J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home
Our Story
We have approached life and death differently since we opened our doors. Rather than seeing the end of a loved one's life as simply a time for grief and mourning, we prefer to also see it as a time for reflection, appreciation and celebration of a life well lived. Evidence of our perspective is found in everything we do; from the way we conduct our services to the amenities we have chosen to offer. We are more than just a burial ground; we are a tight knit community dedicated to honoring, sharing and preserving the amazing and inspirational stories that are each of our lives.
Why Us
Over the many years of serving our community, we have gained invaluable insight. In particular, we have learned how to present options without being overwhelming as well as how to meet the diverse needs of many caring parties. When people turn to us during challenging times, we respond with kindness, calmness, and expertise. Our mission is to provide exceptional service to our community with integrity, compassion, dignity, and to make you feel genuinely welcome at all times. We dedicate our days to planning and serving our families. We pride ourselves in staying up to date in industry developments. And we make the difficult times a little easier.
Our History
James Tolleison Morriss II’s family emigrated from Wales to America, eventually settling in Charles City County, Virginia, where he was born in 1830. At the age of 18, the ambitious young man crossed the James River into the bustling city of Petersburg, where he began an eight-year apprenticeship with a successful furniture and undertaking business. In 1856, armed with the skills he had acquired, Morriss founded J.T. Morriss & Co. on Bollingbrook Street in downtown Petersburg. Unbeknownst to him, his new furniture and undertaking establishment would become a Virginia legacy, with his reputation for fairness and honesty passed down through nearly six generations.
J.T. Morriss & Co. flourished quickly. After just five years, at the onset of the Civil War, his casket and embalming services became invaluable to thousands of local families of Civil War casualties and others in need. He remained on call every day, even purchasing an ad in a Petersburg paper listing his home address so he could always be reached in the era before telephones.
Morriss’ business continued to prosper and expand, necessitating a move to a larger building on Sycamore Street. In April 1871, a fire ravaged his workshop in the rear of the building. Miraculously, the fire did not spread to Morriss’ warehouse, which contained the majority of his inventory. After the smoke settled, his business continued to grow, requiring another relocation to a larger building a few blocks down Sycamore Street.
Due to public demand and his great success as an undertaker, he sold the furniture part of his business in 1880 to focus solely on funeral work. A few years later, he moved to a new, larger location at 69 Sycamore Street.
In 1890, after 42 years of dedicated service, James Tolleison Morriss II passed away. His youngest son, Charles L. Morriss, assumed leadership of the family business. Over the next two decades, many advancements were made in the funeral industry. Although deeply rooted in tradition, Morriss kept up with changes and offered families the most modern conveniences available while maintaining the family’s reputation for honesty and fairness.
He moved and expanded the business once more, this time to the corner of Sycamore and Washington streets. Under Charles Morriss’ leadership, the business was incorporated in 1924 as J.T. Morriss & Son, Inc., staffed with a team of compassionate individuals who shared Morriss’ goals and virtues. Charles L. Morriss continued to lead the business until his passing in 1954.
James "J.T." Tolleison Morriss IV then took over and opened two locations under his leadership. In 1959, J.T. opened Hopewell and then twenty years later in 1979, he built and opened the Chester location. After a period of successful expansion, he passed away in 1982, leaving his son, James "Jay" Tolleison Morriss V, to run the business. Jay led the company until his death in 2008, after which his son, James "Tolleison" Morriss VI, assumed leadership.
In 2011, Tolleison expanded the business further by purchasing the Nelson Family Funeral Service - Gould Chapel in Hopewell, converting it to Memorial Funeral Home in 2012. In 2013, he purchased a building and established Legacy Monument Design Company, a full-service monument company. This company has partnered with the state of Virginia, libraries, national parks, and landscaping projects, in addition to providing monuments and headstones to cemeteries across Virginia. In 2014, Tolleison built and opened a fourth location in Dinwiddie to serve families that had previously been travelling to Petersburg. Covid-19 provided a period for reflection and renovation. The Hopewell chapel underwent a renovation in 2020, followed by the completion of the Chester chapel's renovation in 2021. Post Covid-19, a new need in the community emerged. Seeing this need in the community, Tolleison reimagined Memorial Funeral Home into Memorial Discount Funerals & Online Cremation, which provides an online DIY discounted cremation service for families.

Today, J. "Tolleison" Morriss VI leads the Virginia legacy which serves families with chapels in Chester, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Dinwiddie. As a member of the sixth generation of the Morriss family, Tolleison continues to run the business, teaching his children, James "J.T." Tolleison Morriss VII and Kenley Morriss, the Morriss tradition of fairness and respectability established by J.T. Morriss II over 150 years ago. Throughout the generations and many leaders of the business, J.T. Morriss & Son is always striving to keep up with the latest advancements in the funeral industry while maintaining the family’s commitment to fairness and compassion.
