Mary Pettus-Rowland
Owner, Funeral Directress, Embalmer & Notary
Mary E. Pettus-Rowland was born and raised in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Her parents were the late Reverend Robert G. Pettus and Ida Pettus Northington.
She united by baptism with First Street Baptist Church as a young child. Mary attended Booker T. Washington Elementary School, Crispus Attucks Junior High School, and was a 1970 graduate of Hopkinsville High School, where she was in the top ten scholastic achievers of her class. After graduation, Mary moved to Paducah to attend West Kentucky Vocational Technical School, receiving her Barbering Diploma and certification as a Licensed Barber from the Kentucky State Board.
Mary’s yearning desire and dream was to become a Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer. It was during this time that she began to work part-time at the Cosmopolitan Mortuary, owned and operated by Reverend W.G. Harvey and the late Charles H. Diggs. She later registered as an Apprentice Mortician. During this period, she united with the Harrison Street Missionary Baptist Church and became a member of the church choir, the W.G’s, the Praise Team, and served on the Usher Board. To this day, she remains a faithful and committed servant to God and her church. Mary attended Paducah Community College as a Business Major and the Kentucky School of Mortuary Science in Louisville, Kentucky, where she graduated as Valedictorian of her gradu-ating class in 1980.
Mary, owner and operator of Pettus-Rowland Funeral Home, LLC, Paducah, Kentucky, was married to the late Richard O. Rowland, Sr., and has two sons, Richard O. Rowland, Jr., and Richard Warfield, and one granddaughter, Armani Warfield. Her loving daughter, Eureka Nicole “Nickie” Pettus, passed away on January 30, 2007.
Mary serves on the W.C. Young Community Center Board of Directors, is a member of Queen Esther Chapter #4, Order of the Eastern Star; Paducah Assembly #4, Golden Circle; Balkis Court #156, Daughter of Isis; a member of the Interdenominational Union Choir and the Golden Echoes; member and past-president of the Kentucky Association of Morticians and past chairman of the Board of Directors. She is also a Cremation Specialist and is a member of the Funeral Directors Association of Kentucky.
Mary has been recognized and honored for the many, many contributions she has made to this community and throughout the four-state region.
Mary is a retiree of the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC), where she served as a Power Operations Supervisor for nearly 30 years, giving a work history of dedicated service.
Mary Pettus-Rowland
Owner, Funeral Directress, Embalmer & Notary
Mary E. Pettus-Rowland was born and raised in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Her parents were the late Reverend Robert G. Pettus and Ida Pettus Northington.
She united by baptism with First Street Baptist Church as a young child. Mary attended Booker T. Washington Elementary School, Crispus Attucks Junior High School, and was a 1970 graduate of Hopkinsville High School, where she was in the top ten scholastic achievers of her class. After graduation, Mary moved to Paducah to attend West Kentucky Vocational Technical School, receiving her Barbering Diploma and certification as a Licensed Barber from the Kentucky State Board.
Mary’s yearning desire and dream was to become a Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer. It was during this time that she began to work part-time at the Cosmopolitan Mortuary, owned and operated by Reverend W.G. Harvey and the late Charles H. Diggs. She later registered as an Apprentice Mortician. During this period, she united with the Harrison Street Missionary Baptist Church and became a member of the church choir, the W.G’s, the Praise Team, and served on the Usher Board. To this day, she remains a faithful and committed servant to God and her church. Mary attended Paducah Community College as a Business Major and the Kentucky School of Mortuary Science in Louisville, Kentucky, where she graduated as Valedictorian of her gradu-ating class in 1980.
Mary, owner and operator of Pettus-Rowland Funeral Home, LLC, Paducah, Kentucky, was married to the late Richard O. Rowland, Sr., and has two sons, Richard O. Rowland, Jr., and Richard Warfield, and one granddaughter, Armani Warfield. Her loving daughter, Eureka Nicole “Nickie” Pettus, passed away on January 30, 2007.
Mary serves on the W.C. Young Community Center Board of Directors, is a member of Queen Esther Chapter #4, Order of the Eastern Star; Paducah Assembly #4, Golden Circle; Balkis Court #156, Daughter of Isis; a member of the Interdenominational Union Choir and the Golden Echoes; member and past-president of the Kentucky Association of Morticians and past chairman of the Board of Directors. She is also a Cremation Specialist and is a member of the Funeral Directors Association of Kentucky.
