Staff & History

We have years of experience caring for families, from all walks of life. Each family comes to us because they know we are leaders in our profession, dedicated to excellence in service, and have the highest integrity.

  • Mike  Reavis

    Mike Reavis, Owner, CEO & Funeral Service Licensee

    [email protected]Mike was born and raised in Kannapolis and graduated from A.L. Brown High School. He began working part time at the funeral home in 1966 and after graduating high school, he went to mortuary school in Atlanta and came back to Kannapolis to work full-time.He has been at least part owner of Lady's since 1980 and attained 100% ownership in 2010.He is married to Linda, a retired teacher from the Kannapolis School System, and has one daughter, Lynn, and two grandchildren, Rebecca and Aaron. He is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Landis where he is on the church council and is cemetery committee chairman.

  • Kevin M. Clark

    Kevin M. Clark, President, Funeral Service Licensee, CFSP & CPC

    [email protected]Kevin grew up in China Grove and graduated from South Rowan High School. He went to mortuary school to become a licensed funeral director and embalmer. Lady's Funeral Home is the only funeral home he has worked at and has been employed here since 1995. In 2013, he attained the designations of CFSP (Certified Funeral Service Practitioner) & CPC (Certified Preplanning Consultant), becoming one of a handful of individuals in North Carolina to hold both designations.He is married to Lynn Reavis Clark and has 2 children, Rebecca and Aaron. He is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Landis where he has served on the church council, finance committee and cemetery committee. In 2016, he was elected to the Kannapolis City Board of Education, where he is currently serving as Vice-Chair. He is currently also on the McKnight Head Start Policy Council and the Cabarrus County Active Living and Parks Commission.Kevin loves playing golf and woodworking and enjoys fiddling with electronics.

  • T. Alex  Cruse, Jr.

    T. Alex Cruse, Jr., Assistant Manager, Funeral Service Licensee

    [email protected]Alex is a lifetime resident of Concord. He graduated of Concord High School and Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Science in Atlanta, GA. He enjoys fishing and anything else that keeps him outdoors. He and his wife, Cathy, are members of Westford United Methodist Church in Concord. He is also a member of Cabarrus Masonic Lodge #720 AF & AM and a member and Past President of the former Concord Jaycees.Alex received his Funeral Service license in 1982 and has been with Lady's Funeral Home since February 2011.

  • P. Doug Bare

    P. Doug Bare, Funeral Director

    [email protected]Doug is a resident of Rockwell and a graduate of South Rowan High School and Salisbury Business College. Doug is a former Volunteer Captain/Rescue Tech with the Rowan County Rescue Squad. He enjoys camping, hunting, fishing and taking his dog, Holly, out on his boat. Doug is married to Julie Hoover Bare and have two children, Joshua & Nick.Doug received his Funeral Director’s License in May of 1990 and became a Certified Crematory Operator in 2015 and has been with Lady’s Funeral Home since June 2017.

  • Caroline Winslow

    Caroline Winslow, Clerical

    [email protected]Caroline was born Iredell County and moved to China Grove in her "early" years. She is a graduate of South Rowan High School. She is currently living with her parents in China Grove along with two golden retrievers, Cooper and Annie, and two cats, Ferguson and Captain Jack.She is currently engaged and looking forward to buying a house.In 2011 while in high school, she did an internship with us and has been here ever since.

  • Linda Reavis

    Linda Reavis, Clerical Assistant

    Linda was born and raised in Landis and has lived in Kannapolis since 1969. She works in our billing and accounts area. She is a lifelong member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Landis. She retired in 2000 after 30 years in Kannapolis City Schools where she taught at Shady Brook Elementary and later at Kannapolis Middle School. She is married to her husband, Mike and has a daughter, Lynn along with 2 grandchildren, Rebecca and Aaron.She has been employed by Lady's Funeral Home since 2011.

