Our History
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, Mr. Roy 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.
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Charlie Bowman Operations Manager
Charlie Bowman is a native of Greeneville, Tennessee, and attended Walters State College before receiving his B.B.A. Degree from East Tennessee State University and his B.A. in Funeral Service from Central State University in Edmond, Oklahoma. Charlie is a member of the Elizabethton Rotary Club and is married to Lynnea Kerley Bowman, who teaches Seventh Grade Language Arts at T.A. Dugger School in Elizabethton, and is the father of two sons, Trevor and Logan, and a daughter, Rachel. The Bowmans are members of the Calvary Baptist Church.
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Derek Cornett Manager, Funeral Director and Embalmer
Derek Cornett, a licensed funeral director and embalmer, is a native of Elizabethton and a 1993 graduate of Elizabethton High School. In 1995 he received an A.A.S. Degree in Business Management from Northeast State Technical Community College. In 1996 he received a B.S. Degree in Mortuary Science from Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science and began working at Hathaway-Percy Funeral Home. Derek enjoys boating, fishing, camping, college and high school football, traveling and spending time with family. He is married to his childhood sweetheart, the former Tricia Fair. They have one son, Steven and his wife, Harlie and one daughter, Abby, who is studying biochemistry at East Tennessee State University. They are also the proud grandparents of their first grandchild, Grayson Colt Cornett born January 31, 2018.
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Terry Cole Administrative Assistant
Terry has worked for Heritage Family Funeral Services since 1995, and in 2000 became the administrative assistant for Hathaway-Percy Funeral Home. She has an Associate Degree from E.T.S.U. in Secretarial Science. Terry has three children, four granddaughters and one grandson. She is active in her church, Unaka Baptist, where she serves as a children’s Sunday school teacher, children’s church assistant, and children’s committee member.
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Don Friesland Funeral Assistant
Don was born in Sullivan County and educated in the Bluff City school system. He retired from Tennessee Eastman after 32 years as a chemical operator. Don serves as a part-time associate for Hathaway-Percy Funeral Home and Tetrick Funeral Home’s Bluff City Chapel. He is married to the former Marie Stanfield and has one daughter. Don and his wife are members of the Chinquapin Grove Baptist Church.
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Vickie Bryant Advanced Funeral Planning Counselor
Vickie is a native of Elizabethton. She graduated from Happy Valley High School and attended Northeast State and ETSU. Before joining the staff at Tetrick, Vickie was Operations Manager at Sprint Yellow Pages for 17 years. She and her husband, Pete, have two Pekingese dogs, Bailey and Baxter, who are the joy of their lives. Vickie's mother, Louise Trusler, also resides with them. Vickie is a member of Roan Street Church of God in Elizabethton.