Mary has been recognized and honored for the many, many contributions she has made to this community and throughout the four-state region.
Mary is a retiree of the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC), where she served as a Power Operations Supervisor for nearly 30 years, giving a work history of dedicated service.
Mahlon W. Thomas
Funeral Director & Notary
1971 Graduate of Carlisle County High School
1975 & 1979 Graduate of Murray State University with a BS and MA in Education and a Minor in English
Retired Educator after 28 Years (1975 - 2003) of service as a Teacher of Math, English, Social Studies, and Physical Education, all with the Carlisle County School System
Presently still a School Bus Driver for the last 413years
Former Summer employee for 42 years at Murray State University with the Project Upward Bound Program as Resident Advisor, Head Resident Advisor, English Instructor, Curriculum Advisor, and Resident Hall Director
Member and officer of Prince Hall Masonic Family for the Jurisdiction of Kentucky ~ Stone Square Lodge #5, F&AM, Past Honorary Worshipful Master, Junior Warden, Senior Warden, and Secretary ~ Past Member of Paducah Consistory #92 ~ Balkis Temple #157 past Recorder ~ Past District Deputy Grand Patron for Cecelia Dunlap Grand Chapter, OES, Far Western District and Past Patron of Queen Esther Chapter #4, O.E.S.
Member of Retired Professional Education Associations Locally, Statewide, and Nationally
Member/President/Past Secretary of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Xi Pi Lambda Chapter, Paducah, KY
Member, Usher, Church Clerk & Treasurer of St. John Missionary Baptist Church of Bardwell, KY
Volunteer for Carlisle County 4-H ~ Past Teen Leader and Treasurer
City Councilman for the city of Bardwell, KY, since 1995
President & Member of Inter-Denominational Union Choir of Paducah, KY
Member of West Kentucky Gospel Music Association (WKGMA)
Member of the Funeral Directors Association of Kentucky and the Kentucky Morticians Association as its Sergeant-of-Arms.
Achievements - High School French Award, Outstanding Young Man of America 1979, Distinguished Young Man of America 1981, Honorary FFA Member, Honorary FBLA Member, Upward Bound 25, 30, 35 & 40 Year Service Award, Unsung Hero Award (Burks Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church), Kappa Alpha Psi Community Service Award, Outstanding Black Paducah Area Man, Kentucky Colonel, United States Senate Achievement Award, The Senate of the Commonwealth of Kentucky Recognition Award 2002, recorded a CD entitled "Too Close To The Mirror", recognized with the 2023 "Fred Award" by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators and recognized as the 2024 Driver of the Year by the Student Transportation Association of Kentucky.
Presently, Funeral Director, Cremation Specialist, and Notary with Pettus-Rowland Funeral Home
Mahlon W. Thomas
Funeral Director & Notary
1971 Graduate of Carlisle County High School
1975 & 1979 Graduate of Murray State University with a BS and MA in Education and a Minor in English
Retired Educator after 28 Years (1975 - 2003) of service as a Teacher of Math, English, Social Studies, and Physical Education, all with the Carlisle County School System
Presently still a School Bus Driver for the last 413years
Former Summer employee for 42 years at Murray State University with the Project Upward Bound Program as Resident Advisor, Head Resident Advisor, English Instructor, Curriculum Advisor, and Resident Hall Director
Member and officer of Prince Hall Masonic Family for the Jurisdiction of Kentucky ~ Stone Square Lodge #5, F&AM, Past Honorary Worshipful Master, Junior Warden, Senior Warden, and Secretary ~ Past Member of Paducah Consistory #92 ~ Balkis Temple #157 past Recorder ~ Past District Deputy Grand Patron for Cecelia Dunlap Grand Chapter, OES, Far Western District and Past Patron of Queen Esther Chapter #4, O.E.S.
Member of Retired Professional Education Associations Locally, Statewide, and Nationally
Member/President/Past Secretary of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Xi Pi Lambda Chapter, Paducah, KY
Member, Usher, Church Clerk & Treasurer of St. John Missionary Baptist Church of Bardwell, KY
Volunteer for Carlisle County 4-H ~ Past Teen Leader and Treasurer
City Councilman for the city of Bardwell, KY, since 1995
President & Member of Inter-Denominational Union Choir of Paducah, KY
Member of West Kentucky Gospel Music Association (WKGMA)
Member of the Funeral Directors Association of Kentucky and the Kentucky Morticians Association as its Sergeant-of-Arms.
