Our Story

Ralph H. Smith & Joe C. Kernke, Sr.
When Joe C. Kernke, Sr. and Ralph H. Smith established Smith and Kernke Funeral Directors in 1939, they pledged to provide the finest care with the widest range of burial and cremation options available.

For over seventy years, that dedication to the community has been reflected through service to business, civic, and church activities. It is this dedication that has created, truly, the lasting tradition of dignity and service for which Smith & Kernke has become known.

What makes Smith & Kernke Different?

Of course, Smith & Kernke is Oklahoma City's oldest family operated funeral home, and that record of successful service says a great deal about the philosophy and character of an organization. This is a business where "family owned" has special significance.

For example, in recent years large corporations acquired countless funeral homes in almost every community. This has occurred in other industries as well, including banks, hospitals, car dealers, grocery stores, and insurance companies to name a few. But in other industries, the new owners are quick to publicize the purchase to inform their customers of the additional benefits derived from the transaction.

Not so with funeral homes. When a large company buys a funeral home, employees may change, prices often escalate, and the entire nature of the operation may be transformed overnight. But because it appears the same, sometimes keeping the name and even employing the former owner, you'd never know about the change in ownership - and policies.

At Smith & Kernke the ethics, values, and standards that have built the company's reputation for six decades are still in place and controlled by the Kernke family.


Smith & Kernke Funeral Directors