Board Members

Gene serves as Vice-President and General Manager of the Altmeyer Funeral Homes & Crematory of West Virginia and Ohio.

A graduate of West Liberty State College, Gene continued his education at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. A Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, he began working with Altmeyer in 1984.

Actively involved in his community, Gene is a member of St. Joseph Cathedral Parish in Wheeling, a 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus, Council #504, and past President of the Wheeling Serra Club and the West Virginia Board of Funeral Service Examiners serving from 1998 through 2006.

In June of 2018, Gene was appointed by Governor Jim Justice once again to the West Virginia Board of Funeral Service Examiners where he was elected President of the Board.

He is a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Elm Grove, Aerie 1891, the Wheeling Elks, BPOE #28, Wheeling, The Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Fraternal Order of Police Association, the Elm Grove Business Council, the West Virginia Funeral Directors Association where he served as past president of the Northern District, the National Funeral Directors Association, the Wheeling Lions Club, the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce where he completed the Leadership Wheeling Program, Wheeling Country Club, the Elm Grove Civics, the IOLA Club of Wheeling, the Gyro Club of Wheeling, and formerly on the Board of Directors of Family Services of the Upper Ohio Valley. He is past President of the Wheeling Circus Saints and Sinners, Poodles and Hanneford Tent where he serves as National Director.

In May 2008 and then again in 2012, he was elected to Wheeling City Council where he represented the 6th ward of Wheeling and also served as Vice-Mayor. He served on the city’s Development Committee and was Chairman of the Finance Committee as well as a member of the Greater Wheeling Sports & Entertainment Authority.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Regional Economic Development Partnership (REDP) and the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce where he serves on the Executive Committee and was the former Ohio County Coroner serving from 2002-2008. In 2011, Gene was selected as the Grand Chieftan of the Wheeling Celtic Festival.

A lifelong resident of Wheeling, he and his wife Candy live in Elm Grove, together they have four children, Jamie and his wife Stephanie, Marcus, Kyle, Alyssa and three grandchildren.

Bob is Licensee-In-Charge and President / Owner of Brown Funeral Home, Inc.  He is a native of Martinsburg, WV and started with the funeral home in 1982. He is a graduate of Martinsburg High School, attended Shepherd College and graduated from the Catonsville Mortuary College.

Bob is serving as Secretary of the West Virginia Board of Funeral Service Examiners by appointment of both Governors Tomblin and Justice.

He is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association, a board member and prior President of the West Virginia Funeral Directors Association.

Bob is a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, a recipient of the Martinsburg / Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce ‘C. Leslie Golliday Business Person of the Year’ award, and a member of other local and national organizations.

Bob and Donna have three sons: Brandon - employed by, and manager of, Brown Cremation Services, LLC; Robert - a BFH director and graduate of Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science; and Jordan – a full time Brown employee who has graduated from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and is an Apprentice Director.

Bryan was born and raised in Kanawha County, and has been a lifelong resident of Charleston.  He is a 1993 Graduate of Cross Lanes Christian School, and received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science.

Bryan started working in the Funeral Industry in 1994, and became a licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer in 1998.  In 2006, He became a licensed Insurance Agent to offer families better options to pre-arrange funeral goods and services.  On June 6, 2018 he was appointed to the West Virginia Board of Funeral Service Examiners by Governor Jim Justice where he serves on the Complaint Committee.

Bryan is the father of Jenna Alysse Nichols, and Lucas Spencer Nichols.  He is the youngest son of Dr. Roger P. Nichols, and Mary Jo Crites Nichols. 

Bryan is a certified Scuba Diver, a licensed Amateur Radio Operator, and enjoys Hunting and Hiking.

Ron Waybright, along with his wife Connie, own Waybright Funeral Home in Ripley.

They are the proud parents of Kelsey Waybright McMillan and her Husband, John Martin McMillan of Morgantown and Kasey Waybright and his wife, Payton Whitt Waybright of Ripley.

Ron is a 1980 graduate of Ripley High School and attended West Virginia State University on a football scholarship studying Architectural Technology.  He graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in 1985. While at CCMS he served as his Class Representative.  He is a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer in the States of West Virginia and Ohio.

