Harris-Nadeau Mortuary opens in Chesnee

A new funeral home — Harris-Nadeau Mortuary — has opened in Chesnee to serve the burial and cremation needs of the surrounding community. Owned and operated by Tommy Harris and Steven Nadeau both of Chesnee, it is a full-service mortuary and represents a $1.4 million investment. It officially opened Wednesday, Sept. 21. A public open house is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 16, 2-5 p.m.

Located at 5880 Chesnee Highway, the 12,426-square-foot facility has been in development for the past 18 months. It utilized an existing storage building that was extensively remodeled, now featuring tasteful light-brown stucco siding, accented with stacked stones, black iron light fixtures, and a mansard roof. New landscaping was added, and parking is plentiful. The interior decor is spacious European with original oil paintings, crystal chandeliers, and faux marble and carpeted flooring. The subtle color scheme is accented with dark-wood and upholstered fine furnishings. Located in Chesnee, Harris-Nadeau Mortuary is just eight miles off of Interstate 85, exit 78/US 221.

Tommy Harris and Steven Nadeau

“Our philosophy is to treat every family as if it were our own,” Nadeau (Na-Doe) said. “We provide every service possible and at an affordable price, which is a big consideration for a family when faced with the death of a loved one. Yes, we’ve made a huge investment in this community creating eight new jobs, but we don’t plan to recoup it in the near future. This is a lifetime investment for us, so we are able to offer better services and better prices over the long haul. It is our goal to establish trust and confidence in this community so that when the need arrives, the decisions can be made more easily by those grieving. We want to establish our reputation for providing excellent service at a fair and reasonable price.”

The services include funerals utilizing the 80-person reception room, 200-seat chapel, and/or graveside services. All funeral services are custom-designed to meet the preferences and needs of the deceased and family. “If the family wants a very traditional and religious service, we can provide that,” Harris said. “If they want something contemporary and secular, we can provide that, too. We honor all religions, be they Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Far Eastern, Native American, or any other.”

Other services include a full line of caskets, obituary writing, cremation, remains preparation, hearse transportation, and death certificate coordination. “One of our more unique features is an after-service room,” Harris said. “It is very common for family and friends to gather at the family’s home after the service. In the South, this usually involves a great deal of food being brought in. This is a wonderful custom, but many times, the home is not large enough to accommodate many people and there is the extra pressure of making sure the home is presentable to receive guests. As a new service of convenience, families can use our after-service room, which is complete with refrigeration, microwave ovens, sinks, tables and chairs. So instead of having to host and coordinate a large number of people with a lot of food in the home, that can be done here relieving a lot of stress and clean-up.”

“Our facility is state of the art,” Nadeau said. “The chapel has the latest technologies with sound and closed-circuit televisions so that no matter where you sit, you see and hear everything. The decor is classic European with comfortable furnishings that give it a home-like feel. We have also a reception room for families to use for both visitation and funeral service at no extra charge. This room was designed for the express purpose of reception. We, therefore, do not have to disturb and convert a viewing room into a reception room.”

Harris-Nadeau Mortuary’s website — HarrisNadeauMortuary.com — offers a wide range of online services and conveniences, such as the ability to send flowers, read obituaries, access grief support, arrange services in advance, and learn helpful information, like funeral etiquette and checklists.

Nadeau, president, CEO, and funeral director, has been in the mortuary business for more than 40 years. Previously, he lived and worked in California, but relocated to Chesnee in 2013. “I found myself missing what I loved for so long,” he said. “I had sold my mortuary in California but wanted to re-enter funeral service here to continue to serve and care for grieving families. I attempted to join the staff at another mortuary, but it became obvious that I needed to open a new facility that cares for and dignifies the deceased, as well as those surviving. Hence, Harris-Nadeau Mortuary was the answer.”

Nadeau graduated with a double major in Humanities and History from California State University, Sacramento, CA. He then furthered his course of studies at the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, where he completed his Master’s in Divinity and Theology, as well as his doctorate. He began his formal career in funeral service in 1981. In 1997, he opened his first independently owned funeral home, Nadeau Family Funeral Home, in Vacaville, CA. Later, he sold that mortuary, intending on retiring to Upstate South Carolina. However, he found that he was not ready for retirement, and in 2015, he began developing plans for Harris-Nadeau Mortuary. In his off time, Nadeau enjoys playing piano for Chapman Cultural Center and many of the assisted-living, skilled, and independent care centers in the area. He is a church organist for St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Spartanburg, as well as Liberty United Methodist Church. He recently came on board with Worship Care as is the pianist/organist for those suffering with Alzheimer’s. He is a member of the South Carolina Funeral Director’s Association, Northern Solano Lodge #2534, Order of Son’s of Italy in American, and Italian Social Organization of Spartanburg,

Harris, vice president, co-owner, and funeral director, is a native of Chesnee and began his career at the age of 16. Now 35, he has 18 years of funeral services experience. He is a 1999 graduate of Chesnee High School and a 2003 graduate of Piedmont Technical College, where he received his Funeral Directors Licenses. He is licensed in both North and South Carolina and is also a Certified Crematory Operator. He was formerly a lead Funeral Director with Eggers Funeral Home and Crematory of Chesnee. He is a member of the South Carolina Funeral Directors Association, the National Funeral Directors Association, the Association of Professional Funeral Service Practice and the Cremation Association of North America. Harris is a member of First Baptist Church of Mayo, where he participates with the Praise Team and choir, and also serves on the Budget and Finance and  Planning committees. He is very active in the community and is very involved with the Chesnee High School Marching Band as part of its office and visual staff. He is the son of Thomas “Dooley” and Darlene Robinson Harris and the grandson of Ansel and Freda Robinson and Vivian Harris Wilson. He has one sister Megan Harris Hines and husband Mark all of Chesnee.

“To me, family and community are everything,” Harris said. “I’ve lived my entire life in Chesnee, and my family and I are totally involved in community affairs. This mortuary represents my contribution to my community. It is important to me to provide the best service at an affordable price to my friends and neighbors when their loved ones pass on. This is what I do, and I have never done anything else. Doing it well is my calling and reputation.”

Harris-Nadeau Mortuary will host an open house on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2-5 p.m. The event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local, state, and regional dignitaries, as well as mortuary professionals. Catered refreshments will be served along with live music, and tours will be conducted for the public’s introduction to this new facility.

“There’s been only one funeral home in Chesnee for nearly 30 years,” Nadeau said. “There hasn’t been a new facility opened in this area since 2008. We believe the time is right to give people more choices and better services. When it comes to funeral services, there is nothing that Tommy and I can’t handle. Big, small, religious, secular, extravagant, modest, it all matters, and we’ll make whatever the deceased and family want happen. A funeral service is as much about the living as it is about the deceased, and at Harris-Nadeau we keep that thought foremost in our minds. We are here to make a difficult situation as easy as possible.”

For more information about Harris-Nadeau Mortuary, please call (864) 461-7788 or visit online HarrisNadeauMortuary.com.