Our History
Having served the Lakeland community since 1911, Gentry-Morrison Funeral Homes are the oldest funeral homes in Polk County.Our firm has been locally owned and operated by Lew Hall since 2001. Our family and staff are active in local church, civic and community activities in an effort to support our community. We have two full service funeral homes, a Cremation Center, as well as our cemetery, Serenity Gardens, for the convenience of our families. The greater Lakeland community has entrusted their loved ones to our firm now for over 100 years.
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Lew & Anita Hall Owner & Funeral Director
Lew Hall, owner of Gentry-Morrison Funeral Homes, is a graduate of the Kentucky School of Mortuary Science. Lew has been married to his wife Anita since 1980. Their son, Trey, lives in Lakeland, FL and son Todd, resides in Louisville, KY. Before returning to the funeral business in 2001, Lew was in the insurance and real estate business for twenty years. Lew is a Past President for the Florida Funeral Director's Association and currently serves on the Board of Funeral, Cemetery and Consumer Services for the State of Florida.
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Trey Hall Funeral Director
Trey Hall began working for his father at Gentry Morrison Funeral Homes in April of 2001. He is a lifelong resident of Polk County, having graduated from Bartow High School and St. Petersburg College. He is a third generation funeral director and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Florida Cemetery Cremation and Funeral Association. Trey and his wife Lauren have two children, Shelby and Lane.
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Don Bellar Funeral Director
Don Bellar joined Gentry-Morrison Funeral Homes in August of 2002 as a funeral director. He graduated from Miami-Dade Community College of Mortuary Science in 1984 and became a licensed funeral director in 1985. After several years of funeral directing experience in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Don moved to Lakeland in 1990 to manage Lakeland Funeral Home for 10 years before joining the Gentry-Morrison staff. He resides in Lakeland with his wife Lorrie and their three children, Jordan, Mason and Blake. The Bellars are very active in the Lakeland community.
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Paige Hernandez Funeral Director
Paige joined Gentry-Morrison Funeral Homes in 2018 with the hopeful intent of pursuing an education in Funeral Services and becoming a licensed Funeral Director. Prior to joining Gentry-Morrison, she graduated from the University of South Florida in 2011 with a BA in Psychology and minor in Criminology. She began her studies in funeral service at St. Petersburg College in 2019. In 2021, she graduated from Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Services with a 4.0 GPA and awarded Honors with the Highest Distinction. She proudly obtained her Funeral Directing license in 2022. Paige is honored to serve the families in the community and surrounding areas of Lakeland, where she has been a lifelong resident.
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Susan Gidney Funeral Director
Susan began working with Gentry-Morrison in May of 2022. She has been a licensed funeral director and embalmer since 1996. Susan grew up in Iowa. She graduated from Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Wheeling, Illinois. Moving to Seattle, she worked as a licensed funeral director and embalmer for a progressive funeral home for 7 years. She relocated to Florida in 2002, working as a funeral director, manager and general manager for 20 years in Southeast Florida. Susan is a midwestern girl at heart. Her midwestern values assist her in her ability to guide families through their hardest times. Susan lives in Lakeland with her husband, John, son, Logan, and their four-legged children.
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Vera Hall Administrative Assistant
Vera Hall began working for her son, Lew Hall Jr., at Gentry-Morrison Funeral Homes in February of 2009. Vera and her late husband, Lew Hall, Sr., attended Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma.She served as administrative assistant to the District Superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene and later as administrative assistant to the Senior Pastor at the Highland Park Church of the Nazarene, both in Lakeland.
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Bill Zeranski Funeral Director Intern
Bill joined Gentry-Morrison Funeral Homes in 2023 after completing his education at Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Services. He is continuing his education while interning to become a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer. Prior to joining Gentry-Morrison, he graduated from the University of South Florida in 2008 with a Bachelor’s in Business Management and Economics. He's married to his wife Jasmine, and they are raising three children (Aubrie, Liam and Owen) with a new addition due in January of 2023. He is very active in the community through Rotary and other philanthropic works.
