Polk group buys Salmon Funeral Home
♦ Owners of Smith & Miller Funeral Home partner to expand their family business into Floyd County.
Salmon Funeral Home has been acquired by Polk County funeral home director Steve Miller, his son
Chris Miller and Norman Smith.
Steve Miller is the son of the late Rockmart funeral director Alvis Miller and has been in the business close to 40 years. His son Chris came up in the family business and Smith has been a partner with the Millers in the Smith & Miller Funeral Home in Cedartown since 2017.
Smith, who is a native of Cedartown, partnered with Miller to purchase and renovate the former Georgia State Patrol barracks at 1000 N. Main Street in Cedartown into a funeral home.
Steve Miller said Smith had been helping Trey Salmon with some embalming work from time to time. Several months ago Salmon asked if Smith and the Millers might have any interest in purchasing the Rome shop.
They did and the deal was finalized recently.
“We’ve served several Rome and
Floyd County families throughout the years and have church affiliations in Rome,” Steve Miller said. “We have purchased their name and will continue to operate under the Salmon name as we evaluate how to best tie our name to that business.”
His son Chris will become the licensee and primary funeral director in full and continuous charge of the Rome location.
Steve will serve as the director in Rockmart while Norman will serve as director in Cedartown per regulatory requirements.
All three are considered equal partners in the Rome location.
Salmon Funeral Home, was acquired by young Rome businessman Trey Salmon, his wife Brooke and business partners Mark and Pam Sidwell in 2016. At that time, the business was known as Fred Talley’s Parkview Chapel Funeral Home.
Ray Miles, who has more than two decades of experience in local funeral homes, will stay on at Salmon Funeral Home as a funeral director. Wanda Rowell, who served both Fred Talley and Salmon for more than 20 years, will stay on as part of the administrative staff.
Steve Miller said that part-time staff will be adjusted around the three funeral homes as the need dictates.
“There are still a lot of little things that
need to be done,” Miller said. “We have a good relationship with the Salmon family and Trey wanted the funeral home to remain in a family-like ownership.”