We've Been a Caring Part of your Community…for over seven decades
Our Mission
Our Philosophy
No two funerals are the same. Each family we serve has unique and important needs that we strive to satisfy. By working closely with your family we can arrange a funeral ceremony that will express the special, one-of-a-kind relationship that you shared with your loved one and help enrich the memories that you will cherish forever.
We believe that you will only find this type of dedication from a local, family-owned funeral home. We’re pleased and proud to continue our 70-year old tradition of compassionate service, from our family, to yours.
You can be truly comfortable calling upon the McClendon-Winters Funeral Home, because you’re not going to be dealing with a large, impersonal corporate staff.
Rather you’ll be connecting with close neighbors and friends – who recognize the deep pain of loss through professional training tempered by personal experience. We will listen closely to your stories, provide information when we see the need, and help you to arrive at decisions you can be pleased with for years to come.
We are pleased to be members in good standing of the National Funeral Directors Association, and the Oklahoma Funeral Directors Association.
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Jim McClendon, Funeral Director / Embalmer jimmcclendon@mcclendon-winters.com Jim has served families in Okmulgee County as a Funeral Director with McClendon-Winters for the past 38 years. His academic training includes a Bachelor of Science Degree from Northeastern State University, and study with the prestigious Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, where he graduated in 1971. Everyone who works with him knows his personal motto, and families who walk through our door come to know it too. “Treat every family as if they were your own,” say Jim; and he lives up to his own expectations every day. He is a qualified pre-need counselor and a licensed Life Insurance agent; both roles bring him a depth of knowledge and understanding, which serve Okmulgee families well – whether in pre-need, or aftercare. Jim has held positions on Oklahoma State Burial Board, Oklahoma State and Okmulgee Chamber of Commerce, Okmulgee County Family YMCA, Okmulgee Lions Club, Okmulgee School Board, and the Okmulgee Memorial Hospital. He and his wife Shari have been married for 32 years, and have three children. |
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Jason C. Winters, Funeral Director / Embalmer jasonwinters@mcclendon-winters.com With 19 years in funeral service, and 12 years at McClendon-Winters, Jason is well experienced. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree in Funeral Service from University of Central Oklahoma, graduating in 1995 with Honor. He was raised in Miami, Oklahoma, and joined the McClendon-Winters Funeral Home in 1997. Jason is happily married. His wife Nicole is a school teacher at Beggs Elementary and they shared the parenting of two children, Braden and Merrick. He’s community-minded, and has served –or is currently serving as – the Chairman of the Board of the Okmulgee Memorial Hospital, Okmulgee Memorial Hospital Foundation, Okmulgee Chamber of Commerce, City of Okmulgee Board of Adjustment, and the Okmulgee Pecan Festival. He’s served on the Allocations Committee for Tulsa Area United Way, Okmulgee County Homeless Shelter Board, Okmulgee Education Foundation Board, and the Okmulgee Main Street Board. Jason is also a Pre-Need Counselor and Licensed Life Insurance Agent. Jason is a member in good standing of the Oklahoma Funeral Director’s Association, and the National Funeral Director’s Association. He also enjoys membership in the Okmulgee Rotary Club, Men’s Golf Association, Okmulgee Elk’s Lodge, Beggs Chamber of Commerce. |
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Donna Prior, Funeral Director / Embalmer donnaprior@mcclendon-winters.com 3 years in funeral service. Donna graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2007 from the University of Central Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Science in Funeral Service. In that same year, she received the J.M. Nolte Scholar Award, a national award based on academic excellence. “Funeral service is a profession in which I have been called to; I feel that it is an honor that families trust me with the care of their loved ones.” She’s been married to her husband, John, for 23 years. They both grew up in the Oklahoma City area and moved to Morris in 2000. John likes to race cars, and Donna enjoys showing reining horses. All of their children are the four legged kind. |
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Larry Biddle, Funeral Assistant larrybiddle@mcclendon-winters.com Larry is a retired OSU-Okmulgee instructor, and joined McClendon-Winters in 1999. He has a fine way with words, and is a true asset to families facing the often-overwhelming tasks involved in a funeral or memorial service. |
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Mary Lou Bell, Beggs Office Manager maryloubell@mcclendon-winters.com Mary Lou has the professional expertise to oversee our Beggs office, having served as the Beggs City Clerk and City Treasurer. She joined McClendon-Winters in 1994. |
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Koby Creason, Funeral Assistant kobycreason@mcclendon-winters.com Koby is currently studying Funeral Service at University of Central Oklahoma, and brings his youthful enthusiasm and academic insights to his service as a funeral assistant. “I’ve always felt ‘called’ to funeral service, and am honored to be a part of the McClendon-Winters staff.” |
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LaVeta Rhodes, Funeral Assistant LaVeta joined McClendon-Winters three years ago, in 2006. Prior to that, she had 35 years of service as a banking representative, where she learned an abundance of communication and ‘people-skills.’ “Serving my friends and neighbors as a funeral assistant brings me great joy; I can offer them comfort in a difficult time.” |
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Carla McGill, Pre-Need Counselor / After Care carlamcgill@mcclendon-winters.com We consider ourselves very fortunate to have Carla on our staff. She joined McClendon-Winters Funeral Home in 2007, and serves members of our community in two ways: as our pre-need counselor, helping families to make those important decisions that shouldn’t be left to others; and as our aftercare resource person. As such, she can lend support to grieving friends and family members, after the services are over, and their loss is weighing heavily on their hearts. |
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The history of our firm stretches back to the 1920s, when Mr. Winslow Ward opened the original facility, the Ward Funeral Home. Some 16 years later, in 1936, Mr. James Daniel Buchanan bought the business, changing the name to the Buchanan Funeral Home and Ambulance Service. His foresight led him to also establish the Buchanan Burial Association – one of the first such associations in the state. He operated the firm until his retirement in 1973. James McClendon, Jr., joined Mr. Buchanan in 1968 and took the opportunity to purchase the home when Mr. Buchanan retired. He chose to change the name to the Buchanan-McClendon Funeral Home, and some two years later, the name changed once again, when the late Carnie Wise joined the firm. What was now known as the Buchanan-Wise-McClendon Funeral Home served the community for many years. In 1994 the funeral home purchased the Spivey Funeral Home of Beggs (formerly the Bryant Funeral Home) to be able to serve the residents of northern Okmulgee County. In the spring of 2001, they dedicated a new, modern facility in Beggs. In 1999 we also dedicated a facility in the Historic Library Building in Morris, creating a place for the residents of the Morris area to call their own. In 1997 Jason Winters joined Jim McClendon, creating the McClendon-Winters Funeral Home. Together they serve the families of Okmulgee County, providing the service and facilities that families have come to expect since 1936. “The overriding goal, from the very beginning, was to serve the families of this county as we would wish to be served. From time to time that goal motivated us to expand or renovate; but the core intention remains the same: to bring your family comfortable surroundings, and excellent service – at a time in your life when nothing short of that will do.” ~ Jason Winters, McClendon-Winters Funeral Home |
 Ward Funeral Home, 1930  Buchanan Funeral Home, 1939  Buchanan Funeral Home, 1954  Buchanan-Wise-McClendon Funeral Home, 1985 |
