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Our History
Nicholson Funeral Home is a landmark in downtown Statesville. Now housed in a stately 1901 colonial revival home on East Front Street, its history goes back to 1850. It was then that the William Thomas Nicholson family settled on Hunting Creek, north of Harmony. They had traveled from New Jersey to open a gristmill. Some 28 years later, the Nicholson's, along with the Jennings and White families, began to make and sell caskets at the general stores they operated throughout northern Iredell County.
As was common in the late 1800s, many undertakers were also furniture makers, and the Nicholson's continued to sell caskets and conduct funerals in their furniture store when they moved to Statesville. At the time, a casket’s price was based on the wood used and its size—probably between $25 and $35 for an adult casket. W.T. Nicholson moved the funeral home into its current location in 1920, and he remained its owner until his death in 1951. “Many of Mr. Nicholson’s descendants have remained in our community, even to this day.
Lonnie G. Turner, Sr. and his family bought the funeral home from Mr. Nicholson before he died. During that time, and until 1991, Marvin and Louise Raymer managed the business for Mr. Turner. When Lonnie Turner died, Nicholson Funeral Home went into his family estate, which was managed by his daughter, Mary Turner Gilliam. Mrs. Gilliam, like her father before her, and her husband, Mr. L.S. (Bill) Gilliam, Jr., were benevolent caretakers to Statesville, their church, friends and strangers alike. In 1983, in keeping with her father’s wishes that his business be sold to a local family who would carry on his philosophy of “family serving family., The Troutman/Strandburg family became Nicholson’s third family of owners in all of its 131 years. “Mary Gilliam was like a guardian angel. She gave us the opportunity to help others and to follow in her father’s footsteps. Mrs. Gilliam trusted the new owners to continue her father’s strong traditions.”
Our Valued Staff
Bill Brater
President
Bill Brater is a graduate of the University Of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati College Of Mortuary Science. He is currently in his 45th year of funeral service. He and his wife Linda, live in Troutman and he has one son and three grandchildren. He has been awarded the Citizen Of the Year by the Greater Statesville Chamber Of Commerce, has served as that organization’s President, as well as serving formerly as President of the board of directors of Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County and the United Way of Statesville and the Statesville Jaycees. He is a former two term member of the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board Of Education and currently serves on the Iredell County Board Of Adjustments. He is a member of the Greater Statesville Rotary Club and serves on the board of Iredell Memorial Hospital. He is a past campaign chair for the United Way of Iredell County and formerly served on the S.C.A.N. board of directors as well as the American Red Cross and the former North Iredell Unit Of The American Cancer Society.
Chris J. Besoiu
Vice President & General Manager
Chris serves as Vice President & General Manager of Nicholson Funeral Home in Statesville and Nicholson Funerals & Cremations, Thomasville Chapel. Chris received his bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Business Management from Youngstown State University. He furthered his education at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, where he received his bachelor's degree in Mortuary Science. Chris has worked in the funeral industry since 1997, spending the majority of his career in the Charlotte and Hickory area. Chris is a member of the Fourth Creek Rotary Club of Statesville and serves on the Board of Directors for the Salvation Army of Statesville. Chris is a licensed Funeral Director & Embalmer in North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Ohio. In his spare time, Chris enjoys playing golf and playing softball in the Recreational League in Mooresville. Chris and Heather have one son, Tate who is currently a student at Jackson College in Jackson, MI where his is pursuing his Welding Certificate a degree in Blueprint Analytics.
Heather Besoiu
Crematory Manager, Funeral Director Apprentice, Certified Funeral Celebrant, & Community Outreach Director
Heather was born and raised in Claremont, North Carolina and is a 1992 graduate of Bunker Hill High School. Heather continued her studies at CVCC (Catawba Valley Community College) in Hickory where she received a Recreational Therapy & Activity Director Certificate. She has over 20 years of experience in the Health Care Industry and in 2017, Heather made the natural transition into the Funeral Industry. Heather is our Crematory Manager and our Community Relations Director for both Nicholson Funeral Home in Statesville and Nicholson Funerals & Cremations, Thomasville Chapel. Heather is a licensed Crematory Operator in the state of North Carolina, and West Virginia. She is a member of the Fourth Creek Rotary Club in Statesville and serves on the Board of Directors for the Salvation Army of Statesville.
Del Strandburg
Managing Director
As Managing Director for Nicholson Insurance Agency and Secretary for Nicholson Funeral Home, Del Strandburg is responsible for sales and marketing, growth initiatives, distribution, operations, purchasing negotiations, and delivery of the burial and cremation funding products to the marketplace in North Carolina.
Del is an accomplished, competitive, and credible senior-level sales and marketing executive with years of proven success in complex selling and marketing environments, with major strengths in new account development, introduction of new products and concepts, relationship and consultative sales, strategic and tactical sales planning, budgeting, forecasting, and market analysis.
Del Strandburg is an effective business leader at meeting or exceeding account requirements and expectations with the ability to work closely with colleagues and vendors, while gaining access to decision makers and influencers across all levels of an organization.
Del is an adept problem-solver with analytical, organizational, and strategic planning skills. He has prepared and implemented successful marketing and business plans, focusing on market penetration, profitability, and effective resource allocations. He is also adept at assessing and negotiating customer and supplier agreements.
Prior to his current role, Del Strandburg has worked for Nicholson Funeral Home for many years as a Member of the Executive Team and member of the Board of Directors. Previously, he worked for Cargill Incorporated, General Electric Company, Albis International, and Spartanburg Stainless Steel Incorporated in various executive roles, and senior sales and marketing assignments.
Del has a B.A. Degree in Business Administration and Marketing from BRIAR CLIFF UNIVERSITY, Sioux City, IA in 1973.
Professional Training Finance for the Non-Financial Executive The Wharton School of Business….Communication Workshop ...Karrass Effective Negotiating , ISO/TS 16949 Management Overview, Conversational Intelligence Professional Selling Skills ... Seminars and trade related programs sponsored by the Society of Plastic Engineers ... Advanced Marketing Management Strategy and numerous Executive Management Courses sponsored by General Electric. Albis Plastics International and Spartanburg Stainless Steel, Incorporated.
Alana Henderson
Funeral Director / Advance Planning Specialist / Aftercare Specialist
Stacy Boudreau
Funeral Director & Embalmer
Pastor James Lewis
Funeral Assistant
James Lewis is a native of Statesville and is a graduate of North Iredell High School. In 1992 he married his best friend Melanie and together they have two daughters and one son. "Our home is truly blessed." "At age 30, God began to call me to begin a very special work in the Statesville, NC area. At age 32, I left my full-time job to fulfill God’s call. Since that day, God has blessed and increased our lives as well as this ministry." James has been with the Nicholson family since 2018.
Mike Lewis
Funeral Assistant
Patti Sherill Sloan
Funeral Assistant
Earnest Galliher
Funeral Assistant
Richard Kimball
Funeral Assistant
Richard was raised in Harmony NC and he began his career at the age of 16 and has been in the funeral service for over 40 years. He has worked with Nicholson Funeral Home for the past 25 years. His hobbies include study of American History and fishing. His reason for choosing the funeral service was his admiration to help people in what is the most difficult time in ones life.
