ith the opening of Ralph Buckner Funeral Home in December 1996, the Buckner family has continued its longstanding tradition of service begun in 1947 when Ralph Buckner, Sr. began his career in the funeral home business by co-founding Murphy-Buckner Funeral Home in Cleveland.
Mr. Buckner acquired the interest of his partner, L.J. Murphy, in the business in 1958 and renamed it Buckner Funeral Home. That year he built Cleveland’s first funeral chapel at Wildwood Avenue.
The North Chapel of Buckner Funeral Home was built on Ocoee Street in 1968. Mr. Buckner and his wife, Stella, owned and operated the funeral home facilities until Mr. Buckner’s retirement in 1974.
From 1974 until 1981, Mr. Buckner served as Cleveland’s Police Commissioner. He and his wife have continued to be community benefactors, supporting such philanthropic efforts as United Way’s Pillars Club, Bradley Memorial Hospital’s Galaxy Circle, the YMCA and the Museum Center at 5ive Points.
Ralph Buckner, Jr. worked with his parents in the funeral home business for a number of years before entering the banking profession where he served as Senior Vice President and on the Board of Directors of a local bank. In 1995, he returned to school and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Emory University’s Roberto C. Goizueta Business School.
Being back in the classroom with 50 people every day made Ralph Buckner, Jr. realize how much he missed the funeral industry in which he had grown up. But it was not until an illness of his father in late 1995 that they both decided they wanted to build a new funeral home for the people of Bradley County, a funeral home conveniently located and with an atmosphere where everyone would feel welcome, regardless of their personal financial situation.
As large, out-of-town corporations continue to buy independently owned funeral homes at a rapid rate in communities across the United States, Ralph Buckner Funeral Home has achieved the distinction of becoming the only funeral home in Bradley County that has an on-site crematory.
The owners and staff of Ralph Buckner Funeral Home are committed to providing residents of Bradley County with the level of caring, quality and affordability they have come to expect from the Buckner family. Ralph Buckner, Sr., 82, a resident of Cleveland, passed away Sunday, December 08, 2002 at the family residence but the family tradition continues.