David Roach opened West Cobb Funeral Home & Crematory in 1995 with the intent to provide service to anyone who may need assistance with the financial or special needs that can arise with the death of a loved one. Thirty years later, the business has grown to meet the community's needs and adapted to an ever-changing industry. Throughout it all, though, its values remain the same: honesty, transparency, and integrity.
Both David Roach and Chris Messina, general manager, started their careers in funeral service at a young age. Roach began a career in funeral service at age 15, working at Pasley Fletcher Funeral Home in Thomaston. He returned to Cobb County in 1984 to manage Winkenhofer-McCurdy Funeral Home in Smyrna until 1993, when he decided to open a new funeral home in West Cobb. After graduating from Osborne High School in 1986, Messina began a humble career in funeral service by washing cars at Winkenhofer-McCurdy Funeral Home, where he met Roach, his manager. He continued his career with Winkenhofer Funeral Homes until 2005, when Roach hired him to join him at West Cobb Funeral Home & Crematory in 2006.
The industry has changed tremendously since the pair began their careers. One such change is a dramatic increase in demand for cremation services. “In Georgia during the 1980s, the cremation rate was probably two to three percent of the families we served,” Messina says. “Today, our cremation rate is right around 60 percent of the families we serve.” The West Cobb Funeral Home & Crematory began offering cremation in 2008.
Both Roach and Messina have taken active roles at the state level. David was twice appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue to serve on the Georgia State Board of Funeral Service, where he formerly served as Chairman. David has also served as President of the Independent Funeral Directors of Georgia and the Academy of Graduate Embalmers of Georgia. Chris Messina has recently been asked to serve as District Chair for the Georgia Funeral Directors Association.
Celebrating West Cobb Funeral Home & Crematory’s 30th anniversary during the holiday season brings a lot of emotion for Roach and Messina as they reflect on the families they’ve served and the people who have made it all possible. “We could not do what we do, day in and day out, without our incredible and dedicated staff,” Messina remarks. “We are truly blessed with funeral directors, office and support staff who are focused and dedicated to making sure every family gets what they deserve. We all feel as though our God given purpose in life is to serve others during their most difficult times. Second, we would not be here after 30 years as one of the most respected funeral homes in our area without the relationships that we have built with our community leaders, local churches, pastors, hospice groups, and the families that continue to come back to us when they have a need for our services.”
The staff at West Cobb Funeral Home & Crematory remains committed to providing modern services with traditional values for years to come. “Our promise is to instill the traditional values that funeral service was built on in the next generation of funeral directors, whom we welcome as part of our staff,” Messina says. “Our decades of knowledge and working side-by-side with another generation we trust will allow us to continue to serve the families of West Cobb Funeral Home with the same values for the next 30 years.”
Visit westcobbfuneralhome.com to learn more.