Achievements - High School French Award, Outstanding Young Man of America 1979, Distinguished Young Man of America 1981, Honorary FFA Member, Honorary FBLA Member, Upward Bound 25, 30, 35 & 40 Year Service Award, Unsung Hero Award (Burks Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church), Kappa Alpha Psi Community Service Award, Outstanding Black Paducah Area Man, Kentucky Colonel, United States Senate Achievement Award, The Senate of the Commonwealth of Kentucky Recognition Award 2002, recorded a CD entitled "Too Close To The Mirror", recognized with the 2023 "Fred Award" by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators and recognized as the 2024 Driver of the Year by the Student Transportation Association of Kentucky.
Presently, Funeral Director, Cremation Specialist, and Notary with Pettus-Rowland Funeral Home
Renita Strong
Licensed Funeral Directress/Notary
Renita Strong
Licensed Funeral Directress/Notary
Eric Patterson
On Staff
Eric Patterson
On Staff
Ronald R. Addison
Licensed Funeral Director/ Level II Embalmer
Ronald R. Addison moved from his birthplace, Harleyville, South Carolina, to Paducah, Kentucky, in December of 2016.
Ronald is the son of Leon Addison and Barbara Marshburn Addison and is a member of Just By Faith Ministries in Metropolis, Illinois, where he serves as the drummer in the music department.
Ronald attended the Harleyville school system and is a graduate of Harleyville-Ridgeville High School. He received his certification in both Welding I and Welding II from the Dorchester Vocational Center in Dorchester, South Carolina. Ronald became a self-employed over-the-road truck operator with the Old Dominion Freight Line Company located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.
Ronald is a Licensed Funeral Director and a Level 2 Embalmer.
Ronald is a licensed CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant) for the state of Kentucky.
Ronald has been involved with the Masonic Family in South Carolina. He is a member of Glezer Lodge #125 where he served as Senior Warden and is the Past Worthy Patron of Glezer Chapter 125, O.E.S, both in Harleyville, South Carolina. Ron is also a member of Stone Square Lodge #5 F&AM Prine Hall Affiliated of the State of Kentucky. He is also a member of the Royal Arch White Hall Temple; Knights Templar Commandry #8, serving as Eminent Commander; Fred Simon Consistory #5, serving as 2nd Lieutenant, and Islam Temple #3, all of Orangeburg, South Carolina.
Ron is the father of five children: Deidra Addison, Kwmaine Addison, Charon Addison, Moesha Addison, and Zadia Addison. He has four siblings, Mitchell Addison, Damian Marshburn, Dr. Gwendolyn Addison Duncan and Diandra Spells.
Ronald R. Addison
Licensed Funeral Director/ Level II Embalmer
Ronald R. Addison moved from his birthplace, Harleyville, South Carolina, to Paducah, Kentucky, in December of 2016.
Ronald is the son of Leon Addison and Barbara Marshburn Addison and is a member of Just By Faith Ministries in Metropolis, Illinois, where he serves as the drummer in the music department.
Ronald attended the Harleyville school system and is a graduate of Harleyville-Ridgeville High School. He received his certification in both Welding I and Welding II from the Dorchester Vocational Center in Dorchester, South Carolina. Ronald became a self-employed over-the-road truck operator with the Old Dominion Freight Line Company located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.
Ronald is a Licensed Funeral Director and a Level 2 Embalmer.
Ronald is a licensed CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant) for the state of Kentucky.
Ronald has been involved with the Masonic Family in South Carolina. He is a member of Glezer Lodge #125 where he served as Senior Warden and is the Past Worthy Patron of Glezer Chapter 125, O.E.S, both in Harleyville, South Carolina. Ron is also a member of Stone Square Lodge #5 F&AM Prine Hall Affiliated of the State of Kentucky. He is also a member of the Royal Arch White Hall Temple; Knights Templar Commandry #8, serving as Eminent Commander; Fred Simon Consistory #5, serving as 2nd Lieutenant, and Islam Temple #3, all of Orangeburg, South Carolina.
Ron is the father of five children: Deidra Addison, Kwmaine Addison, Charon Addison, Moesha Addison, and Zadia Addison. He has four siblings, Mitchell Addison, Damian Marshburn, Dr. Gwendolyn Addison Duncan and Diandra Spells.
