Our History
GOING BACK IN TIME
Our History
Brooks Lyon Funeral Home – South Boston, VA
The origins of Brooks Lyon Funeral Home trace back to the early 1900s when George D. Brooks and Cyrus Clifton White operated Brooks & White Funeral Home in Hurdle Mills, NC. By the late 1920s, the Brooks family expanded their funeral service to Semora, NC, where George, his wife Mollie, and their daughter Merle—one of the first female licensed funeral directors in Virginia and North Carolina—began serving local families.
In 1935, the business relocated to its current site at Main Street and Seymour Drive in South Boston, Virginia. For decades, Merle and her husband, F.E. “Tom” Jones, cared for the community until Tom’s passing in 1980. Their son, Douglas Brooks Jones, and his wife Betty continued management, and later their daughter Kathy became the next generation of leadership.
In 2014, the firm was acquired by Michael and Jane Lyon, who expanded the funeral home’s mission while preserving its tradition of service. The Lyons brought decades of experience, professional credentials in both North Carolina and Virginia, and a commitment to serving families with compassion and excellence.
Today, Brooks Lyon Funeral Home remains dedicated to the values that have shaped it for nearly a century: honoring families’ wishes, providing dignified care, and serving South Boston with integrity.
Watkins Cooper Lyon Funeral Home – Clarksville, VA
The history of Watkins Cooper Lyon Funeral Home spans more than 170 years and is deeply connected to the heritage of Mecklenburg County. Its roots can be traced to German immigrant and master cabinetmaker Frank I. Liipfert, who came to the region in the 1830s to help build Randolph Macon College. After the Civil War, he remained in Clarksville, crafting furniture and coffins—a humble beginning that evolved into a funeral service tradition.
In 1953, Jack Watkins and Jim Cooper relocated the firm to the former Clarksville Presbyterian Manse. Their leadership helped the funeral home grow and modernize over the following decades. When Jim Cooper’s interest was later acquired by Jack Ligon, the firm continued its legacy as one of the region’s most respected service providers.
In 1986, Michael R. Lyon and his wife Jane became the owners, ushering in a new era marked by thoughtful renovations, improved technology, professional excellence, and a “We Care” philosophy that shaped the firm’s reputation across Southern Virginia and Northern North Carolina.
Today, Watkins Cooper Lyon Funeral Home proudly carries forward this long heritage by providing compassionate, reliable service rooted in tradition and guided by modern professionalism.