Ron has been active in his community by coaching various youth sports, Past Chair of Main Street Ripley, President of the Bernice Pickens Parsons Foundation, a member and Past President of the Jackson County Airport Authority, Past President of the Ripley High School Alumni Association, Past President of Ripley Rotary Club, Board of Directors and President at Green Hills Country Club, and Past District President and District Governor of West Virginia Funeral Directors Association District One. Ron has served on the WVFDA Legislative Committee and was awarded the President’s Award in 1999. He also serves the City of Ripley on the Building Commission and the City Police Commission.

In June of 2018, Ron was appointed by Governor Jim Justice to the West Virginia Board of Funeral Service Examiners and serves the Board on the Complaint Committee.

Ron enjoys golfing and in 2013 qualified to play in the West Virginia Amateur Tournament. He has a passion for being outdoors and hunting, especially bow hunting and loves taking to the air where he has been a licensed Private Pilot for over 25 years.

Rich Bishoff was born and raised in Oakland, MD. He got his introduction to the funeral business working evenings and weekends at a funeral home starting at the age of 16.

 He has been a 35 year resident of Charleston, WV.  He and his wife have two daughters, Amy and Jacy and a granddaughter, Eloise.  He also has an 8 year old black lab, Ilsa, who is his faithful sidekick and hiking partner.  He has been in love with golf and its history since the age of nine.  To his wife’s delight he loves to cook, mostly on the grill and with his smoker.

Rich attended West Virginia University, served his apprenticeship at Bartlett Burdette Cox Funeral Home in Charleston, and then went on to graduate with honors (Magna Cum Laude) from Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science in January of 1987. He was the president of his class and was awarded the Mu Sigma Alpha award for academic, citizenship, and character excellence. 

His grandfather and great grandfather were Morticians and owned Markwood Funeral Home, establishing in the late 1800’s up until 1960, in Keyser, WV.

Rich is the LIC funeral director of Snodgrass Funeral Home in South Charleston.  He has been active with HospiceCare since 2002 where he served on the board of directors until 2012 and was the chair of the personnel and finance committee.  He was then made a board member emeritus.  Rich continues to serve HospiceCare by providing CEU training for RN’s, LPN’s, CNA’s and their social workers.  He also volunteers for fundraising and other projects.  Rich recently was asked to go back on the board of directors in August of 2020.

Rich is also a long time member of Kanawha City Lions Club, one of the largest such clubs in West Virginia, where he has served as president two terms.  He was awarded the Leonard Jarrett award in 2019, named after the founder of Lions club International.  It is the highest award a Lion can receive.

He and his wife are members of RiverRidge Church where they are leaders of one of two greeting teams.  They also support and volunteer at the church’s mission, Second Ave. Center.

Rich has always been active in his community and with his family coaching little league, travel girls softball teams, George Washington High School assistant girls softball coach. After his daughters left home he has been an assistant girl’s softball coach at Horace Mann Middle School where he, as well, has been a mentor and reading coach.  He is a former board member of The Kanawha Valley Fellowship Home.

Frederick H. (Fred) Kitchen is the owner of Henson and Kitchen Mortuary and Cremation Services in Huntington, West Virginia near Barboursville where he is also a licensed funeral director and embalmer. 

He was formerly employed nearly seven years for North America's largest casket, urn and memorial provider, Batesville Casket Company.

In 2018, Fred was appointed by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice to serve on the West Virginia Board of Funeral Services Examiners state licensing board. 

He is a member at Christ Temple Church, Huntington, WV where he also serves on the board of directors. 

Fred is also a member and past president of the West Virginia Funeral Directors Association and is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association. 

Fred was also appointed by the Cabell County Commission to serve on the Cabell Huntington Health Department Board.

He has over 20 years experience in primarily independent funeral and cremation service space. He also previously served as a location manager for Carriage Services. 

He has served in various roles from funeral director, embalmer, pre-need counselor, local funeral home management and operations as well as Licensee-in-charge. 

He is a 1986 graduate of Huntington East High School, attended Marshall University and is a graduate of Mid-America College of Funeral Service, Jeffersonville, IN. 

Fred is dedicated to serving Cabell County, West Virginia area families in their most sensitive times, during the loss of a loved one. He is committed to providing the most dignified and professional care available. 

Fred resides in Milton, West Virginia with his wife and two daughters.