All successful organizations have a common characteristic--A Strong Foundation. Atchley Funeral Home is blessed to have been founded and nurtured by men of character, integrity, and Christian beliefs. Four generations of the Atchley family have served our community through working at the funeral home: James H. Atchley, his sons Blaine, Bill, and Harold Atchley, their sons Jim, Chuck, Albert, and D.J. Atchley, and their children Catherine, Adam, Reed, and Harrison Atchley. With other members of our family currently growing up in our community, our future looks to be as promising as our heritage is strong.
The Atchley Family
Our Legacy
James Harrison Atchley, Founder (1889-1969)
Blaine Atchley (1917-1991)
Harold Atchley (1923-2008)
Jim Atchley (1946-1992)
Current Owners
Fourth Generation: Adam Atchley, Reed Atchley and Third Generation: Albert Atchley, D.J. Atchley
Atchley Funeral Home
Atchley Funeral Home was established in March 1920 by James H. Atchley, Sevier County's first licensed embalmer. Like many other funeral homes of that era, we evolved from a furniture store that went from only making caskets, to actually providing funeral services. The furniture and funeral business were able to operate out of the same building, because at that time everything related to the funeral service took place either in someone's home and/or in a church. As time went by and traditions changed, those things that were once done in the home began to take place at the funeral home, which eventually separated from the furniture store and became a business of its own.
After operating at three separate locations on Main Street, Atchley Funeral Home moved to its present location at 118 East Main Street in Sevierville in 1948.
James H. Atchley was married to the former Blanche Kyker, and they had three sons, Blaine, Bill, and Harold, all of which helped their father in the family business. Of these three, only Blaine and Harold made the funeral business their career. It was these two men who guided Atchley Funeral Home out of it's infancy. To accommodate a growing and progressive community, a modern chapel and large receiving rooms were added to the old victorian house that was home to Atchley Funeral Home. Atchley's also provided Sevier County with ambulance service until the early 1970's.
The 1980's brought in a new wave of leadership as Jim, Albert and D.J. Atchley became partners with their fathers at a time when the funeral industry itself was changing drastically. The types of funeral services and merchandise available to the public were becoming more varied than at any time in history, while new concepts such as prearranged funerals were on the horizon.
During the 1990's, the reins of Atchley Funeral Home was placed into the hands Albert and DJ. In 1997, at a time when large corporations were buying family funeral businesses, we reversed that when we purchased Smoky Mountain Memory Gardens and Funeral Home in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We renamed it Atchley's Smoky Mountain Chapel, and could now serve Sevier county even better by having two locations and operating a cemetery of our own.
As the new millennium began, we realized that as our county was growing ever so fast, we too must grow to continue to provide our standard of quality service. In 2003, we opened Atchley Funeral Home, Seymour and Seymour Memory Gardens. Having three locations and operating two cemeteries, we are able to offer our services more conveniently to Sevier and surrounding counties. More important than new facilities is the addition of Albert’s sons, Adam and Reed, who have now joined their father and uncle as current owners of Atchley Funeral Home. The mixture of experience, youth and energy enables us to remain innovative as we strive to blend our heritage and traditional values with the contemporary customs of today. We cater our offerings to the wants and needs of the fine people we serve. While funeral needs are becoming more personalized and distinct from one another, the constant you can expect from us is the professionalism and humility in how we meet your needs. The people served by Atchley Funeral Home can be rest assured that the same caring service offered by James H. Atchley is still, and will always be, available by the Atchley family.