A History of Oakey's Funeral Service & Crematory
A scant year after the last shot of the Civil War had reverberated through the hills at Appomattox; and, just seventy miles from this historic site of General Lee's surrender, John M. Oakey, Virginian, founded in Roanoke County the business which is regarded as one of the foremost mortuaries in the entire South, if not the nation. It was in 1866, when the ill starred Andrew Jackson Johnson had succeeded the assassinated Lincoln in the White House that John Oakey opened his cabinet making and undertaking business in the town of Salem, then the largest trading area in the Roanoke County countryside.
Young Oakey had been born in nearby Lynchburg in 1839. At the age of fifteen, he had moved with his parents to Salem, where he had become apprenticed to a cabinet maker. He completed his apprenticeship, but ill health compelled him to abandon his trade. Telegraphy in those days offered both opportunity and adventure. During the widening commercial traffic of the antebellum period, telegraphy was the major form of speedy communication. The opportunity for lucrative employment as a telegrapher appealed to young Oakey. He enrolled as a student and soon became a full fledged operator.
Young Oakey's career as a commercial telegrapher, however, was terminated by the advent of war between the North and the South. As a Virginian, his allegiance was naturally to his southern homeland, and he enlisted as a telegrapher with the Confederate forces. Subsequently, he was transferred to Dublin (in Pulaski County, Virginia), where he was placed in charge of the telegraph lines leading to the headquarters of the Confederate forces in southwestern Virginia.
~1866
 With cessation of hostilities in 1865, John Oakey, then in his twenties, married Emma L. Woolwine (of Dublin, Virginia) and the following year he founded the coffin and furniture making business in Salem. In those days, local coffin manufacturing was linked with funeral service performance, and John Oakey soon turned his talent and aptitude to the public service feature of his business. He possessed rare business acumen and a natural fitness for his chosen work. These qualities no doubt were to serve him steadfastly through the years that followed. No doubt they accounted largely for his victory over the early hardships and for the subsequent expansion of his enterprise. The chances are, however, that Founder Oakey never envisioned in those early years the present day size and scope of the business he initiated on Old Main Street, Salem, back in 1866.
The business in Salem grew steadily with the years, and in 1882, a branch establishment opened in Roanoke under the name of Oakey & Woolwine. A brother-in-law, C.W.C. Woolwine, who died in 1901, was placed in charge of the new venture.
Subsequently, the branch was moved to larger quarters and again in 1891, erected one of the first buildings in the 100 block of West Campbell Avenue. This site saw many improvements and enlargements through the years. The three-story, red-brick structure with its art glass front and huge, cascading fern inside, was a familiar site. The words, "Funeral Directors" is still seen near the roof.
~1914
 It is interesting here to note Founder Oakey's eagerness to adopt improvements in service, features or merchandise as they developed over the years. He was said to have been one of the first funeral directors in the South to introduce metal caskets. The second motor ambulance in the South was purchased by the firm in 1910 (the same year the business was incorporated), and was the twenty-fifth such vehicle built by the Cunningham company. In 1914, the firm motorized it's equipment, but for a time it was necessary to retain a horse-drawn hearse for those families who had not yet become accustomed to automobiles. Stables were located in a two-story brick building across Kirk Avenue (behind the funeral home) and later were converted into a large garage. Directly behind the parlor in 1911, was erected the city's first funeral chapel - a small church noted for the Gothic archways on the north side of Kirk Avenue.
In January of 1921, Founder Oakey's friends and colleagues in the profession were saddened to learn of his death at the age of eighty-two. Thus ended an outstanding career, marked by a steadfast devotion to professional competence and advancement. Mr. Oakey had been one of the best known members of the profession in the Southland. For two years he had served as president of Virginia's state association and for a period of ten years, he was a member of the State Board of Embalmers. In appreciation of his character, the local press said: "Doubtless, it will be a long time before the people of Roanoke forget the almost daily ceremony in which Mr. Oakey played the part of Santa Claus in the stores of our city. The gifts this Santa Claus gave were flowers grown in his own garden, some of them by his own hand. Once in a while the appreciative girls would say: "Oh, but Mr. Oakey, you must let us pay something for them," to which the usual answer was "All right, if you insist on paying, you must do it with a kiss." And sometimes they accepted. Certainly, at the end, there must have been gratification in his heart of the founder when he realized that the success of his long service to his community would be safe in the hands of his sons, grandson, great grandsons, etc.
