H.E. TURNER & CO. FUNERAL HOME - Key Persons
Harry Turner served as president until his death on January 30, 1949, when James B. McCulley and Harold J. Bishop took over. The furniture line was gone by the time Bishop assumed sole ownership of the business following McCulley's death in 1953.
Bishop continued the business with the help of new associates, Harold Kruger and Edward Canty, for a dozen years preceding his own death in 1965, at which time, Canty became president of the funeral home. He and Kruger carried on the Turner tradition with the help of Amos Grefrath and George Patterson.
Jim Smith worked at the former C.W. Bohm Mortuary before he came to Turner's. He became president of the firm in 1977.
A second generation funeral director, I was born and raised in Batavia to James and Mary (Calarco) Smith and still call Batavia home. I graduated from Batavia High School in 1997, SUNY Brockport in 2001 and Simmons Institute of Mortuary Science in 2002. I completed my one year residency in 2003 with the H.E. Turner & Co. Funeral Home and have been licensed since then.
I was born August 25, 1973, the second of four children to James and Mary (Calarco) Smith.
I graduated from Batavia High School in 1991 and continued my education at SUNY Geneseo. While at Geneseo, I decided to enter the family business and began working part time for my father in the winter of 1992. I graduated from Geneseo in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology. I continued my studies at Simmons Institute of Funeral Service, receiving my Associates in Mortuary Science in 1996. I've been a licensed funeral director in New York State since 1997.
I married Elizabeth Allen, a long time Elba resident, on September 15, 2007. We have three children; two boys and a girl, Noah, Nicolas, and Lucia and in 2020 we adopted Ellie, our mini golden doodle. We currently reside in Elba and attend Padre Pio Parish - St. Cecilia Worship Site, where I am a member of the men's group and serve as a Lector and usher. I volunteer many hours as a commissioner for the Elba Joint Fire District and assist the district as the vice-chair. I am also a member of the Batavia Rotary Club and have served as a board member of The Jerome Foundation since 1997 and as the foundation president from 2007-2023. I am a graduate of the inaugural class of Leadership Genesee in 2001 and was honored in 2017 by the Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation as an Outstanding Italian American Man of the Genesee County Region.
Job Titles:
- Office Manager & Funeral Assistant
Job Titles:
- Funeral Director Emeritus
My history in funeral service stems from a background in Emergency Medicine (EMS). I was involved in both firefighting and ambulance work in the mid-1970's when I became an Emergency Medical Technician in the state of Ohio. After I moved back to the Batavia area, I began work at Genesee Memorial Hospital (now UMMC) as a medic and hospital orderly. I became familiar with all of the local funeral directors, and through that relationship, felt that Funeral Service represented a great opportunity for service.
I was born in Flint Michigan on August 6, 1957. My father, Rev. Harold McIntire, was a Methodist minister, and some of my earliest memories were of my mother, Margaret "Peg" McIntire as she graduated from nurse's school. The last church that my father pastored was in Batavia and, as I spent some of my childhood here, I felt that Batavia was more home than most of the other places where we had lived. It was good to get back in Batavia.
I enrolled in "mortuary" school in the spring of 1985. I graduated from the Simmons School of Mortuary Science in the fall of 1986, served a one year residency with H.E. Turner & Co., Inc., where I have been since then.
Job Titles:
- Funeral Assistant & Maintenance
Job Titles:
- Funeral Director & Certified Celebrant
A first generation funeral director, I was raised in Wethersfield, a son of Lisa (Drake) Johnson and the late John T. Johnson. After graduating from Letchworth Central School, Class of 2002, I began my formal education at Genesee Community College; graduating in 2005 with an Associate's Degree in Business Administration. Following GCC, I attended Mortuary School at SUNY Canton, graduating in 2006 with high honors and a member of Phi Theta Kappa (International Two Year Honor Society).
I completed my residency with Miller Funeral Homes in Rochester and earned my Funeral Director's License in August of 2007. Following my residency, I worked for a funeral home in Buffalo until I joined the H.E. Turner & Co. team in January of 2011.
In 2013 I opted to continue furthering my education and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Funeral Services Administration from SUNY Canton in 2016. Upon graduation, I was awarded the college's Ethics and Professionalism Award and was nominated for the American Funeral Director Magazine's "Ones to Watch." In July 2018 I was awarded the designation of CFSP (Certified Funeral Service Practitioner). I am currently an MBA Candidate at Medaille College.
My wife, Jessica and I currently reside in Batavia. We welcomed our first child, a daughter, Kaleesi, on May 23, 2017. I am a member of the New York State Funeral Director's Association, and the National Funeral Director's Association. I strive to continue furthering my professional education which will allow me to better serve the families of Genesee County.
I currently serve on the Crossroads House Board of Directors as Vice President and Chair NFDA's Convention Education Task Force, and NYSFDA's Constitution & Bylaws Committee. I am a past member of the Genesee Cancer Assistance Board of Directors, the Advisory Board to SUNY Canton's Mortuary Science Program, the Committee for Continuing Education with the New York State Funeral Director's Association, and the Executive Board of the Rochester Genesee Valley Funeral Director's Association. I am also a past adjunct instructor in the Mortuary Science Department at SUNY Canton. In the spring of 2013 I became a Certified as a Funeral Celebrant; and in 2023 became a Certified Cremation Service Provider.
A first generation funeral director, I was raised in Edwards, New York, the son of Rev. Reginald and Pamela (Phillips) Curtis.
Having moved around when I was younger, I graduated from Humansville High School in Missouri and soon after married my high school sweetheart, Amanda.