Generations of Trust
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Vickers Fuqua and his brother Thomas Fuqua III
Family-owned Texarkana Funeral Home has served generations of Texarkanians for 87 years
Since 1939, Texarkana Funeral Home has had the privilege of serving families throughout the Texarkana area. What began with Howard Fuqua and Harry L. Everett at 6th and Main Streets has become a lasting part of the community, serving families through some of the most difficult and meaningful moments of their lives.
Over 87 years, much has changed. Funeral customs have evolved, families have more choices, and Texarkana itself has grown and changed. But one thing has remained the same: families need people they can trust when they are facing the loss of someone they love.
That trust is at the heart of Texarkana Funeral Home’s commitment to Our Families Serving Yours.
“‘Our Families Serving Yours’ isn’t just a slogan to us; it’s a responsibility, and it really says what we believe.”
Vickers Fuqua, president of Texarkana Funeral Home, is a third-generation funeral director who has been part of the funeral home since 1990. His brother, Thomas Fuqua III, serves as vice president. Both grew up around the funeral business and learned early that the work is about much more than the services provided. It is about people, relationships and being there for families when they need someone most.
“We have families we’ve served for three, sometimes four, generations,” Vickers said. “That’s pretty special. It reminds me that we’re not just providing a service. We’ve become part of these families’ stories.”
That responsibility is shared by the entire Texarkana Funeral Home team.
Some of the strongest examples of that commitment are found in the people who have spent their lives serving families through Texarkana Funeral Home.
Robert Cowley began working at the funeral home at just 14 years old and eventually ran the operation. Vickers credits Robert with teaching him much of what he knows about the funeral business. For Robert, this wasn’t simply a job or a career. It was his life. His son, Danny, grew up in the funeral home and followed the same path, becoming a licensed funeral director and continuing to serve families today.
Robert Cowley, Harry L. Everett, Thomas “Howard” Fuqua Sr. (framed), Thomas “Tommy” Howard Fuqua Jr., and Mina Margaret Allday Fuqua
Eddie Hawkins has that same kind of story. After 33 years as Miller County coroner, Eddie retired from Texarkana Funeral Home as a manager and funeral director. Even after retirement, he wasn’t ready to stop serving families and continues to help part-time today.
The dedication of people like Robert, Danny and Eddie is a big part of what has shaped Texarkana Funeral Home. Their commitment to serving families and sharing what they have learned with those who came after them continues today. Managers like Archie Shipp and Lynsey Gwin carry that same commitment forward, helping mentor and lead the next generation of people who serve our families.
Chuck Cox, Eddie Hawkins, and Robert Cowley
Their stories are part of what makes Texarkana Funeral Home unique. Generations of employees have devoted their careers to serving generations of families.
“Our Families Serving Yours” is more than a slogan. It reflects the belief that everyone at Texarkana Funeral Home has a role in caring for the families who walk through the doors. From funeral directors and arrangers to office staff, cemetery employees and those working behind the scenes, each person contributes to the experience a family receives.
The funeral home itself has changed considerably since 1939. The original downtown location was at the center of community life, where families worked, worshiped, shopped and gathered with neighbors. In 1966, Texarkana Funeral Home moved to a larger facility on Texas Boulevard as the community expanded.
The first location opened in 1939 at the corner of 7th & Main Streets downtown.
Hillcrest Memorial Park, established in 1929, became part of the Texarkana Funeral Home family in 1977. Today, the organization serves families through seven funeral homes and three cemeteries, including Hillcrest Memorial Park, Memorial Gardens Cemetery and Memory Gardens Cemetery.
The way families choose to honor their loved ones has changed as well. In 1939, most services involved traditional burial, and the funeral hearse sometimes doubled as an ambulance. Today, families have many more choices, including cremation and a variety of ways to create meaningful tributes.
In 1966, Texarkana Funeral Home moved to a larger location on Texas Boulevard, where it still operates today.
Through Family Liberty Life Insurance Company, Texarkana Funeral Home is also able to help families plan ahead and prearrange their funeral services. It is another opportunity to provide families with peace of mind and help ease the burden their loved ones may face in the future.
Through all of these changes, the purpose has remained remarkably consistent: to serve families with respect, compassion and kindness.
Thomas believes the people who make up the organization are a significant part of that commitment.
“We’re fortunate to have employees who believe in what we do and care about the families we serve,” he said. “We’re all part of a team, and every person plays an important role.”
That team includes people who have been here for decades, people who are newer to the profession and generations of families who continue to call Texarkana Funeral Home when they need help.
Good people have always been the cornerstone of Texarkana Funeral Home; here, circa 1982, staff gathered for a photo at the Texas Boulevard location.
The Fuqua family is part of that story, but they are not the whole story. The history of Texarkana Funeral Home is also the history of the people who have worked here, the families who have trusted them, and the community they have had the privilege of serving for nearly nine decades.
The buildings have changed. The funeral profession has evolved. Texarkana has grown. But the commitment remains the same: Our Families Serving Yours.
The current staff seen here at the Texas Boulevard location: Archie Shipp, Craig Cobb, Lindsay Marie Quick, Amy Damron, Thomas Fuqua, Vickers Fuqua, Lynsey Gwin, Maddie Fields, Alonna Dixon, Lorne Kellogg, and Danny Cowley.
For 87 years, that commitment has been carried forward by people who believe in caring for others and who understand what an honor it is to be invited into a family’s life during one of its most difficult times.
That is the legacy of Texarkana Funeral Home—not simply a business passed from one generation to another, but a team of people serving generations of families in the community they are proud to call home.