Kiser Funeral Home is expected to merge its operations with what has been Rose Hill Funeral Home near the end of this month, informed sources said.

They said its operations will be transferred to what is now named Kiser-Rose Hill Funeral Home.

Both Greeneville funeral homes are part of the Dignity Memorial Network of funeral, cremation and cemetery-providers, which is owned by Service Corporation International (SCI), the country's largest funeral home operator.

An accompanying photo shows one of two signs, in front of the former Rose Hill Funeral Home, where the name has already been changed to "Kiser-Rose Hill Funeral Home."

John Frederickson, SCI's regional manager in Morganton, N.C., on Wednesday declined any comment.

However, informed sources said the building that Kiser Funeral Home, at 401 W. Main St., has long occupied is expected to be sold -- but not to another funeral home.

There are tentative plans to expand Rose Hill Funeral Home, located at 125 Idletime Drive, off Tennessee Rt. 70 (the Asheville Highway), on one side to add more funeral parlors, a source said.

When SCI bought Rose Hill Funeral Home last spring, Sammy Fox, a co-manager then with Ronnie Brown of Kiser Funeral Home, which had been bought by SCI in late 2007, said in an interview, "The plan is that, eventually, the Rose Hill and Kiser Funeral homes will be merged into one."

In recent months, Fox said Wednesday, he and Brown have been serving as co-managers of both Kiser Funeral Home and Rose Hill Funeral Home.

Asked when Kiser Funeral Home will close its present building, Fox replied, "We're not exactly sure yet," but the closing is expected in coming weeks.

In late November 2007, Kiser Funeral Home was bought by SCI.

In 2007, SCI had bought Alderwoods Group Inc., its largest rival, for about $856 million.

Fox has said Kiser Funeral Home conducts about 300 funerals annually.

Kiser has had 14 full-time employees and four part-time employees. Fox said he expects most will be treansferred to Rose Hill.

What was Rose Hill Funeral Home announced last May it had joined the Houston-based Dignity Memorial Network, which earlier had purchsed Kiser Funeral Home.

Kiser-Rose Hill Funeral Home and Kiser Funeral Home are two of Greeneville's four funeral homes.

Rose Hill's previous co-owners were Jimmy Cansler, Jerry Fortner, and Harold Limburg, all of Greeneville. Limburg continues at Kiser-Rose Hill as a funeral director.

The three co-owners last May declined to say what the sale price was.

Service Corporation International, traded on the New York Stock Exchange, describes itself as "North America's leading provider of death-care products and services."

As of Dec. 31, 2007, the company owned and operated more than 1,300 funeral homes and 350 cemeteries in 43 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

In late September, it was announced that Paxus Services, Inc. a group of funeral homes that operates Mayes Mortuary of Morristown, purchased the Doughty-Stevens Funeral Home at 1125 Tusculum Blvd. in Greeneville, as well as Mosheim Funeral Home, which had the same owners.

Joe and Bill Hickerson, brothers who were co-owners of the 116-year-old Doughty-Stevens Funeral Home and Mosheim Funeral Home, agreed to sell them to the Paxus chain of 32 funeral homes.

The Paxus chain is headed by Buddy Mayes, of Mayes Mortuary of Morristown, and his partner, Duane Schaefer, of San Antonio, Texas. The sale price was not disclosed.

It was announced then that Jason Smith, previously manager of Rose Hill Funeral Home, had been named Doughty-Stevens' manager.

Christopher Long was appointed assistant manager there as well as manager of the smaller Mosheim Funeral Home that Doughty-Stevens operates.

Mayes said Paxus Services, Inc. plans to operate the Doughty-Stevens Funeral Home as before. He said, "The traditions of Doughty-Stevens will continue."

Jeffers Funeral & Cremation Service is Greeneville's other funeral home. It is the only one that continues to be locally owned. For decades the business has been headed by Rex Jeffers and his son, Richard Jeffers.

Jeffers Mortuary opened its doors in October 1959, then being in the former Allen House on the corner of Church and College Street, where Town Hall is presently located. In 1962, Jeffers purchased the home on College Street where the funeral home is now located.