History & Staff

We have years of experience caring for families, from all walks of life. Each family comes to us because they know we are leaders in our profession, dedicated to excellence in service, and have the highest integrity.

Our Founders

It all began in 1927 when the popular Huntington merchant L.M. Cavendish founded his undertaking business in our current location of 924 20th Street calling it Cavendish Funeral Home Inc. He was also involved with his brother as co-owner of the Cavendish Department store located in Old Central City. Living only a few years to see his business flourish Mr. Cavendish passed away suddenly of appendicitis in 1938 and was buried in a family crypt at the Spring Hill Cemetery. Forest Johnson, whom was the funeral director of Mr. Cavendish took over the business after Mr. Cavendish passed away, renaming the buisness Cavendish-Johnson Funeral Home Inc. Mr. Johnson operated the funeral home under the name Cavendish-Johnson Funeral Home Inc. from 1938 to 1970. Upon Mr. Johnsons retirement in 1970 the funeral home was purchased by Windell Scarbro who operated the business under the name Cavendish-Johnson-Scarbro from 1970 to 1977.

Time In Between

In 1977 Charles Ferrell and his two sons, Thomas and Terry had the opportunity to purchase the funeral home from Windell Scarbro renaming it the Ferrell-Scarbro Mortuary. A short time later they dropped the Scarbro name leaving it Ferrell Mortuary Inc. From 1977 until 1979 the funeral home was operated by Charles, Thomas and Terry Ferrell. In 1979, Thomas sold his share of the business to his father and his brother and opened his own funeral home in another community.A short time later Charles decided to retire and sell his share to his son Terry Ferrell. Now the entire business was owned by Terry and his wife Patricia Ferrell. As a team they owned and operated the funeral home for several years. In 1998 Terry became ill requiring Patrcia's constant attention. Patricia was forced to sell the business. A large company known as the Lowen Group international purchased the Ferrell Mortuary. This company owned the funeral home from 1998 to 2000 when the company was forced to downsize due to financial reasons. They chose to sell seven of their funeral homes in West Virginia as a package including Ferrell.

In 2000 two funeral directors and an accountant formed a corporation called the WV Funeral Group and purchased the group of seven funeral homes. They chose to drop the old "Mortuary" name and renamed the funeral home Ferrell Funeral Home. In 2005 the manager of the Funeral Home, Matthew Chambers, tried to persuade the group to sell the funeral home, and finally on November 2, 2005 he succeeded. Once again the funeral home is locally owned and operated.

New Beginnings

On November 2nd, 2005, the Ferrell Funeral Home was purchased by Matthew Chambers, changing the name to Ferrell-Chambers Funeral Home. Matthew dedicated 15 years to making Ferrell-Chambers Funeral Home a warm, caring environment...understanding the highest honor that families entrusted within him.

On March 17, 2020, Tyler James Matney & Tiara Matney, along with their three daughters: Paris, Portia & Ella became a member of the Ferrell-Chambers Family, purchasing the funeral home from Matthew A. Chambers. Tyler, an alumnus of Marshall University, attended mortuary college at John A. Gupton College, Nashville, TN where he obtained his degree in Mortuary Science.

Our Valued Staff

  • Tyler  Matney

    Tyler Matney, Owner; Funeral Director/Embalmer

    Hello! I’m Tyler James Matney. I am happy to announce that I am the new owner of Ferrell-Chambers Funeral Home on 20th St. in Huntington, WV. I am honored to be apart of the Huntington community and look forward to serving families who find themselves in need of care and compassion during one of the most difficult times in their lives. It is my guarantee that your loved one’s service will be conducted in a personal and caring manner, no matter what type of services you and your family wish to have. I am committed to helping you plan meaningful ways to remember and honor the life of your loved one. Here at Ferrell-Chambers Funeral Home, we are available 24hrs, so please contact us at any time you may need to talk or have any questions.To introduce myself, I grew up in southern West Virginia and was raised by two amazing parents; Pastor Ron and Pamela Matney along with my two brothers. I graduated from Williamson High School and started my journey to become a mortician. I attended Marshall University where I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Marshall is also where I met my beautiful wife, Tiara Matney. After completing my business degree, I attended John A. Gupton College in Nashville, TN where I earned a degree in mortuary science. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family. I am a father of three wonderful little girls; Paris who is 7, Portia who is 3, and Ella who is 2. My interest in the funeral industry began after attending a funeral for a close family member. I took notice on how extremely attentive and helpful the funeral director was to our family during the loss of our loved one. After doing further research, I felt called to the funeral profession. I have always been compelled to care for others from an early age and pursuing this field allowed me to combine my passion with my career. Through my family and faith in God I have been able to accomplish so much in my lifetime and I am truly grateful.

  • Tiara Matney

    Tiara Matney, Co-Owner