Dealing with the passing of a loved one is one of the hardest parts of life. Keith Kimble, owner of Kimble Funeral Home in Franklin and now in Marlinton, says his goal is to make funeral arrangements easier.

ﾓOur goal for our service is to make everything very personal, from the day you come in to start making arrangements to the final service at the cemetery,ﾔ Kimble said. ﾓDeath is probably the hardest time than anything you will go through in your life. You want a service that is nice and comforting, so I want something that everyone can be proud of.ﾔ

Kimble has been a funeral director for 34 years and opened a second funeral home Monday in Marlinton to offer services to people in Pocahontas County. With the doors opening March 28, Kimble Funeral Home is prepared to offer a welcoming and comforting environment to help mourning families.

Kimbleﾒs offers a vast array of caskets which can be personalized with embroidered inserts, LifeSymbols corners, LifeStories Medallions and MemorySafe drawers.

The LifeSymbols corners can be removed from the casket and placed on a plaque as a keepsake. The MemorySafe drawers are inside the casket and offer a place for mementos.

Cremation services also have an array of selections, including keepsake urns, keepsake items for ashes and burial urns.

Although pets cannot be prepared for burial or cremation at the funeral home, Kimble said pet owners are welcome to purchase an urn or other burial container for their pets.

The funeral home has a chapel/viewing area that seats 150, an additional room that seats 50, wheelchair accessible bathrooms, a playroom for children and a modern display room with a selection of caskets and urns, as well as offices and an embalming room. As for cremations, Kimble will use a crematory in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

The display room has only a corner of the casket on display, with pull-out displays showing examples of interior materials.
As a funeral director, Kimble works with people when they are going through a terrible part of life, but he enjoys helping them get through their grief by offering the best service he can.

ﾓThe best part of my job is when, after the service, a family member comes up, gives me a hug and says, ﾑthank you for all your help, I donﾒt know what we would have done without you.ﾒ That lets me know that Iﾒve done my job right,ﾔ he said.

An open house for Kimble Funeral Home will be held April 10.