WALL, N.J. — Danny Jefferson, location manager at Pierce Jefferson Funeral & Cremation Services in Kernersville, North Carolina, has been recognized as the “Funeral Director of the Year” by American Funeral Director magazine.
Jefferson was honored for his commitment to funeral service, to the families he serves and to the community of Kernersville, the magazine said in a December cover story about the 61-year-old funeral director.
“We had several really impressive entries, but our screening panel agreed that one candidate stood out from the rest,” said Thomas A. Parmalee, executive director of Kates-Boylston Publications, publishers of American Funeral Director. “Danny Jefferson is moving funeral service forward, embracing change and technology when it helps improve service and rediscovering old traditions when modern trends call for it.”
Allison Sullivan, publisher of Kates-Boylston Publications, added, “It’s clear Danny Jefferson has earned the respect and admiration of his professional colleagues and of those in his community.”
Jefferson was selected from a wide field of nominees submitted by funeral professionals around the nation. A native of Burlington, North Carolina, Jefferson got his first job at a funeral home while still in high school. He’s a graduate of Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service in Decatur, Georgia, and has worked at Pierce-Jefferson Funeral & Cremation Services since 2004.
In addition to selecting Jefferson as the winner, American Funeral Director named three runners-up in its November issue:
- Heather A. Brown-Simons, managing partner, Hubbard Funeral Home, Baltimore.
- David W. Bolyard Jr., president, Mountain Funeral Group, Clarksburg, West Virginia.
- Christina Morales, president and CEO, Felix H. Morales Funeral Home, Houston.
“Danny Jefferson and our runners-up are each great examples of professionals helping to guide funeral service into the 21st century,” Sullivan said. “We’re proud to recognize their efforts and achievements.”
Jefferson’s story is featured in a December cover story in American Funeral Director, and he was honored with the award in front of dozens of his peers at the Funeral Service Business Plan Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, where he received a rousing standing ovation.
Kates-Boylston Publications publishes American Funeral Director, American Cemetery & Cremation and Funeral Service Insider. The company has been helping funeral professionals succeed and serve since 1877. Learn more at www.katesboylston.com.
