Earl W. Darby

A native of Cherokee County, Earl Darby has been in the funeral industry since 1972, when he began working for Huey Funeral Home while in high school.  His job in high school led him to pursue a career in funeral assistance and he graduated from Gupton Jones College of Mortuary Science.
Earl feels strongly that being successful in the funeral industry means providing quality service with the utmost integrity.  To that end, Earl has been a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer since 1980.  In 1993 Earl was elected Coroner of Cherokee County and is still serving in that position. He is also serving his second term on the Georgia Coroners Training Council, which oversees training for coroners and deputy coroners in Georgia.

His peers recognize Earl’s contributions to the industry.  He is active in the Georgia Coroners Association where he has served as President, Chairman of the legislative committee, and participated on the emergency response committee. He is currently serving as District One Director for the association.
Earl feels it is important to be active in the community.  He has proudly served as President of the Canton Jaycees and on the Board of Directors of the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce. He is a founding member--and the only founder still active--of the Cherokee Volunteer Aging Council and also a founding member of the SALT (senior and law enforcement together) Triad. 

Earl is currently Chaplain for the Canton Masonic Lodge #77 and a member of the Cherokee Shrine Club and Yarraab Shrine Temple.  Earl resides in Holly Springs with his wife Olene.  

Olene Darby

Olene is a native of Cherokee County and brings significant experience working with the elderly and aging to the funeral home.  She retired in February 2009 from Cherokee senior services as an information and referral specialist and the Director of the caregiver program. She worked in senior services for 27 years. Olene began her career with the North Georgia Community Action Agency and continued when the Cherokee County Board of Commissioner’s took over senior services in 1993. She is active with the Alzheimer’s Association and has attended training at the Roslyn Carter Center, to name just one.  She is also very active with local caregivers groups.

Joe Dowda

Also a native of Cherokee County, Joe was the first employee of Mr. & Mrs. Huey when they opened Huey Funeral Home in 1961.  Joe graduated from Gupton Jones College of Mortuary Science and is a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer as well. After several years at the funeral home, Joe made a change and owned and operated his own service station for many years and also worked as a salesman for the Childre Chevrolet and Crossroads dealership. He rejoined the staff of Huey Funeral Home in 1999 and has stayed through the transition. Joe Dowda is a member of Chalcedonia Baptist Church , Past Master Canton Masonic Lodge # 77 , Past President Cherokee Shrine Club, Past President Cherokee High Touchdown Club, and coached youth football leauge for 3 years.   He and his wife Shirley reside in Canton

 

Allan L. Cain

Allan is a native of Gilmer County, just north of Cherokee County. He, too, is a graduate of the Gupton Jones College of Mortuary Science.  As a minister, Allan has served as pastor for many churches in Gilmer County.  This pastoral influence allows Allan to provide an even deeper spiritual comfort to families that have that desire. Allan is also a licensed insurance agent, bringing expertise to the pre-planning process.  Allan and his three children live in Ellijay with his oldest daughter attending Georgia Tech.