Our Story

In 1969, Curt Copeland started this funeral home (Morrall-Copeland Funeral Home), and back then Curt knew just about everyone. In 2008, Curt sold Copeland Funeral Home to his longtime friend, Ed Gamble. The name changed slightly from Copeland Funeral Home to Copeland Funeral Service.  In 2026, we changed the name of our funeral home to better incorporate the community we love to serve, while continuing to honor Curt Copeland's dedicated service. Our new name, Beaufort Funeral Care & Cremation Center, accurately reflects our commitment to families choosing burial, whether in our beautiful cemetery or another, as well as those choosing cremation via our on-site crematory. As part of our rebrand, Riley Hinkley joined our staff as manager, dedicated to providing the highest level of service at the most reasonable cost in our area.

Single-story white house with a front porch and large grassy yard, trees in the background

Both Curt and Ed believed that the beauty of Beaufort is endless. It’s an area rich in tradition. Beaufort and the surrounding low country is a great place to live, work, and grow. From generation to generation, and from raising a family to retiring, Copeland Funeral Service has been honored to serve the needs of our community.


Curt Copeland passed away on December 4, 2010, but his legacy and love for Beaufort and the Lowcountry continues on.


Ed began his career in funeral service during his 10th grade in high school in his hometown of Manning (South Carolina). He worked after school and on weekends for Ranny Stephens at Shelley-Brunson Funeral Home (now Stephens Funeral Home). From there, he worked for Bill Shives at Talbert-Shives Funeral Home in Columbia. He left Columbia to attend Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Science in Atlanta, Georgia. Ed returned to Shives Funeral Home after graduation in 1977. He later managed Parrott Funeral Home in Kinston, North Carolina, and The Howze Mortuary in Travelers Rest, South Carolina.


In 1995, he was hired by Carriage Services as General Manager of Sipple Mortuary in Savannah. After Carriage closed Sipple Mortuary, and knowing that Savannah needed an independent funeral home, Ed and his friend and mentor, Charlie Sipple, opened Gamble Funeral Service in the “old Sipple building” in October, 2003.


In 2026, we changed the name of our funeral home to better incorporate the community we love to serve, while continuing to honor Curt Copeland's dedicated service. Our new name, Beaufort Funeral Care & Cremation Center, accurately reflects our commitment to families choosing burial, whether in our beautiful cemetery or another, as well as those choosing cremation via our on-site crematory. As part of our rebrand, Riley Hinkley joined our staff as manager, dedicated to providing the highest level of service at the most reasonable cost in our area.