Our History

Henry Poteet (right)
His first Job in the funeral & ambulance business. Hemperly Home in Atlanta, GA. circa 1928.

In 1934 Henry W. Poteet and his wife Annabell, began serving the families in Augusta who had lost loved ones. At that time, they were in a partnership with Edward P. Grealish and William Ryan. The name of funeral home at that time was Grealish, Poteet & Ryan. It was located at 519 Greene St., this building was later known as the Elks Club and is currently the Marion Hatcher Building. In 1938 the funeral home moved next door to 529 Greene St. because the newer location was more accessible for the elderly, having only two floors, rather than the four of the previous home.

Henney Packard Hearse sits in front of the first Poteet Grealish & Ryan Funeral Home. This building became the Elks Club and is currently the Marion Hatcher Building.

Within a few years the name of the business changed to Grealish, Poteet & Walker, Mr. Ryan sold his share of the business to Tupper Walker of Beech Island, SC. By 1945 Henry Poteet bought the shares of both Edward Grealish and Tupper Walker and the funeral home became known as Poteet Funeral Home.

Henry Poteet was involved with many civic affairs in Augusta.

Poteet Funeral Home remained in the hands of Henry W. Poteet, his wife Annabell, and their two sons, Howard and Tommy and grew to three funeral homes in the Augusta area. In 1986 Henry W. Poteet died; Howard and Tommy remained to run the business with their mother and sons, Buzz, Donnie and Stephen.

In 1992, the Poteet family sold the name and business and leased some of the property to the Loewen Group of Burnaby, Canada under the condition that the Poteet Family remain and manage the business in the same manner that it had been managed since 1934.

Howard Poteet, with his mother Annabelle. circa 1990

In December of 2001, years after the death of both Annabell and her son Howard, the last working Poteet family members, Tommy and his son Buzz, sold the remaining property to the Loewen Corporation, and left the buildings and memories to begin a new business, independent of the corporate ideals and pressures.

Tommy Poteet at his office at Poteet Funeral Home, Greene St. circa 1995

An eight acre tract of land with an existing church on the property, West Augusta Baptist Church, was purchased. After many trials and tribulations with the purchase of the property, the state of Georgia licensing board, and with certain competitors, Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors was finally opened in June of 2002 after eight months of remodeling and attorney's fees.

In July of 2002 we completed the renovation of the former West Augusta Baptist Church, a 15000 square foot building. It became the first and only Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors. Our building includes the largest lobby in the area, capable of handling very large crowds, four parlors, or viewing rooms with different themes; a chapel that seats 220 people, all of which are decorated to make our guests feel at home, we did not want the typical "funeral home" atmosphere.

Our new 3,000 sq. ft. Garden Lobby. Built for multiple uses.

In November of 2006 we added another 6000 square feet, half of which is a garden lobby with a caterers kitchen attached. We wanted to accommodate the families that want more than just a typical visitation. Our garden lobby can be used for sit down dinners that can accommodate around 60 people, casual food receptions, or even non-traditional funeral celebrations.

Our Crematory

Cremation is becoming more of trend. Unscrupulous cremation operators in Georgia and other parts of our country have made the general public more aware and untrusting of whose care their loved ones are placed.

For that reason we have added a 3000 sq. foot garage that houses our own crematory. An on-site crematory allows for strict supervision and eliminates the need to move loved ones from place to place.

"Our Family Serving Your Family Since 1934"