About Us

We want to thank you for taking the time to read this page.  Funeral Service is a unique field.  It takes more than a resume and an interview to select the people you want representing your firm.  For many in our field, the review process is very intensive.  As well it should be!  Our profession, our calling, is built upon skill sets and trust. We are entrusted with the most precious possessions of a family, its family members. And this trust is given at one of the highest levels of need. I need not expand on this theme.  Our Goal is to provide the same level of service your families have come to expect from you. Your businesses success is determined by your ability to meet and exceed their trust. Now, for Cloud Mortuary Services to be successful, we must earn yours.  

Mike:
At a very young age of around 8 I have wanted to be in the Funeral business.  My father worked at Duval Funeral Home in Tampa, Florida during this time.  And like many other young boys, I wanted to grow up and be like my dad.  I thought about it all during middle school as well as high school.  I even went to a funeral home for career day.  After graduating from high school I decided the best thing for me to do was to enlist in the Army and get a tuition to go to mortuary school.  Well, I did both parts.  I just continued to experience so many opportunities and so many challenges in the Army I ended up staying until I retired.  During that extended stay I served in several noteworthy assignments to include the 82nd Airborne Division, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), the 1/501st Infantry (Airborne) and as the Senior Drill Sergeant for a training company.  While I served in the Army I still knew I was going to be a Funeral Director and Embalmer.  At several of my locations I would find a funeral home to work at part time.  I even worked at the same funeral home that inspired me to get in the business when I was eight.  My last duty assignment was no different.  I worked part time at Platt's Funeral Home in Augusta.  On the day I retired from the Army and Fort Gordon, GA, I went from full-time soldier to full-time employee at the funeral home. 
Shortly after retiring I attended and graduated from Gupton-Jones in Atlanta.  I worked at a funeral home while in school, like so many of us do.  After graduating I served at Carmichael - Hemperly in Peachtree City, GA and then later to McKoon Funeral Home in Newnan, GA.  Many of the names I've listed here may be familiar to you.  I've been lucky to have some great teachers, role models and guides along my professional journey.  Those such as Mrs. Martha Curtis at Platt's. Her desire to make the best service possible had a lasting impression on me.  While at Platt's I served my apprenticeship under Merrill Riggs.  Merrill is definitely one of the best technically proficient embalmers I have observed.  I learned so much from my time there and especially at McKoon. The leadership and mentoring of both Terry Daviston, owner and Lamar Wright has made a huge impression on me.  I know their guidance is always available and only a phone call away.  So that's a little of my history.  So why the funeral business?  Why did I start Cloud Mortuary Services?  I've told Lynn it comes down to 2 basic truths.  These are talents / abilities and as a calling / public service.  My father gave me an embalming manual from the early 1900's from Cincinnatti College of Mortuary Science titled "The Art and Science of Embalming".  What an impression this title made on my learning.  There is a true art to embalming.  I am one who loves this part of funeral service most.  And like many other jobs, you'll do the job best that you enjoy the most.  It becomes more than an occupation.  This is how embalming is to me.
There's an intangible aspect to working in this field.  Part of the job satisfaction is being able to make someone's darkest moments a little bit brighter.  There's a modest sense of gratitude in my heart when I hear someone tell me that my efforts were noticed and appreciated.  There's a prayer I say before every embalming procedure. "Lord, may the actions I take be beneficial to the body and provide comfort for the family."   This sets my agenda and reminds me of my responsibilities.  I have a public service responsibility to ensure the body is disinfected and safe for the family to view.  I also have a duty to use all my training, my experience and my talents to do the best I can to help the family. I believe this is how God has intended for me to serve my fellow man.  I'm sure many of you share in these beliefs.

If you have any questions about me or Cloud Mortuary Service, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I hope this little bit of insight will help you in deciding to use my services.  I understand the trust that has been placed in your business.  I make it my goal to provide you with the same level of care your families expect from you.  I look forward to serving you and your business.