— ABOUT
Four generations of one family.
Gaffney Funeral Home was founded in Tacoma in 1883. Three generations later, Corey Gaffney bought the family business outright from his parents and, with his wife Jen, built around it the operating company that exists today. We are still family-owned. We intend to stay that way.
— OUR MISSION
We help families say goodbye -
and we do it well.
That is the entire business. Everything else — the price points, the brands, the cemeteries, the operating discipline — exists in service of that one sentence. The work itself is what dignifies it.
Where most operators in the profession see margin pressure and demographic uncertainty, we see an opportunity. Death care is not the simple, stable business it used to be. The operators who recognize that and build around it will continue to do well. We intend to be one of them.
— OPERATING PRINCIPLES
How we think about the work.
These are the operating principles we run the company on. They aren't slogans — they show up in how we hire, how we set budgets, how we choose what to invest in, and how we decide whether a brand belongs in the group.
Coworkers, not employees
The people who do the work are the company. We use the word "coworkers" because it accurately describes the relationship. Our coworkers are paid well, supported in their development, and given the resources to do the work properly. The rest of the profession is short-staffed. We are not.
Client families, not customers.
The people we serve are not transactions. They are families in a moment that will mark them for the rest of their lives. We talk about them, train for them, and design our operations for them in a way that respects that.
Brands stay distinct.
Each of our brands stands on its own. Premium customers, value customers, and simple-cremation customers are not the same customers. We do not consolidate brands to save on a logo. We separate them because it serves families better.
Decisions are accountable.
Two people own the company. They are responsible for the direction it takes. The buck stops with them on every major decision — including, when the time comes, the decision about what happens next.
Capital expenditure shows up in the facility.
The way the business is run shows up in the moment a family walks in. New hearses. Modern crematories. Updated facilities. The investments we make in the back office are visible in the front room.
Truth, not slogans.
If a claim is worth making, it's worth supporting with data. We don't lean on tropes. We prefer to be specific.
— LEADERSHIP
The people who answer the phone.
Gaffney Group is owned and operated by Corey and Jen Gaffney. There is no board to convince, no syndicate to manage, no quarterly committee. Decisions are made by the people who are responsible for them — and who will still be responsible for them long after a transaction closes.
OWNER ∙ PRESIDENT & CEO
Corey Gaffney
Fourth-generation funeral director with more than 20 years of experience across the cemetery, crematory, funeral home, and cremation society segments of the profession. Co-founder and CEO of Gaffney Group, responsible for the overall direction and operations of all locations serving over 2,000 families annually.
Licensed funeral director and certified crematory operator. Attended Gonzaga University, majoring in public relations with a minor in philosophy. Current board member of WSFDA, two-time past board member of ICCFA, and an active member of CANA, ICCFA, SIFH, and WSFDA. Long-time Tacoma resident, engaged in the local community on multiple boards.
OWNER ∙ VICE PRESIDENT & CFO
Jen Gaffney
Licensed funeral director and accomplished financial professional with more than 25 years of experience. Co-founder and CFO of Gaffney Group. Manages all financial operations of the business while running her department.
Graduated from the University of Washington with a major in Political Science. Began her service to the funeral profession answering phones — and takes pride in having worked nearly every role in the company since.
VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS
Tim Grant
Licensed funeral director and embalmer with more than 43 years of experience. Supervises and manages the daily operations of the business and the team of funeral directors across our brands.
Graduated from Mt. Hood Community College with a degree in Mortuary Science. Started at Gaffney mowing lawns in the summer and rose through the ranks through hard work and excellence to client families.
— HISTORY
A short version, for those who want one.
Gaffney Funeral Home opens in Tacoma in 1883. The first generation passes the business to the second, the second to the third. The fourth generation — Corey Gaffney — buys the funeral home outright from his parents in an asset-purchase agreement, rather than inheriting it. In 2017, Corey and Jen formally organize Gaffney Group as the operating company around that anchor business.
A single funeral home in 1883. Eight brands today — five funeral homes, two cemeteries, and two cremation businesses across the Pacific Northwest. The thread connecting them is the same: do the work properly, treat the people doing it well, and let the rest follow.
— HIRING
People who want a career, not a paycheck.
We have no open positions at the moment. We are still happy to hear from people who would be a fit. The reason our coworkers stay is the reason our coworkers refer their friends — and most of our best hires have come through that door.
