Our Staff

Justin McLellan

Funeral Director/Embalmer

Justin was born and raised right here in Appling County and is the son of David & Jeanene (Mullis) McLellan. Prior to graduating from Appling Co. High School in 1999, he had already began to work in the funeral industry. He went on to graduate from Brewton-Parker College and then achieve his funeral service education from Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro. He has been a licensed funeral director and embalmer since 2003 and a licensed life insurance agent since 2008.

Justin and his wife Jessica (Kersey) were married in 2002 and their daughter, Kerstyn, was born in 2006.

Justin serves as Pastor of Riverside Baptist Church and serves on the board of directors of the Appling Co. Food Bank, the Baxley-Appling Co. Chamber of Commerce, and the Appling Co. Heritage Center. Justin is a member of the Baxley Kiwanis Club, NFDA, GFDA, and the Academy of Graduate Embalmers of Georgia. 

Telephone: 1-912-367-2242

Email: 

Wesley Swain

Funeral Director

Wesley Swain was born and raised in Appling County and is a fourth generation funeral director. He has been a part of Swain Funeral Home all of his life and graduated from Gupton-Jones Mortuary College in 1974. Mr. Swain is still a major contributor to the day-to-day operations at Swain Funeral Home.  He has two daughters, Myra and Emily, and three grandsons, Jackson, Prestley, and Harrison.

Telephone: 1-912-367-2242

Email: 

Joy Mack

Joy Spell Mack was born and raised in Appling County and is the daughter of Jean (Wilkes) Spell and the late Earl Clinton Spell. She is married to Keith Mack and they have four children, Amber, Garrett, Jacob, and Natalie, and three grandchildren. Joy has been the administrative assistant and office manager at Swain Funeral Home for more than 25 years.

Angelisa Yarbrough Hodges

Angelisa Hodges was born and raised in Appling County and is the daughter of the late Frank & Willie Mae Yarbrough. She is a Retired Registered Nurse, having worked in various hospitals, including Appling HealthCare System, in her 30 year career. She has been at Swain Funeral Home since 2015 and continues her nursing career at the Baxley office of South Coast Nephrology: Dr. Nizar Eskandar. She has one daughter, Katie. 

Tripp Hardee

Apprentice Funeral Director/Embalmer

Tripp Hardee is a native of Appling County. Having grown up in Graham, he now resides in Baxley. He is currently enrolled in the Funeral Service Program at Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro, and he is employed as an apprentice funeral director and embalmer at Swain Funeral Home. In addition, Tripp is the organist at Baxley First United Methodist Church and the pianist for Saint Thomas Aquinas Episcopal Church. He is an active member of the Pine Forest Garden Club, Appling County Retired Educators, and the Baxley Kiwanis Club.  

Telephone: 1-912-367-2242

Email: 

David McLellan

David McLellan was born and raised in Appling County. He and his wife, Jeanene, have been married over fifty years and have two sons, Jeffrey and Justin, four granddaughters, and three great grandchildren. David is a member and deacon of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and retired from the Baxley Fire Department after 38 years of service. He has been a Funeral Assistant with Swain Funeral Home since 2005. 

Karen Branch

Karen Branch is a native of Appling County and the daughter of the late James Roscoe & Jeanelle (Taylor) Kimbrel. She is a member of New City Church. She and her husband, Jimmy, have one daughter, Mary Elizabeth. Karen works as an administrative assistant at First Baptist Church of Hazlehurst and is also a licensed life insurance agent. In over 20 years of service at Swain Funeral Home, Karen has served as a pre-planning counselor and funeral assistant. 

Rick Brown

Rick Brown is a native of Lakeland, Florida but has called Appling County his home for over 35 years. Rick and his wife, Julie, are members of Oakland Baptist Church and have three daughters, Rayann, Heather, and Erin, and six grandchildren. Rick is known as the community pastor and is an evangelist and interim pastor. He has been employed at Swain Funeral Home since May 2006 as a funeral assistant and grief counselor.

Glynda Reeves

Glynda Reeves was born and raised in Appling County. She and her husband, Burnette, have two sons, Shane and Stewart, and four grandchildren. Glynda is a retired school bus driver and is member of Spring Branch Baptist Church where she is involved in the many capacities, including the church choir. Glynda often volunteers as a funeral soloist and pianist and has been a funeral assistant at Swain Funeral Home for over fifteen years. 

Mike Redwine

Mike Redwine is a native of Appling County and is a member of First Baptist Church of Baxley. He and his wife, Margaret, have been married over 50 years and they have two sons, David Redwine and the late Brad Redwine, and six grandchildren. Mike is retired from Georgia Power and is an ordained minister and a volunteer chaplain at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah. He has been employed as a funeral assistant at Swain Funeral Home since 1990. 

Kip Davis

Kip Davis was born and raised in Appling County. He and his wife, Rhonda, have two daughters, Nicole and Ayla, and seven grandchildren. They are members of Riverside Baptist Church, where Kip serves as a deacon and choir director. Kip has his own plumbing and electrical business and has been a funeral assistant at Swain Funeral Home since 2015.

Cole Deen

Cole Deen has deep roots at Swain Funeral Home and is the son of Pastor David & Pam Deen. His grandfather, the late Wilbert Lynch, was employed at Swain Funeral home for over twenty years. As a child and teenager, Cole would assist his grandfather around the funeral home. Today, Cole continues the family legacy as the caretaker of the funeral home grounds and also serves in many other capacities. He and his wife, Kim, attend the Baxley Church of God and have four children, Cody, Katie, Cameron, & Aubrey, and one grandchild, Hayden.