Hathaway-Percy, Tetrick Funeral Homes have provided many decades of service

From Staff Reports

   Hathaway-Percy Funeral Home and Tetrick Funeral Home both have many decades of providing service to families in Elizabethton and Carter County.
   "Hathaway-Percy Funeral Home is undergoing a renovation project to beautify our facility in order to better serve our families," a news release states. "New chandeliers have been added to the chapel in addition to new carpeting and padded pews along with a fresh coat of paint and new carpeting throughout the entire inside of the building. The family arrangement room will be moved to the first floor for easier access." New furniture is in the visitation room.
   "The lounge will also be completely renovated. The renovations will be completed shortly. During the renovation period, the same quality of service that our families have always experienced can still be expected."
   The roots of Hathaway-Percy Funeral Home can be traced to the 1890s when the Williams Furniture and Undertaking Company operated in the 600 block of East Elk Avenue in downtown Elizabethton. Early in the 20th century, Nat C. Nave, E.E. Hathaway and J.B. Nave purchased the business and changed the name to Nave Furniture Company. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Naves and Mr. Hathaway "lost everything they had," which was the case with so many people, and the business was taken over by the courts.
   In 1932, Roy Hathaway, E.E. Hathaway's youngest son, bought the undertaking department of the business from the courts and opened Roy Hathaway Funeral Home. In 1935, Roy Hathaway moved the establishment into the old Moreland Home, a stately residence at the corner of F Street and Lynn Avenue. In 1954, Mr. Hathaway took in Mr. Frank "Bob" Percy as a business partner and changed the name of the firm to Hathaway-Percy Funeral Home.
   The firm was moved to its present location at the corner of F and Roan Streets, after the purchase and renovation of the former Watauga Hotel Building, which had been built in the mid-1920s. In 1974, the Sunset Chapel was added to the existing structure.
   Cecil Eggers, Funeral Director, first entered the funeral service under the guidance of Don Tetrick in 1963. After pursuing other endeavors for a few years, he returned as a part-time associate and accepted full-time status in 1991. He became a licensed funeral director in 1995.
   As is the case with Hathaway-Percy Funeral Home, the history of Tetrick Funeral Home goes back many decades. Many years ago, North Funeral Home was founded in Elizabethton by H.S. North. In 1943, Donald W. Tetrick purchased the North firm upon moving to Elizabethton from Joplin, Mo. Don Tetrick and his father, the late Glen W. "Pappy" Tetrick, operated Tetrick Funeral Home together until Pappy Tetrick retired in 1960.
   In 1963, the Riverside Chapel was added to the former residence from which Tetrick Funeral Home operated. This structure was one of the first formal church-type chapels to be added by any funeral home in this region. In 1968, Richard Tetrick graduated from the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science and joined his father, Don, in the operation of Tetrick Funeral Home. In 1974, Don and Richard opened Tetrick's Rhododendron Chapel in Roan Mountain, Tenn. Don Tetrick retired in 1981 and sold his interest in the business to Richard, but Don is seen helping his friends around the community almost every day.
   In 1984, Tetrick Funeral Home was extensively renovated and expanded, with the removal of the original structure that had housed the operation for many years. In 2001, the Chapel of Peace was added and the entire building was completely remodeled. In addition to its original Riverside Chapel and the Chapel of Peace, the building now features two drawing room chapels. With the increase in the number of nighttime funerals, four services can now be conducted in the building at one time.
   Tetrick Funeral Home, now one of the most modern and largest full service funeral homes in the Southeast United States, is located at 211 North Riverside Drive, Elizabethton. For more information, call 542-2232.
   Hathaway-Percy Funeral Home is located at 101 East F Street, Elizabethton. For more information, call 543-5544.