LEA & SIMMONS FUNERAL HOME - Key Persons
Barbie Smith is a life-long resident of Haywood County. She brings a high level of expertise and service to our funeral home, having worked in the medical field for over 25 years. Her dedication to helping people in their time of need is a tremendous asset to Lea & Simmons Funeral Home.
She is married to Robert Smith and they have one daughter, Kimberly Hood and her husband, Robin. They are blessed with two grandchildren, Rylee and Sawyer. They reside in Medina, TN.
She and Robert are faithful members of New Vision Baptist Church in Brownsville. She enjoys going to the lake with her family, cheering on her grandchildren as they play sports, and cooking!
Chris was born and raised in Brownsville. He has two children, Emma, and Joseph. Chris is very active in the community and has proudly served on many boards throughout the city and county. Some include the Haywood County Commission, Budget Committee, Public Safety and Jail Committee, Carl Perkins Advisory Board of Directors, Haywood Park Hospital Board of Trustees, and the Rotary Club. He is a member of New Vision Baptist Church.
Chris proudly joins Elliott, Jody, and the rest of our caring staff in serving the wonderful citizens of Haywood County and surrounding areas in providing the most compassionate service in caring for the loss of their loved one.
Chris brings with him over 35 years of experience in the funeral industry and is a graduate of John A. Gupton College of Mortuary Science. He is also licensed in the states of Arkansas and Mississippi and has earned the designation of Certified Funeral Service Practitioner.
In 2022, Chris was appointed to the Tennessee State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers by Governor Bill Lee.
Chris also heads our pet loss division which provides burial and cremation services for our loyal companions.
Chris takes great pride that our funeral group is 100% locally owned and operated; therefore you can be assured that it is "Our Family Serving Your Family".
Job Titles:
- Licensed Funeral Director, Licensed Embalmer, Licensed Insurance Agent
Cindy is a Friendship, TN native and a 1993 graduate of Crockett County High School. She graduated from John A. Gupton College of Mortuary in 2013 and has been serving the families of Crockett and Haywood Counties for the past 8 years. In 2017, she received her license as a Pre-need Counselor.
Cindy manages the Bells Funeral Home and the Brownsville Home. You can contact her at either locaiton at any time and schedule an appointment to meet with her, whether to make funeral arrangements, to obtain information about pre-needs or just to help anwers questions you might have about funerals, cremaitions, etc. She has a wealth of knowledge about funerals and a compassionate heart to help you in your time of need.
Cindy is married to Darron B. Blalock and has three children, Robert Pace, James Conner Pace and Brilee Blalock. Cindy is an animal lover of all kinds. Cindy is very proud to be serving alongside her son, Robert and son, James Conner.
Job Titles:
- Owner, Licensed Funeral Director, Licensed Embalmer, Licensed Insurance Agent
Elliott was born and raised in Brownsville, TN. A graduate of Haywood High School and Northwest Mississippi College with a degree in Mortuary Science. Elliott has been in the funeral business for 20+ years.
Elliott's desire to have a career in the funeral business started while he was in high school working for Brownsville-Bells Funeral Homes.
Elliott and his wife, Lisa have two children, Bryse & Brenna Carlton, both who are attending Mississippi State University.
Serving the people of Haywood, Crockett and surrounding counties in their time of need is a great honor for Elliott.
James was born and raised in Crockett County by his mother, Cindy Blalock. He is a graduate of Crockett County High School. He has been assisting with funerals for the past 4 years at Lea & Simmons, Brownsville and Bells.
He enjoys spending time with his friends and family. He also finds enjoyment in his extensive collection of Gundam Model Kits.
Job Titles:
- Member of New Vision Baptist Church
- Owner, Licensed Funeral Director, Licensed Embalmer, Licensed Insurance Agent
Jody is a lifelong resident of Brownsville and attended Haywood County Schools. Jody graduated from John A. Gupton College of Mortuary Science of Nashville in 1990. Jody is married to Jeanna Roberts Lea of Brownsville and has 3 children, J.T. Lea Jr., Miller Lea, and Avery Bradford Lea.
In 2009, Jody fulfilled his dream of owning his own funeral home with the help of his brother Chris Lea and good friend, Elliott Simmons.
Jody is a member of New Vision Baptist Church. He has served with the The Brownsville Business Association, as well as an Ambassador for the Chamber of Commerce. He served as the West Director of the Tennessee Funeral Directors Association & The Haywood County Leadership Board of Trustees and was a graduate of the 2011 Leadership Class. Jody was chosen as the 2011 Ambassador of the Year.
He loves spending time at the Tennessee River with his family. He is an avid fan of the University of Tennessee sports. He loves the outdoors and enjoys hunting and fishing as well.
Mike Marbury was born and raised in Haywood County. The last of eight children, son of Herbert Lee Marbury and Olive Sullivan Marbury. Mike has one daughter, Summer Marbury Smith. He graduated from Bells High School in 1970 and a member of the Baptist Church. He retired from the Tennessee Farmer's Coop after 40 ½ years. He is a volunteer for the Bells Fall Festival and his hobbies include gardening, cooking and traveling
Job Titles:
- Family Service Counselor, Funeral Assistant, Licensed Insurance, and Preneed Agent
Richard was born and raised in Bolivar, TN. He is a graduate of Bolivar Central High School, Union University, and Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. Richard brings great experience in Family Care having served on the staff of three churches over the past 40 years.
Richard is available to meet with you to Pre-arrange your funeral in advance. He will carefully walk you though the stages of funeral planning. He has served on the staff at the Lea & Simmons Funeral Group for the past 5 years.
Richard is married to Carol H. Dickerson of Franklin, TN; they have one son, Russell Dickerson, his wife Kailey, and two grandsons, Remington Dickerson and Radford Dickerson, all of Brentwood, TN; one daughter, Claire Murphy, her husband, Virgil Murphy of Baltimore, MD and one dog, named Keegan. He enjoys being a grandparent, watching college sports, following the Tennessee Titans, and following his son's career in Country Music.
Job Titles:
- Funeral Assistant
- Members of New Vision Baptist Church
He is a big sports fan and is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to sports players and statistics related to their particular sport. He particularly enjoys the Tennessee Volunteers, Tennesee Titans, and the Memphis Grizzlies.