VINTON–Mike Bowles began working for Oakey’s Funeral Home in Roanoke in 1966 when he was still in a student at Jefferson High School. He worked in various capacities from running the elevator to working in the parking lot.
“Crawford Oakey told me that a good funeral director has to be flexible and do all of the jobs at a funeral home from one time to another,” said Bowles.
He has continued working for Oakey’s for 47 years, over thirty of those at Oakey’s Vinton Chapel. He retired from his position as manager there on June 29.
Mike Bowles, manager of Oakey’s Vinton Chapel has retired after 47 years with the firm, over thirty of those serving the residents of Vinton.
Bowles says he became a funeral director because he felt a calling to the profession, just like some feel called to be a minister.
“At Carl Mann’s funeral several years ago, he was eulogized as a ‘God-made funeral director’,” said Bowles. “I would like to have someone say that about me.”
Bowles received his training at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, and has always worked for Oakey’s, because he always thought they were “the best in the business.” Bowles has worked for four different presidents with Oakey’s, which is a five-generation family company.
“I’m extremely proud of Mike’s tenure as the manager of Oakey’s Vinton Chapel,” said Samuel Oakey, President and Board Chairman of Oakey’s Funeral Service. “While some firms change managers with regularity, the fact that Mike Bowles helmed our Vinton Chapel for 32 years speaks for itself. When I first began working at Oakey’s in 1976, I selected Mike to be my mentor and served my apprenticeship under him. To say that Mike is the consummate professional funeral director would be a drastic understatement. Mike’s experience and dignity, combined with wonderful human relations skills, make him a model in our profession that should be emulated by all.”
Oakey’s was established in 1866 by John Oakey, a cabinet maker and undertaker, and has grown to include five different chapels in the Roanoke Valley. The Vinton Chapel opened in 1971.
“His humility won’t let him brag on himself, but I’ll do that for him,” said Oakey. “Mike looks across religious, racial, and economic boundaries and sees each family he serves as a grieving loved one who needs help. His willingness to work on weekends, nights, and holidays has made it clear to the Vinton community that Mike’s heart is clearly in the right place. Oakey’s has certainly been blessed to have Mike serve his nearly half century in funeral service right here in the Roanoke Valley with our family firm. He has set the bar quite high for the future of the Vinton Chapel.”
“There are a few men in the same funeral home for as long as I have been, but not many,” said Bowles. “I have never had any intention of working anywhere else but in Vinton. Vinton has the sweetest people in the Valley, who have the same values that I have.”
“Vinton is blessed with the clergy they have,” said Bowles. “When they lift a family up, they lift me up. Sometimes you feel sad in the job, but then the funeral speaks to your heart and you are lifted up higher with the family. They sing songs you like; you hear scriptures you like; and it makes you feel like you are where you ought to be.”
To Bowles, the best part of the job is “having a family say ‘thank you, you’ve helped us,’ which the majority do.”
Bowles says the most difficult part of the job is a tragic death where the family is unable to view their loved one and express their grief. He is glad that these are not olden times when many infants died of diphtheria, typhoid fever, and other diseases, and “you were lucky if your child lived.”
Bowles says the funeral business has changed with the times and with the culture.
Mike Bowles is retiring after 47 years in the funeral business, all with Oakey’s. This photo is from the early years of his career.
One of his first jobs was carrying chairs from the funeral home to residences where friends and family would stop by to visit, which isn’t done much nowadays. He recalls that Oakey’s gave out a friendship book that had stamps where people could place their names on the bottoms of casseroles dishes which they prepared for the family. Now, he says that there are more take-out boxes of chicken and other items than homemade foods for the family, and many churches provide a community meal for families after the service, so the name tags are no longer needed for the most part.
There have been so many changes in the funeral business that Bowles thinks it’s time to let the younger generation take over. Charles Garner who has been the assistant at South Chapel for a number of years will now become manager.
“It’s been a good 47 years; I have made so many friends,” said Bowles.”That’s what made this place click–we have good help and we have support from downtown.”
In retirement, his main goal for now is “not to shave” and to “play farmer”. Bowles has some small draft horses and twenty acres of land. He plans to throw away the razor and let his beard grow. He had heart surgery five years ago and looks forward to some time for relaxing.
Bowles has been married to his wife Diane for 31 years, but she is not ready to retire. They have a son, who is a structural engineer in Charlottesville, and a daughter who teaches music in Loudon County.
Allen Simpson, owner of Simpson Funeral Service and Crematory, says “Mike is one of those rare individuals in the funeral profession that we consider “a funeral director’s funeral director.” If you are a funeral director, he is the person that you would most want to handle your service.”
“There are a number of things that go into directing a funeral,” said Simpson. “The things that the public sees: flowers, obituaries, death certificates, and all of the other details that are handled for the family at the time of death. But Mike has a keen awareness of the logistics and practical side of working with a family or handling a funeral service.”
“I will never forget going to a residence with him in the very early hours of the morning. The man of the house had died and was on the kitchen floor. Being a brand new apprentice, Mike took the time to tell me what we were going to do and why we were doing it.”
According to Simpson, Bowles said, “First let’s put him on the cot. Now we are going to leave his hands uncovered because when the wife comes in she is going to want to pat him on the hand, and then she will kiss him goodbye”.
“I watched in total amazement as the wife came into the room and patted his hand and then kissed him goodbye,” said Simpson.
“As a bridge or conduit, Mike has taken the lessons (logistics) that he learned from a generation of the finest funeral directors ever, practiced and perfected them, and then passed them along to the many people he has trained–a bridge from some of the finest, to those of us that remain in the profession serving and comforting the families that call on us.”
Simpson and Bowles served as best men at each other’s weddings.
“I am extremely grateful to have had Mike as a part of my career in funeral service as well as to have had him as a friend,” said Simpson. “May his retirement bring him many, many years of happiness. “