In 1892 Joseph W. Doudna, from Chesterhill, came to Marietta and started a funeral service. His first funeral parlor was opened in 1895 at # 5 Tiber Way. This served as a store front for the business, where he sold caskets, most funerals at that time were still conducted in homes.

Walter McClure

Walter McClure joined Mr. Doudna and became his partner in 1916. The business was renamed Doudna & McClure Funeral Home. This partnership continued until Mr. Doudna retired in 1932. Walter McClure continued to operate the business until his death in 1973.

Jim & Genevieve Schafer

Following Walter’s death in 1973, his daughter Genevieve Schafer and her husband Jim took over ownership of the business. In 1975 they renamed the business the McClure-Schafer Funeral Home. Jim served as the managing funeral director of the funeral home until his death in 1999.

Dennis & Sheila Lankford

In 2001 the name of the funeral home was changed to McClure-Schafer-Lankford Funeral Home to reflect the name of the new managing funeral director and long-time employee Dennis Lankford. Genevieve continued to participate in the operation of the business until 2007. In 2007, due to health reasons, Genevieve was forced to retire from the daily operations but the business continued under the management Dennis Lankford.

Genevieve died in 2011 and the funeral home continued to be managed by Dennis Lankford until 2013 when Dennis and his son Kyle purchased the business. It continues today as a locally owned family business with strong ties to the Marietta community.