Our Staff
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Charles and Betty Wilkinson
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Charles
Wilkinson manages the day-to-day operations. As a licensed Funeral
Director since 1976, he works closely with each family to provide a professional
and caring service. Charles grew up in funeral service, helping his father
Harold in the business from an early age. Some of his first jobs at the funeral
home were vacuuming the carpeting, washing the cars, mowing the lawn and
transporting chairs for residential funerals, which were quite common in earlier
times. Charles represents the 3rd generation of the Wilkinson family to be
associated with the funeral home.
Charles is a member of the Tennessee Funeral Directors Association and
National Funeral Directors Association. Charles resides in Portland with his
wife, Betty, who is also a Portland native. Betty assists Charles and the staff
with funerals and visitations while also maintaining a full-time job as wife and
homemaker. Charles and Betty are members of McKendree Memorial United Methodist
Church in Portland and both graduated from the original Sumner County High
School of Portland. Charles’ other interests include farming and raising beef
cattle and bulls.
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Dale Wiseman is a 1979 graduate of
John A. Gupton College of Mortuary
Science in Nashville and is a licensed funeral director and embalmer. Dale
was raised in Portland, and he graduated from Portland High School. He has
worked with the Wilkinson and Wiseman Funeral Home since graduating from
mortuary school, and he also served his apprenticeship at Wilkinson and Wiseman.
He is a member of the Tennessee Funeral Directors Association and the National
Funeral Directors Association. He is past president of The Portland Rotary Club
and a current member of the McKendree Memorial United Methodist Church. He
resides on his farm in Portland, where he also raises tobacco, alfalfa and hay.
He is an avid golfer and guitarist.
Walter P. Veale, Jr., has been in funeral service
since 1972. Walter grew up in the Madison/ Greensboro area of Georgia where his
father was associated with the Simmons Funeral Home of Madison, Ga. Walter’s
interest in funeral service came through his father. Walter graduated from high
school in Madison, Ga., on a Friday, and he started working for the funeral home
on the following Monday morning. After working at the funeral home for two
years, Walter enrolled in mortuary school in Atlanta, where he also worked part
time at Hemperley Funeral Home in East Point, Ga. He is a 1975 Graduate of
Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Science
in Atlanta and is a licensed funeral director and embalmer. He has been with
Wilkinson and Wiseman Funeral Home for the past 16 years. He is an active member
of the Portland Lions Club and is a Tennessee licensed insurance agent. Walter
is also a member of the Tennessee Funeral Directors Association and National
Funeral Directors Association.
Walter’s outside interests include classic car restoration, hunting and
fishing. He resides in Portland with his wife, Sandra, who is a Gallatin native.
Sandra has been a teacher at Portland Middle School since 1989.
Walter’s and Sandra’s children include Alyson, who is a junior at Western
Kentucky University and is majoring in English; Matt, who is a freshman at
Western and wants to go into the music business; and Bethany, who is in the 8th
grade at Portland Middle.
Donna
Harris
plays an integral part on the day-to-day operations of Wilkinson-Wiseman Funeral
Home. Donna is serving her apprenticeship to become a licensed Funeral
Director in the State of Tennessee. She frequently meets with families and
assists with arrangements. In addition, Donna handles insurance policies;
insurance claims; obituaries for newspapers, radio and Internet; death
certificates; telephone and general secretarial duties.
Donna was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, and spent 23 years working
in the Administrative Training Department of Service Merchandise in Indiana,
Texas and Tennessee. Donna has always been interested in funeral service.
Her father worked at Wilkinson-Wiseman before his death, and Donna joined the
Wilkinson-Wiseman staff in 2001.
Donna moved to Portland in 1987. Today she lives in Portland with her
husband Steve and with her two
children, Elizabeth and Christopher DeVlieger.
Jerry Dickens
Ora Mae Hause
