Viss rebrands Scott’s Funeral Home in Copperas Cove
By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press
The name may have changed, but the quality of service remains the same at Viss Family Funeral Home, located on S. F.M. 116.
Formerly Scott’s Funeral Home, Viss Family Funeral Home is now fully owned and operated by Ronnie Viss.
Viss first joined the staff at Scott’s Funeral Home in Gatesville in 2003, and in 2007, became co-owner of that location. He has been co-owner of the location in Copperas Cove since its opening in 2012. In 2019, Viss sold his interest in Gatesville and purchased all shares in the Copperas Cove location, becoming the sole owner of Scott’s Funeral Home of Copperas Cove.
Viss and his staff have spent most of the year focused on getting inspections and changing the business name, which has been hampered by COVID-19 shutdowns.
Last week, all changes were finalized and Viss was ready to make the official announcement, he said.
Viss was born in Phoenix, Arizona as one of 14 children. He grew up in Muleshoe, Texas before moving to Central Texas, where he graduated from Dublin High School in 1995.
While attending Ranger Junior College, Viss began working at a funeral home owned by a friend’s family.
“I knew I was going to have a career in service – I actually thought I was going to be in the ministry and then through all this saw that this was really a good way to serve and help people, and I just think I’m uniquely gifted in being able to sit down with people and kind of hold and guide them through difficult days and the hardest days of their life and try to be there and help them through with that time,” Viss said.
He completed mortuary school in 1999 and prior to moving to Coryell County, Viss worked in the funeral business in the Dallas area.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to have my own place and be able to serve families the way I want to serve them and be able to just be able to be on my own, so it’s been a dream come true,” Viss said about owning Viss Family Funeral Home.
On the quality of service Viss Family Funeral aims to provide, Viss said that being the owner allows for him to make the decisions for families without needing approval of a parent operation.
“My name rides on this, everything I have rides on this,” Viss said. “It’s not just a job for me; it’s my livelihood. All my eggs are in this basket. I have to take care of families, and I love taking care of families, and I choose to take care of families in a way that’s meaningful and respectful and help them to honor their loved ones.”
Aside from the name change, however, the types of services and quality of services offered remain the same. The pricing and policies also remain the same.
Viss Family Funeral Home still offers the same funeral, burial and cremation services and pre-planning arrangement of services as in previous years.
Families who’ve had pre-paid policies under Scott’s Funeral Home have been able to transfer their policies over.
“I’ve been here since 2012. It’s not like they’re getting someone new,” Viss said. “They’re still getting me.”
The business sign is new, and the building has received a paint job as well as some light updates in the form of new light fixtures. Viss said that the facility has received some upgrades slowly over the past eight years.
“We’re just dedicated to helping families now into the future,” Viss said. “I’m just honored to be able to serve people in Cove and the community around us. I’m very honored that we get to do that, and I’m honored that every family we’ve served has given us a five star review on Google and have been very sweet and generous, so I appreciate that.”
Viss is joined in operating the business by his funeral assistants Bob and Tami Martin and funeral apprentice Abigail Neil.
Viss Family Funeral Home is located at 1614 S. F.M 116 in Copperas Cove. The hours of operation are Monday- Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with appointments on weekends. For more information, people can call 254-542-7337 or email info@vissfamilyfuneralhome.com.