Our Staff

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.

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.