Banister-Cooper Funeral Home

Banister-Cooper Funeral Home We are a family owned and operated funeral home and cremation service located in beautiful Hiawassee, GA.

We are a family owned and operated facility located in beautiful Hiawassee, Georgia. We have provided full funeral, cremation and transport services to Towns County and surrounding areas since 1934. We live and work in this community and are active with local organizations and events. In addition to being available when someone passes, we strongly encourage planning and are happy to sit down with you and pre-plan services to relieve family of those details as they grieve. We count it a privilege and an honor to serve families in their time of need. We are dedicated to you and your loved ones, because we believe in giving you our very best. About Our Funeral Director/ Embalmer:
Tamela Smith is a 2012 graduate of Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Science. She has served as the funeral director at Banister's for 5 years before becoming the owner in 2017. Before coming to Banister's she worked in the North Georgia area for 4 years completing her apprenticeship, working under and alongside respected funeral directors and embalmers. She is fulfilling a lifelong dream of being a funeral director. Her main goal is to comfort the family in their time of need and make their loved ones day as special and peaceful as possible. She is the mother to 3 children, resident of Towns County and a member at North Mt Zion Church of God.

According to The National Day Calendar, today is National Funeral Director Recognition Day. While we, of course, want to...
03/12/2026

According to The National Day Calendar, today is National Funeral Director Recognition Day. While we, of course, want to recognize our own Tamela Skiver Cooper, we also want to recognized colleagues around the state, our tri-state area, and nationwide that work with us serving grieving families. We can’t say enough good things about Tamela’s mentor, Ricky Barrett, and his staff at Barrett’s in Cleveland; Marion Merck and his staff at Memorial Park in Gainesville; Teresa and Holly and their staff at Towson-Rose across the state line in Murphy and Hayesville; national colleagues like Wally, Bill, Staci, Mike, Scott, Ruthann, Jeff, Eric, and Andy just to name a few.

Please join us in prayer for Ken today as he undergoes surgery, his family as they help him recover and his work family ...
02/23/2026

Please join us in prayer for Ken today as he undergoes surgery, his family as they help him recover and his work family as we will most certainly miss him while he heals.

When you work as close as we do, at all hours and days, often in highly emotional situations, you become very dependent on each other. Things feel “off” when one of us is out even a day much less days or weeks. We are counting on healthier days ahead!

We are grateful for his faith, his heart for service, and the example he sets every day.

POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER! Rescheduled to Tuesday, February 3, 2026
01/31/2026

POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER! Rescheduled to Tuesday, February 3, 2026

View Henry Cline Noblet's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER!! For the safety of family traveling from out of town; we are postponing Elgin Garrett’s servic...
01/30/2026

POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER!!
For the safety of family traveling from out of town; we are postponing Elgin Garrett’s service until next Saturday, February 7, 2026! Safety and comfort for our families is our number one priority!

View Elgin Garrett's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

So proud of our former owner!
01/17/2026

So proud of our former owner!

We still have some 2026 almanac calendars left! We have them inside and also on the porch if you wanna grab one.
01/15/2026

We still have some 2026 almanac calendars left! We have them inside and also on the porch if you wanna grab one.

Towns County’s funeral director Tamela at the world’s farthest south cemetery on Deception Island.
01/15/2026

Towns County’s funeral director Tamela at the world’s farthest south cemetery on Deception Island.

Beloved lunch lady.
01/08/2026

Beloved lunch lady.

View Angela Joy Arrowood's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

She was Hiawassee’s first female mayor and served for 22 years.
01/08/2026

She was Hiawassee’s first female mayor and served for 22 years.

View Barbara Ann Mathis's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

We think she was Towns County’s oldest resident; oh, the things she must have seen in 107 years.
01/08/2026

We think she was Towns County’s oldest resident; oh, the things she must have seen in 107 years.

View Aileene May Brandt's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

Tonight is Towns County Citizen Night at the Mountain Country Crhistmas in Lights! That means FREE Admission for all Tow...
12/04/2025

Tonight is Towns County Citizen Night at the Mountain Country Crhistmas in Lights! That means FREE Admission for all Towns County residents!

As one of our neighbors, come by our booth 49, on the right just past the stage. Look for an ornamet on our tree for loved ones that have passed over the past year, pick up a 2026 calendar, and honor the veterans that passed away this year on our Wall of Honor. We hope you will stop by tonight at the Fairgrounds from 6pm-9pm!

We want to wish Towns County and our north Georgia/western North Carolina neighbors a very Happy Thanksgiving!We are tha...
11/27/2025

We want to wish Towns County and our north Georgia/western North Carolina neighbors a very Happy Thanksgiving!
We are thankful for the amazing people of these mountains!

Address

678 N Main Street
Hiawassee, GA
30546

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Our Story

We are a family owned and operated funeral home located in beautiful Hiawassee, Georgia. We have provided full funeral, cremation and transport services to or from Hiawassee, Young Harris, Towns County and surrounding areas since 1934. We live and work in this community and are active with local organizations and events. In addition to being available when someone passes, we strongly encourage planning and are happy to sit down with you and pre-plan services to relieve family of those details as they grieve. We count it a privilege and an honor to serve families in their time of need. We are dedicated to you and your loved ones, because we believe in giving you our very best. About Our Lead Funeral Director/ Embalmer: Tamela Cooper is a 2012 graduate of Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Science. She has served as the funeral director at Banister's for 5 years before becoming the owner in 2017. Before coming to Banister's she worked in the North Georgia area for 4 years completing her apprenticeship, working under and alongside respected funeral directors and embalmers. She is fulfilling a lifelong dream of being a funeral director. Her main goal is to comfort the family in their time of need and make their loved ones day as special and peaceful as possible. She is the mother to 3 children, resident of Hiawassee and a member at North Mt Zion Church of God.