~1921
Robert W. Oakey, son of the founder, succeeded to the presidency of John M. Oakey, Inc. upon the death of his father in 1921. William Oakey, a second son, became vice-president. Upon the death of Robert, Samuel G. Oakey, a third son, took over the management of the business and was president and treasurer. Henry A. Oakey, a fourth son, was vice-president, and Clarence M. Oakey, a fifth son, was secretary.
Probably the greatest civic contribution performed by the Oakeys over the years was support of the pioneer Roanoke Life Saving Crew, to which it donated equipment, garage and living space, and even personnel under the regimes of Samuel and Henry. Samuel helped Julian H. Wise organize it and served as president. For decades, Oakey's operated ambulances, an unprofitable venture, as a public service.
~1937
In 1937, the funeral home-made its final move in downtown Roanoke, constructing a $150,000 location at 318 West.Church Avenue. A crowd of 16,000 attended the opening ceremonies during the first week of March, 1938. The Oakey mortuary on church Avenue is a fitting memorial to the founder and his principles. It is a memorial to him and dedicated to the service of the people. The structure, with connecting office quarters, represented a new era in funeral service. Its architectural design, room arrangement, and equipment are the result of a careful study of the needs of the business and the community served. The thought of a new home naturally had been considered for some years. Samuel G. Oakey, in his travels about the country, for years had availed himself of leaders and pioneers in the profession. With the advent of chapel funerals (as opposed to funerals at a family's home), the chapel at the new Church Avenue location was designed to seat 200, with overflow allowing double that number. Directly over the chapel, a spacious casket selection room contains thirty units. Upon the death of Samuel Oakey in 1942, Clarence Oakey served as president until 1943. Henry Oakey next served as president until his passing in 1963. At that point, Crawford Oakey assumed to the top office in the company. Within two years, Minor Oakey was elected as vice president of the corporation.
~1966
On March 5th and 6th of 1966, the Oakey firm celebrated its 100th anniversary by opening the North Chapel located at 6732 Peters Creek Road. During that two day open house, about 1,500 people toured the building, with twenty-five staff members on continuous duty to serve as guides and hosts for visitors. The site includes a parking area for 250 cars in the rear, with space for additional 35 cars located on both sides and the front of the building. The chapel and family room provide seating for 250 persons, while the casket selection room displays 20 units.
Upon the death of Crawford Oakey in 1970, his brother, John Oakey was named the new president. Later that same year, work began on Oakey's Vinton Chapel, located at 627 Hardy Road in Vinton, Virginia. Build on a 3.5 acre site, the building, land, and furnishings represent a $300,000 investment. The 10,000 square foot building is styled in much of the same manner as the North Chapel. The chapel can comfortably seat 225 people and twenty caskets are displayed in the selection room. The Vinton Chapel was formally opened in January of 1971.
Of all the accomplishments and honors bestowed upon Oakey personnel throughout the years, perhaps the greatest on was the selection of John Oakey as national president of NSM (National Selected Morticians) for 1969- 1970. NSM is (along with The Order of the Golden Rule) "Rolls Royce" of funeral service organizations. Oakey's is one of only 127 firms in the country to belong to both NSM and OGR. Having one of our own elected to the highest office of such a prestigious association (where funeral homes are selected for membership) is truly something we can be proud of.
~1974
Although the North Chapel was only eight years old in 1974, its early success prompted its expansion in September of that year. Three new slumber rooms, an apartment and restrooms were added onto the south side of the building, and the lounge was doubled in size.
The Seventies were times of tremendous growth for Oakey's not just in volume of death calls, but also in the number of employees. The local ownership and family atmosphere of Oakey's was a direct contrast to our competition. Roanokers responded to our claims of "locally owned and operated" by allowing us to serve more families in their times of need.
~1980
In 1980, John Oakey became the Chairman of the board of Oakey's and Sam Oakey, II, his son became president. In the early 1990's, Sam Oakey, II, also assumed the title of Chairman of the Board, after John Oakey suffered a serious stroke, passing away in 1995. The smooth, orderly transition among officers in this firm since its inception is a key to the success we all enjoy.
