Located at 310 West South Street in the heart of Union’s South Street Historic District, our funeral home was originally built in the mid-1870s as the residence of the William A. Nicholson family by James Grant. Mr. Nicholson was a Scottish immigrant, and Mr. Grant was an Irish immigrant.
The home remained in the Nicholson family until the death of their son, Allan Nicholson, a local newspaper publisher, in the early 1950s. In 1953, the home was purchased by Irene Fowler Holcombe, widow of our founder Samuel Ratchford Holcombe. Irene and her children — Gladys, Billy, Faye, and August — remodeled the home, using the upstairs as their residence and the main level for their growing business.
In 1965, the family added a chapel to the original home, doubling the size of the facility. A large, handicapped-accessible foyer and new offices were added in 1985. With the acquisition of neighboring properties, well-lit and convenient parking was also made available behind the funeral home.
Recognizing the need to better serve the Jonesville and northern Union County communities, Holcombe’s Jonesville Chapel was established in June 1992 in the historic Fairforest Presbyterian Church at 145 Hames Avenue in Jonesville, South Carolina.
Although our founders — Samuel Ratchford (1950) and Irene Fowler Holcombe (1982) — and their children August (2001), Gladys (2002), Billy (2005), and Faye (2010) are now deceased, their vision and commitment continue to guide us today.
In August 2020, William E. Holcombe, grandson of S.R. and Irene Holcombe, and son of Billy and Betty Jo Holcombe, along with his wife Jennifer S. Holcombe, completed the purchase of the remaining half of the business and now proudly own it solely. Their children, Sarah Holcombe Ward and William E. “Will” Holcombe, Jr., represent the fourth generation of the Holcombe family to continue serving Union County with compassion and care.
Audrea H. Douglass, William’s first cousin and daughter of the late August and Sybil Holcombe, continues to work alongside the family today — representing another proud branch of the Holcombe legacy of service.
For more than 75 years, the Holcombe family has remained dedicated to serving the people of Union County with dignity, respect, and heartfelt service. We are deeply grateful for the wisdom, ethics, and values passed down through generations — and for the continued faith, confidence, and trust placed in our family since 1949.
