History & Staff

Founded in 1946

Claybar Funeral Home has always been committed to caring for families during the most difficult of times. The Claybar story began in 1946 when Ambrose Claybar converted a residence in Orange into a funeral home. When World War II ended, Lannie Claybar returned from service to join with his brother in the business and committed himself to service. Lannie Claybar and his wife, Marjorie Brown, built the business into Orange's leading funeral service provider. Lannie Claybar was a gifted individual with incredible people skills and a genuine compassion. Lannie was also an accomplished pianist.

Lannie died in 1969 and the torch was passed to Marjorie and David Claybar; Brown Claybar joined the family business in 1973. With the second generation, a new facility was built in Orange. This new facility is located at 504 5th Street, which is adjacent to the original building site.   David Claybar served as President of the company from 1969 to 1980.

A period of growth

In 1980 Brown Claybar assumed the leadership of the corporation. The 1980s started a period of growth. While continuing to be the leading funeral home in the Orange area, expansion became a business strategy. Shared cost and regional personnel efficiency benefited our funeral staff and clients. During this period the following companies were purchased by Claybar Funeral Home:

*Clayton - Thompson Bridge City Funeral Home - Bridge City, Texas *Hillcrest Memorial Gardens - Orange, Texas *Orange Forest Lawn - West Orange, Texas *Fuller Funeral Home - Orange, Texas *Kelley-Watkins Funeral Home - Beaumont, Texas *Haven of Rest Cemetery and Crematory- Beaumont, Texas *Claybar Floral Shop - Beaumont, Texas.

Current Management

In May of 2007, Warren Claybar was elected President of the corporation and Brown was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors. Warren represents the third generation of the Claybar family leading the company. He and his capable management team perform the day to day activities of the company, keeping the founders' ideals in focus. 

Innovation...the path to greater service

During the past 20 years, as technology progressed, Claybar Funeral Home embraced change and contiually looked for ways new technology could enhance funeral service.

In 2010, we developed and launched CREMATIONSasimpleway.com.  This innovative web site allows families, in the privacy of their homes and offices, to explore various cremation options and make decisions on-line.  In 5 simple steps they are guided through various options, make their selections and submit to the funeral home.  Less expensive than traditional cremation arrangements in a funeral home, CREMATIONSasimpleway.com provides a great resource to Southeast Texas.

With the success and community support of CREMATIONSasimpleway.com, we began in 2015 the development of FUNERALSasimpleway.com.  In 2016, the development was completed and the site was launched - providing our communities with the ability to utilize technology to save money and to simplify the arrangement process.

Also in 2010, we completed construction on a new, state of the art crematory located on the beautiful grounds of Hillcrest Memorial Gardens.  Haven of Rest Crematory, through its new facilities, provides the most professional, secure cremation service in  Southeast Texas.

Most recently, a revised web site for Claybar Funeral Home was created providing a miriad of new services, information and social networking options.

In 2018, plans were developed to construct a second crematory and provide a beautiful, new, cremation garden on the grounds of Hillcrest Memorial Gardens. 

What's next?.... You can be certain it will innovate service to a new level. It will make a difference!

It will be a source of pride for our company, the families we serve and our communities.

We will let you know.