History & Staff

We have years of experience caring for families, from all walks of life. Each family comes to us because they know we are leaders in our profession, dedicated to excellence in service, and have the highest integrity.

Our History

Our History

James Aubrey Dyal, better known as Jimmy, developed his life's ambition to become a funeral director at the age of 14. After graduation from St. Paul's High School in Hollywood, he served 2 years in the U.S. Army before attending the Kentucky School of Embalming. Once he graduated, he returned to the Tri County area with his wife Mary Alice and began his career in funeral service in Charleston. In 1963, he and Mary Alice took a major step in achieving that lifetime ambition by purchasing the Cauthen home at 123 East Luke Street in Summerville and establishing James A. Dyal Funeral Home. The house was renovated to serve as a funeral home on the first floor and a residence on the second floor, where Jimmy and his family resided.The business outgrew the Cauthen house, and in 1976 a new facility was built at 303 South Main Street. The facility originally contained 3 staterooms, a 250 seat chapel, office space and a state-of-the-art preparation facility. It also had an apartment where Jimmy and Mary Alice lived with their children for a number of years.In 1978, Jimmy reached another goal with the opening of Dorchester Memory Gardens at 11000 Dorchester Road, a perpetual care cemetery that serves the area with mausoleum and ground burial in a serene and beautiful atmosphere.The funeral home has been redecorated several times over the years, and in early 2010 a major addition and renovations to the current building were completed in order to better serve the growing Tri County area. Two additional staterooms and additional office space were added, as well as a new, fully updated arrangement center that affords families the opportunity to make the appropriate memorialization decisions. Through the years, the Dyal family has been dedicated to providing the Tri County Area the highest quality of service, while maintaining the compassion and dignity that families have come to expect.What started as a young man's ambition has become a lifetime of service. Jimmy Dyal, his family and staff are mindful of that ambition, and are continuing that tradition of service to each family they have the privilege to serve.