The fourth Oakey facility was opened in May, 1985 on a five-acre tract of land on Route 221, one block south of Route 419. Although the colonial style exterior of the South Chapel is similar to North and Vinton chapels, the interior is of more modern motif and is compatible with the community surrounding the chapel. The chapel seats 200 people and families have approximately 20 caskets to select from.
Roanoke Valley residents also began turning to Oakey's in times before need. Although Oakey's began making pre-need funeral arrangements in the mid-fifties, the seventies and eighties can be seen as the years that pre-need truly mushroomed. In 1987, the officers of the firm voted to create Oakey's Service Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oakey's Funeral Service, to sell pre-need funeral services in the Roanoke area. Oakey's Service Company is an insurance agency licensed to do business in Virginia.
~1989
Major renovations were done at the Vinton Chapel in the latter half of 1988. An additional 3,200 square feet were added and turned into four small (or two large) visitation rooms and a much needed second arrangement office.
In July of 1989, a major renovation of the business offices at the Roanoke Chapel began. Additional office space was provided by building above the lounge area.
In July of 1990, construction began on an expansion project for the South Chapel. This project added an additional 1,504 square feet to the facility that could be used as one large visitation room or divided into two rooms if needed.
A massive project took place at the Roanoke Chapel in 1993-94. This enlarging and renovation involved the business offices, foyer, arrangement offices, dispatchers office, and the lounge. It added a history room and lounge to the configuration. While the moves were costly and inconvenient for a time, the end result was nothing short of magnificent and a complete success.
The noise and hustle of the dispatch area was removed from where the general public was present. The area above the garage was restored, and now houses the business offices. A beautiful new façade was also added to the front of the building, and the entire facility was made handicapped accessible, as are all of Oakey's facilities. All Oakey locations are also now modified to accommodate the hearing impaired.
~1992
By 1992, Oakey's had become a leader in both pre-need and at-need funeral service, and determined that the time had come to establish an after-care program. This relatively new concept involves an Oakey staff member following up with all the families the firm serves, helping the loved ones to realize that the funeral home's services do not end at the cemetery. To say that it has been a success would be an understatement, with hundreds of letters, phone calls, and in person visits thanking the company for the new service.
Late 1996 saw Oakey's begin an ambitious five-year building/renovation/remodeling program that would impact all five locations. The first chapel to benefit from the project was the North Chapel. An addition was added onto the rear of the building in order that a crematory and expanded office space could be installed. This was finished in March, 1997. Next, the first new Oakey's chapel in fourteen years was built in Botetourt County.
Oakey's East Chapel was opened in January of 1999, enabling the company to serve the burgeoning communities east of Roanoke City. Oakey's South Chapel was completely renovated and expanded again during 2000, and in the process made the back of the funeral home into another main entrance for the public. The downtown location was next on the agenda, and a new three-story addition was added onto the west side of the 1938 building. This enabled a new state of the art embalming room to be brought in June 2001. Shortly thereafter, a new passenger elevator was installed in the building. During the fall of 2001, Oakey's Vinton Chapel was completely refurnished with new lighting, ceilings, chapel pews, and interiors. In just five years, Oakey's proved it's commitment to excellence by major renovations to all of it's funeral homes.
~1997
Unfortunately, President Sam Oakey did not live to see the completion of the massive project he had undertaken. He was struck down by cancer in 1998 at the age of 63. His son, Sam Oakey, III, was elected President and Board Chairman, making him the fifth generation of the Oakey family to hold this office. By the end of the twentieth century, John M. Oakey, Inc. had become one of the Roanoke Valley's larger employers with over 130 staff members on its roster. With the addition of the Oakey Web-site in 1997, the public has yet another way to learn more about Roanoke's oldest, existing business.
In the years since John M. Oakey carved his first coffin, Oakey's has been fortunate to have staff who take an active interest in civic activities. Such fine groups as the Masons, Scottish Rite, Shriners, PTA, United Way, Rescue Mission, Lions, Jaycees, and neighborhood alliances. Chambers of Commerce, and numerous other associations are represented at Oakey's. In addition, dozens of churches are attended by our staff and our involvement in NFDA, OGR, SIFH and VFDA has always been beneficial.
As Oakey's moves through the fourteenth decade of funeral service to area families, the rich and vivid history of Oakey's continues to unfold and is placed in the hands of today's capable staff.
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