  • Lloyd  Smith

    Lloyd Smith, Funeral Ambassador

    Lloyd or as he is better known as "Butch" grew up in "Spider Country" (Concord) and graduated from Concord High School, but now lives in Kannapolis. He retired from the Concord Fire Department with the Rank of Captain. He has had extensive course studies from CPCC and RCCC for fire safety training. He enjoys getting a hook in the water and catch whatever is biting. He is a member of Solid Rock Worship Center in Kannapolis. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Pam, and they have three sons and four grandchildren.He has been with Lady's since October 1993.

  • Bobby  Hallman

    Bobby Hallman, Funeral Ambassador

    Bobby was born and raised in Cherryville, NC. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and has a degree from Evans Business College. He is married to Opal and they have three children, two daughters, Torrance and Amy and a son, Bob, Jr. His interests include travel, theatre, singing, the beach, college football and basketball. He is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Kannapolis, Piedmont Singing Men and the Kneeling Gardners Garden Club.Bobby has been employed at Lady's Funeral Home since 2006 as a funeral assistant.

  • Mike  Roper

    Mike Roper, Funeral Ambassador

    Mike Roper grew up in Kannapolis and graduated from A.L. Brown High School and now lives in China Grove. He retired after spending a combined 39 years with the U.S. Air Force and the NC Air National Guard. He loves to play golf and ping pong. He enjoys his time working in the Ministry and curently serves Interim Pastor of South China Grove Baptist Church and as a Chaplain with Brian Center of Concord and Kannapolis Police Department. He is married to Brenda and they have three daughters and five grandchildren.He has been with Lady's Funeral Home since 2005.

  • Kenneth J. Woodard

    Kenneth J. Woodard, Funeral Ambassador

    Kenneth "Ken" Woodard grew up in the Shady Brook Community in Kannapolis. He is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a graduate of Stanly Community College. He is a member of Midway United Methodist Church, has been on the Kannapolis City Planning and Zoning Board for the past 12 Years and volunteers for the Special Olympics. Ken enjoys spending time at the YMCA, weight training, as well as Challenge Courses and running 5K & 10K USMC & Myrtle Beach Marathons, Cooper River Run and Mud Runs. He is married to his wife Nancy and has two daughters, Beige and Renée.He has been employed at Lady's Funeral Home since August 2018.

  • Joe Yurco

    Joe Yurco, Funeral Ambassador

    Joe has been with Lady's since August 2021.

  • Gary Barringer

    Gary Barringer, Funeral Ambassador

    Gary has been with Lady's since 2021.

  • Aaron Newton

    Aaron Newton, Funeral Ambassador

    Aaron grew up in nearby Mooresville and currently lives in Kannapolis with his wife, Cynthia and son, Quaid. He retired after 36 years from the NC Air National Guard where he graduated from the NCO Academy in 2009 and Senior NCO Academy in 2011.He enjoys playing the Banjo and creating his own music, traveling, camping, investing in family time to include sports, backyard play, cycling and hiking. He attends Charity Baptist Church.He was been with Lady's since March 2022.

  • Kaleb Watson

    Kaleb Watson, Funeral Ambassador

    Kaleb graduated from First Assembly Christian School in 2018. He graduated from Western Carolina University in 2022 with a B.S. in Forensic Science. In August 2022, he will be entering Grad School at Maryland University in Baltimore in Forensic Science.Kaleb has been with Lady's since May 2021.

Our History

Our History

Lady’s Funeral Home is the oldest funeral home in Kannapolis with its roots dating back to the Lowe Brothers and Company Prior to 1910. At the invitation of Mr. J.W. Cannon, the Lowe brothers came to the new town of Kannapolis to a building provided by Cannon Mills. The business was the town’s General Store, as well as, a place where families would purchase coffins & caskets. It was run by the Lowe brothers, C.E. Lowe, J.G. Lowe, and a third partner that started the business.  That business was located at the corner of Main and 1st Streets in Kannapolis.

