Our Staff

Each of the staff members at Ray-Nowell Funeral Home is committed to providing your family with the finest in personal care. In fact, for years, it’s been comforting for area families to know that we are available to help at any time of the day or night.

Terrell W. Davis

Owner, Licensed Funeral Director & Embalmer

Terrell was first licensed by the Tennessee Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers before reciprocating his licenses to Mississippi in 1999 where he was duly licensed by the Mississippi State Board of Funeral Service. Terrell serves our families as a Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer as well as overseeing daily operations as our managing owner.

Terrell completed his education in Mortuary Science at Northwest Mississippi Community College. In addition to his functions in the funeral home, Terrell is also a Registered Nurse who graduated from Northwest Mississippi Community College School of Nursing. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership at Crichton College in Memphis, TN and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN. He completed additional graduate study at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center .

Terrell is a licensed life insurance agent in the State of Mississippi, a member of the National Funeral Directors Association, Mississippi Funeral Directors Association, Senatobia Rotary Club, has served as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Funeral Service Program at Northwest Mississippi Community College, and is a member of Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing. He is also a past member of the Board of Directors for the Sycamore Arts Council and Very Special Arts - Northwest Mississippi District.

Through the funeral home, he is a member of the Tate County Economic Development Foundation and the Panola Partnership.

Terrell lives in Senatobia with his two daughters, Abbey and Anna-Lauren, where they attend the First Baptist Church.

Wiley "Skip" Lowder, Jr.

Licensed Funeral Director

Skip Lowder is a retired farmer, originally from Sumter, SC. Skip became a funeral director in 2014, when he was duly licensed by the Mississippi State Board of Funeral Service. He is also a licensed life insurance agent with the State of Mississippi.

Skip earned his Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from The University of Mississippi and is also a graduate of Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Skip lives in Senatobia with his wife, Patricia, and he has one grown son, Trip.

Hal Johnson

Licensed Funeral Director & Staff Chaplain

Bro. Hal Johnson is our staff Chaplain and a licensed funeral director. He serves as minister at Sardis Church of Christ in Sardis, MS. Bro. Hal was licensed by the Mississippi Board of Funeral Service as a funeral director in February, 2016.

He is very active in area nursing home ministries among other events in Panola and Tate Counties and he is a member of the Sardis Rotary Club.

Bro. Hal resides in Sardis and has one son, Clint.

Patricia W. Lowder

Pre-Need Counselor

Patricia Lowder, currently serves as our Office Manager, Pre-Need and Family Services Counselor, and Monument Specialist. She is actively responsible for our three separate locations with regard to day-to-day business. She is a licensed insurance agent with the State of Mississippi and coordinates our pre-need programs, in addition to coordinating schedules and keeping the staff on task.

Patricia earned her Associate of Arts from Northwest Mississippi Community College and her Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from Crichton College in Memphis, TN. After many years of service, she retired from Northwest Mississippi Community College, and began a new chapter in her life by entering the funeral business.

Patricia has three grown sons, Patrick, Terrell and Robert. She and her husband, Skip, live in Senatobia.

Carla J. Gant

Office Manager / Funeral Associate

Carla oversees our office operations in Batesville, MS, but can also be found at our Senatobia and Sardis funeral homes from time to time. She assists has a variety of responsibilities from day-to-day office duties to assisting with visitations and funeral services. Carla earned her Associate of Science degree in Biology from Roane State Community College and worked as a lab animal technologist with the Nuclear Medicine group at ORNL in Oak Ridge, TN. Her career has evolved into retail, property and office management over the past several years before joining our staff in January, 2022.

Carla lives in Sardis where she is an active member of Sardis United Methodist Church. She is also a class leader at Explorer’s Bible study in Batesville. She has one grown son, Alex Lambert.

Robert Davis

Funeral Associate

Robert joined our staff in 2012, by assisting part-time with building maintenance and upkeep. As time progressed, Robert began assisting in other roles and since 2013 has served as a funeral associate.

Robert is a graduate of Senatobia High School and Northwest Mississippi Community College. He currently works full-time for Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia.

Robert lives in Senatobia and assists our funeral directors by working visitations and assisting on funeral services.