Our Staff
The third and fourth generations of Arritt funeral directors currently run the family business and work hard every day to continue our service to the area.
Jonathan Arritt
Funeral Director
Jimmy Byer
Funeral Assistant
Mark Fridley
Funeral Director
Ray Keen, Jr
Funeral Assistant
Hunter Fridley
Funeral Apprentice
Dewey Kirk
Funeral Assistant
Aubrey Bowling
Funeral Assistant
Danny Milton
Funeral Assistant
Jonathan Arritt
A lifelong resident of Covington, Jonathan is a graduate of Covington High School, where he was a member of the football and baseball teams.
Upon graduation, he attended Dabney S. Lancaster Community College before joining our staff as a Funeral Service Apprentice. After completing his apprenticeship, Jonathan attended Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service, where he graduated as a member of the Pi Sigma Eta Fraternity.
Jonathan and his wife Mandy have two children, Landon and Eva, and attend Temple Baptist Church in Covington. He is currently serving as the Vice Chairman of the Alleghany Highlands School Board and served on the Joint School Services Board as well as the Covington School Board.
He is a past President of the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and also served as President of the Blue Ridge Funeral Directors Association in addition to being active in the Virginia Funeral Directors Association.
In addition to his love of history and aviation, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and playing golf in his spare time.
Mark Fridley
Mark Fridley graduated from Covington High School in 1992, after which he began his apprenticeship at Arritt Funeral Home. He graduated from Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service in 1996 and became the first third-generation member of the funeral home staff.
Mark is a past president of the Shenandoah Funeral Director’s Association and a member of the Virginia Funeral Directors Association, where he served on the Board of Directors in 2005 and 2006.
He is an active member and current Chief of the Falling Spring Fire Department and an associate member of the Dunlap Fire and Rescue Department. He has been involved in local youth sports, coaching football and basketball.
Mark has two children, Hunter and Abbie. Hunter is currently serving his apprenticeship at Arritt Funeral Home.
Hunter Fridley
Hunter Fridley was born in Covington in 2001, making him the first Arritt Funeral Home staff member born in the 21st Century. He is a graduate of Covington High School, where he played football and golf.
After graduating from CHS, Hunter attended attended Mountain Gateway Community College before deciding to become the first member of the fourth generation to join the Arritt Funeral Home Staff in 2022, where he is currently serving his apprenticeship.
In his spare time, Hunter enjoys fishing, hunting, and golfing.
Aubrey Bowling
Aubrey Bowling was born in Alleghany County and graduated from Covington High School in 1971.
He and his wife, Pat Lowen Bowling, have three children, Billy Bowling, Sabrina Powlson, and Scott Dailey, and four grandchildren.
Aubrey is a veteran of the United States Marine Corp. He retired from MeadWestvaco as a GM&C carpenter after 32 years with the company.
Aubrey enjoys spending his spare time hunting and fishing and is an avid golfer.
Jimmy Byer
Jimmy was born and raised in Alleghany County and graduated from Alleghany County High School in 1972.
He retired from WestRock in April 2018 where he worked for 38 years as a Millwright.
Jimmy is married to Sandra Givens Byer, and he has two sons, Stacey and Jamie, five grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. They attend First Christian Church.
Jimmy has been a member of Boiling Springs Volunteer Fire & Rescue, in which he has held many working and social offices, since 1988. He was also a member of WestRock Fire Brigade for 30 years and Westrock Rescue Squad for 19 years. Over the years he has obtained numerous certifications for firefighting, hazmat, trench-heavy and confined space rescue. He also maintains numerous EMS certifications as well as EMT-B.
He has been an active member of the Virginia State Firefighters Association (VSFA) since 1988 and has served on many committees. Currently, he is the Co-Chair of the Rules and Contest Committee, District 6 Representative, and a voting member of the First Responder Virginia Conference Committee.
Jimmy started his journey through the VSFA Chairs in August 2009 as Third Vice President and fulfilled the 10-year commitment, serving as President and Past President.
Ray Keen, Jr.
Ray W. Keen, Jr. was born in Alleghany County to Ray Keen, Sr. and Kathy Simpson Keen.
Ray graduated from Alleghany High School in 2003. In 2005, he joined the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Department as a Deputy Sheriff. He graduated from the Criminal Justice Program at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College in 2006 with an Associates Degree.
He became a member of the Dunlap Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad in 2001, where he has served as President, Secretary and Lieutenant, and is now serving as Treasurer. He is a lifelong member of the Dunlap Christian Church and a member of the Covington Lodge #610, Loyal Order of Moose.
Ray is an avid hunter and outdoorsman and is currently serving as Secretary for the Lone Oak Hunt Club and enjoys membership in the North American Hunt Club.
He is also a member of the Douthat State Park Environmental Education Group, where he is currently serving as President. He is actively involved in the Annual Douthat Lake Run Car Show at the park and enjoys participating in area car show events throughout the year.
Dewey Kirk
Born and raised in White Sulphur, West Virginia, Dewey graduated from White Sulphur High School before attending Concord College. He then went on to fill numerous positions at MeadWestvaco before retiring in 2001 as a shift supervisor after 39 years of service.
Dewey and his wife, Wanda have two children, Kameron and Kim, and one grandchild, Chad. They attend Covington Baptist Church.
Dewey is an avid outdoorsman and golfer, and is a lifetime member of the Castile Hunt Club and a longtime member of Cliffview Golf Club in Covington.
Danny Milton
Danny Milton is a life-long resident of Covington. After graduating from Covington High School in 1973, he soon went to work at WestRock, where he stayed until his retirement in 2018. Since his retirement, Danny has been a member of the staff at Arritt Funeral Home.
In addtion to his time as a member of the Covington Rescue Squad from 1979-1984, Danny continues to serve the area in a number of roles, including as a member of the Loyal Order of the Moose, the Legion of Moose, and the Covington Fire Department.
Danny and his wife have one son and daughter-in-law and two grandsons.