Later, the funeral part of the business was transformed by the same C.E. Lowe, J.G. Lowe along with R.Q. Lowe, W.L. Yost, and A.J. De­marcus who created and incorporated a new undertaking business by the name of Demarcus Undertaking Company on May 11, 1918. The business was named after Mr. Demarcus because he had been as­sociated with the undertaking business throughout the Cabarrus and Rowan County area.  Mr. Demarcus along with Mr. Yost were part-owners of the H.B. Wilkinson Undertaking Company that was located in Concord.

In 1924, the business changed hands and became a second location for Bell & Harris Funeral Home. Nine years later, in 1933, the busi­ness was bought by J.C. Taylor (former manager for Bell & Harris for 15 years), Andrew Zimmer Price, and J.N. Ritchie (local funeral di­rector) and it became Ritchie-Taylor Funeral Home. By this time, the funeral home had relocated to South Main Street in Kannapolis.

Less than a year later on March 8, 1934, Mr. Edgar Elwood Lady, Charles David Alexander, Jr., Oscar Edward Scarboro, Walter Henry Brown, Sr. and David An­drew Jolley purchased the Ritchie-Taylor Funeral Home, to incorpo­rate what is now Lady's Funeral Home. Mr. Ritchie was retained as the funeral home’s embalmer.

Mr. Lady, whom the funeral home is named after, would operate the funeral home for several years. He was formerly the postmaster in Kannapolis and prior to being postmaster, he worked in the adminis­trative offices of Cannon Mills.

One of the investors with Mr. Lady, Mr. W. H. Brown, Sr., was a local oil company distributor who had a younger brother with an interest in the funeral business. The young man, Clifford H. Brown, went on to complete his training at the McAllister Embalming Institute in New York. Upon his return to Kannapolis and Lady's Funeral Home his brother gave him his interest in the funeral home to help give him a start in what turned out to be a career of over forty years in the funeral business. During his years in funeral service, he served as President and Executive member of the North Carolina Board of Embalmers & Funeral Directors and also was the coroner of Cabarrus County for sixteen years.

During the early years with the business, Mr. Brown obtained the majority ownership of Lady's Funeral Home. Mr. Brown, along with the funeral home manager, G.N. “Bud” Coggins, operated the business until Brown’s death in August of 1980.

 At his death, Mr. Brown passed on his holdings in the funeral home to the funeral director staff as partners in ownership. Following the death of Mr. Coggins in 1987, the business continued with Michael Reavis, who first  came to work for the firm in 1966 and graduated from Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Science, and Danny Carroll, who graduated from the Dallas Institute of Mortu­ary Science in 1975. In 2010, Mr. Carroll died and later that year Mr. Reavis acquired total ownership of the business.

The business is now in its 4th location since 1934 (6th since 1910) at which time it was located in a storefront on South Main Street. The next location was on West Avenue in the downtown district of Kan­napolis, which was also a small storefront facility.

In October of 1950, the business moved several blocks to a large home on South Ridge Avenue at First Street, which provided more space and included the opportunity to of­fer the first chapel in the area. Eighteen years later, the funeral home relocated to what was the edge of town at that time, to our current location on North Cannon Boulevard. This facility was a very large colonial home which was originally built as a resi­dence by a local physician. The home was purchased in late 1966 and took until the fall of 1968 for all remodeling and additions to be completed. Since 1968, several additions have been added and our facilities have continued to be updated.  One thing that has not changed is our home-like atmosphere that still remains to this day.

Included in our updates is our on-site crematory which is the only funeral home located crematory serving this area. Lady's Funeral Home has been a leader in bringing new ideas to funeral services in the area.  Among those, we were the first funeral home in Cabarrus and Southern Rowan County to have an internet presence offering funeral information at the click of a button.   We offer DVD picture slideshows and Chapel service recordings on CD.  There are many more ways that we can help provide a meaningful service to a family and their loved one.

As we move forward, we continue to improve upon our past.  We officially opened a new facility in September 2008.  The Amity House at Lady’s is a multifunctional facility that may be used for memorial services, business meetings, family/school reunions, seminars, baby/wedding showers, etc.  This facility is designed to meet the needs of our ever-changing society and ideals. It will accommodate up to 100 people for meals and meetings and has up to date audio and visual equipment.