facility and in 2000 the new building was dedicated. In the summer of 2016, the Welch Family chose, R Blake Cammack, a trusted longtime associate to continue the Welch Family’s commitment to service.
The Sullivan Story
On February 1, 1931, the Marshall News Messenger announced the opening of Sullivan Funeral Home under the direction of George, E. E., and Gordon Sullivan. The Sullivan brothers had many years of experience in the funeral profession having previously been associated with their parent's funeral establishment in Sanger, Texas. A little over six years later on March 18, 1937, a young Bill Sullivan, Jr. accompanied his uncle in their ambulance to the New London School Explosion. It was selfless acts of service like this that helped establish the Sullivan family's reputation of service and unending care. For years, Bill and Carolyn along with the daughters Cindy and Sherry worked side by side serving Harrison County residents day in and day out. In 1999 the decision was made to retire and the funeral home along with the cemeteries were sold to Carriage Services. Through the years Sullivan Funeral Home was run by local managers until on February 1, 2023, the Marshall News Messenger announced that Sullivan Funeral Home was once again under the ownership and management of a local family with deep East Texas roots. The Cammack Family comprised of Blake, his wife, Melissa along with sons Zach and Jackson have longtime ties to Harrison County. Both Blake and Melissa both attended Harleton schools and graduated from Harleton High School. Blake is a graduate of Dallas Institute of Funeral Service and has been a licensed funeral director and embalmer since 2010
The Cammack Story
The Cammack and Maxwell Families have been active members of the community for years. Ethel Cammack moved to Longview in the 1930's to open a boarding house and restaurant. Mrs. Cammack soon became famous for her fried chicken and family style meals which she served at her restaurant on Mobberly Avenue. Blake’s grandmother, Juanita Cammack moved to Longview from Commerce, Texas to teach alongside her uncle, legendary math teacher, C.C. Turner. In 1948, Blake’s maternal grandparents, Vance and Dot Maxwell moved to Longview from Stigler, Oklahoma to establish their family. Through hard work and dedication, they built a successful business in their adopted hometown of Longview where they also became very active in First Christian Church as well as the community. A lifelong lover of horses, Vance owned several farms through the years and purchased a farm in western Harrison County not too far from Harleton. Four M Farms became known for producing world class Tennessee Walking Horses and continues to operate today with operations split between Harleton and Longview. A graduate of Harleton High School and Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, Blake has served East Texas families since 2007 and along with his wife and sons continues to provide the highest level of service established by the Welch and Sullivan families.
Visit www.prepaidfunerals.texas.gov for information relating to the purchase of pre-need funeral contracts including descriptions of the trust and insurance funding options available under state law.
Complaints concerning perpetual care cemeteries should be directed to:
Texas Department of Banking, 2601 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78705; 1-877-276-5554 (toll free), www.dob.texas.gov
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