Gordon Lee Rhoden Sr., CFSP
President
Gordon is a native of Colleton County, and is the youngest son of the late John Benjamin "J.B." Rhoden Sr. and Clara Kinard Rhoden. He was raised in the Doctor's Creek community, attended public schools in Walterboro, and graduated from Walterboro High School in 1966. Like his father, Gordon entered the United States Marine Corps, and graduated from basic training at Paris Island. As his involvement in funeral service grew, he transferred to the Marine Reserve. Gordon served his apprenticeship at Dunbar Funeral Home in Columbia, SC, and attended the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, graduating in 1970. In 1975 the unexpected death of Jimmy Holland, the Co-owner of Peeples-Holland Funeral Home in Hampton, SC, created an opportunity for Gordon to move his family to Varnville and become the manager of that facility. Thirty-three years later, he and his wife Brenda, are the sole owners of the business. In 1978, Gordon was elected Coroner of Hampton County. He has since served almost eight terms, thirty years, making him the third longest serving Coroner in the history of South Carolina. He is a former President of the South Carolina Funeral Director's Association, and a former Vice-president of the South Carolina Coroner's Association. Gordon is a member of the American Legion Post #108 in Hampton, the Advisory Board of BB&T, and the First Baptist Church of Hampton, where he is a former Deacon. He and his wife Brenda have three children, Lee, Lori, and Ryan, as well as seven grandchildren.
Lee Rhoden
Vice-President, Manager, and Embalmer
Phone: (843) 549-5081
Lee was born March 23, 1969 a son of Gordon L. Rhoden Sr., and Brenda Rice Rhoden. He is a 1987 graduate of Wade Hampton High School, and a 1991 Graduate of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, where he received a BA Degree in History. During the four years he was a cadet at The Citadel, he was a member of OSCAR Company, and held the ranks of Corporal, Sergeant, and Platoon Sergeant. He served on the training Cadre for two years, and was a member of the Dean's List. He attained the rank of Cadet 2nd Lieutenant his senior year and served as Platoon Leader. Lee then attended Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service in Atlanta, Georgia. While there, he was a member of Pi Sigma Eta Fraternity. He graduated with an Associate Degree of Funeral Service with the February class of 1992, and was the class Valedictorian. Lee is a former member of the Region IV Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT). As a team member, he responded in the recovery and identification efforts following Hurricane Floyd, The World Trade Center (twice),American Airlines Flight 587, the Noble Georgia Cremation Disaster, Hurricane Lili, and Hurricane Katrina. As a part of DMORT, he was also a member of the Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Response Team and The Disaster Portable Morgue Unit (DPMU). Lee is a SC Certified Interior Structural Firefighter, and a nine year veteran of the Varnville Fire Department, where he served as a Lieutenant. Additionally, he served as the Chief Deputy Coroner for Hampton County for ten years. Lee is a former President of the South Carolina State Board of Funeral Service and the SCFDA Central-Coastal Group. He is a member The Citadel Brigadier Club, a life member of the Citadel Alumni Association, and a member of the Colleton County Citadel Club. Lee has three daughters: Gretchen LeAnna Rhoden, Anna Cress Rhoden, and Emmie Reeves Rhoden. He is married to Amy Harrison Rhoden.
Rosalyn White
Administrative Assistant
Phone: (843) 538-5774
Cell Phone: (843) 908-1832
Rosalyn Dopson White is a native of Islandton,a small community in the western edge of Colleton County. After graduating from Bells High School, she married William A. "Billy" White, and moved to Walterboro, where she has lived for the last forty-five years. After spending nine years as the secretary and bookkeeper for the E.W. Black Oil Company, she became the administrative assistant for this funeral home in 1971. She has been employed longer than any other employee at this faciity, and has provided superior service to the families that have entered its doors for the past forty-seven years. Rosalyn is an active member of Salem United Methodist Church in Hendersonville, where she currently serves as a trustee. Rosalyn and Billy have two daughters. Andrea Main is a Certified Public Accountant and Kimberly Cone is a Registered Nurse. They have four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Rufus Gibson
Funeral Director Assistant
Phone: (803) 943-2158
Cell Phone: (803) 942-1844
Rufus Gibson is a native of Hampton County, and has been employed with Parker-Rhoden Funeral Home for seven years. He began his service with this facility after retiring from Westinghouse with over thirty years of service. A resident of Varnville, Rufus has been a member of the Varnville Fire Department for thirty-five years, and currently serves as chief of the department. He is an active member of Rice Patch Christian Church in Islandton. Rufus is married to Frances Sineath Gibson, and they have two children, Teresa and Edwin, as well as three grandsons.
Bruce Krajeski
Grave Technician and Grounds Supervisor
Phone: (843) 549-7898
Cell Phone: (8430 908-9087
A native of Colleton County, and a graduate of Walterboro High School, Bruce has been associated with this funeral home since 1988. Through his landscaping business, Krajeski Enterprises, he has provided sound judgement and advice in the management of the funeral home grounds, as well as the Greenlawn Cemetery, which is also owned by Gordon and Lee. He is responsible for the maintenance of both properties, as well as for all of the cemetery work, monument installation, and grave preparation associated with the two businesses. His knowledge of the area, and its small church and family owned cemeteries, makes him a true asset for the funeral home.
