Staff members of Rush Funeral Home are caring and experienced professionals who understand that each family is unique and has personal requests and traditions. These requests and traditions are of utmost importance to our staff of licensed funeral directors.
Phone: (318) 335-1180
Kelly Rush is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Rush Funeral Homes. The Rush family has owned and operated Rush Funeral Homes since 1966 when Kelly's father, Howard J. Rush, started the businesses.
Kelly is the youngest of four children and the daughter of Howard and Doris Rush. She was born and reared in Oakdale where she graduated from Oakdale High School in 1986 as an honor student. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting with a minor in Economics and graduated cum laude in December 1989.
Kelly is very active in the civic life of Central Louisiana. She is a member of the Oakdale Area Chamber of Commerce where she served as President for 3 years. She is a member of the Oakdale Rotary Club where she currently serves as President and a member of the Oakdale Lion's Club. She also serves on the Community Relations Board for the Federal Complex where she served as Chairwoman for 2 years. She is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association, the Louisiana Funeral Directors Association and the North Louisiana Funeral Directors Association where she serves as Chairwoman of the Scholarship Committee and on Education Committee. Kelly currently serves as Moderator for the Board of Oakdale Community Hospital and is a charter member of the Board of the Cenla Advantage Partnership (CAP), a subsidiary of the Rapides Foundation.
In April 2008, Kelly was appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal to serve on the Louisiana State Board of Embalmer and Funeral Directors. She was honored by being selected by the Alexandria Town Talk as one of the "Top Ten Outstanding Women in Central Louisiana" and by Focus Magazine as one of the "Top 50 Women Under 50" in Louisiana.
Honored by her community, she was the recipient of the President's Award given by the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce and the Outstanding Leadership Award given by the Federal Complex. Selected by her business peers, Kelly was honored as the recipient of the coveted 2019 Oakdale Area Chamber of Commerce Civic Service Award.
Kelly was also the Allen Parish Parent of the Year! She is a member of Christ Church of Oakdale. Kelly is married to Dr. Patrick Savoy and they are the proud parents of three sons, Dr. Rush Alan Williams, 28, who is a general surgery resident at LSU Shreveport, John Ross Williams, 22, an LSU Graduate, a licensed Funeral Director, who will be attending medical school, and Petyon Cole Savoy, 19, who is pursuing a degree in biology at LSU Shreveport. For recreation, she enjoys traveling, playing golf, fishing and duck hunting with her boys!
Phone: (318) 335-1180
Jason joined Rush Funeral Home with over twenty-eight years of experience, serving families in the Oakdale area. He is a life-long resident of Oakdale, a 1995 graduate of Oakdale High School and a 1999 graduate of the Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service in Houston, TX. He serves as manager of Rush Funeral Home Oakdale, pre-arrangement counselor and sexton of Resthaven Cemetery. He is also a member of the National Funeral Directors Association and the Louisiana Funeral Directors Association. In his spare time Jason enjoys hunting, fishing and motorcycle and horseback riding.
Phone: (318) 448-0846
Robbie, having twenty-five years of experience in funeral service, serves as manager of Rush Funeral Home, Pineville, director, embalmer, insurance agent, pre-need consultant and sexton Restland Memorial Gardens. Robbie became part of the Rush family business in 1995 after managing a New Orleans funeral home. He is a member of Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church, The Louisiana Funeral Directors Association, The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and The Experimental Aircraft Association. In his leisure time he enjoys going to his camp, skiing on the Red River, cooking, flying, riding his motorcycle and most of all, spending time with his daughter, Caitlin.
Phone: (318) 335-0500
Cindy joined the Rush Companies over 30 years ago. Cindy is a 1990 graduate of Plainview High School. She serves as office manager of Rush Life Insurance Company and secretary of our two perpetual care cemeteries, Resthaven Cemetery and Restland Memorial Gardens. Cindy resides in Glenmora and is the mother of two sons, Dylan, 25 and Jackson, 13. She is the proud grandmother of one granddaughter, Averie. She is a member of West Baptist Church and in her spare time, she enjoys shopping, spending time with her family and the occasional girl’s trip.
Phone: (318) 335-0500
Hope joined the Rush Companies in August 2021. She is a 2000 graduate of Oakdale High School. Hope resides in Oakdale and is the mother of two children, Gabbie, age 16 and Connor, age 11. In her spare time, she enjoys going to her children’s basketball and baseball games, riding ATV’s, shopping, and spending time with family and friends.
Phone: (318) 335-1180
Chris serves as the funeral director's assistant at our Oakdale location. Chris is a 2014 Graduate of Oakdale High School, and a member of the First United Pentecostal Church of Oakdale. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, spending time with family, and visiting elderly in the community. Chris has a true compassion for helping anyone in need.
Phone: (318) 448-0846
Darvis is a native of Pineville and serves as the funeral director’s assistant at our Pineville location. He is a member of the Pentecostals of Alexandria and is married to Maxine Duncan. They have 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren. Darvis enjoys golf and fishing in his spare time.
Phone: (318) 448-0846
Jessica has worked for the Rush Companies for over 25 years. She began at Rush Life Insurance Company, formally known as Great Central Life Insurance Company, at the age of twenty years old. She is currently the secretary at Rush Funeral Home in Pineville. She is a life-long resident of Oakdale, a 1995 graduate of Liberty Baptist Academy, and an active member of West Baptist Church. Jessica is married to Gary Duplechain and they have two beautiful daughters, Madelyn, age 19, and Allie, age 9 and two wonderful sons, Cameron and Dylan. In her spare time, she enjoys shopping, watching old movies and road trips with her friends.
Phone: (318) 335-0500
Cherie serves as pre-need counselor for Rush Life Insurance Company, in Oakdale. She joined the Rush Companies in August of 2018 and advises our clients and their families with knowledge of their pre-need burial policy coverage. The information she gives is vital to our clients’ family during their time of need. Cherie strives to serve these clients and their families with compassion and knowledge to help alleviate this process. Cherie resides in Plainview and has two sons. In her spare time she enjoys family, camping, fishing, and atv riding.
Phone: (318) 335-3800
Christy joined the Rush Companies six years ago and serves as retail manager of Kelly's Korner and in-house florist for Rush Funeral Homes, which is all located inside The Rush Center, Oakdale. She resides in Oakdale and is the mother of a fun loving son, Colt, who is 11 years old. Christy has a very motivated work ethic and is excellent with customer service, handling any of our clients and customers needs. She is a member of Calvary Baptist Church and in her spare time she loves taking trips to see family and hanging out with her son.
Phone: (318) 335-3800
Stephanie joined the Rush Companies five years ago and serves as the marketing and finance manager for furniture and appliances at The Rush Center in Oakdale. She resides in Kinder and is a 2000 graduate of Kinder High School. She is married and has two sons, Landon, 19 and Carter, 16. Stephanie is very outgoing and is exceptional at sales, promotions and advertisement. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, cheering on her sons at the ball field and family, making memories that last a lifetime.
Phone: (318) 335-1180
Alice joined Rush Funeral Homes seven years ago as the funeral greeter and attendant for visitations and funeral services. She resides in Kinder and is a member of St. Paul's Catholic Church of Elton and the AVVA Chapter 215 of Kinder. She has two daughters, Miranda and Kelli and in her spare time she enjoys group activities in her community, sewing, traveling and spending time with her grandchildren.
Phone: (318) 335-1180
Paige joined the Rush Companies in October of 2020, and is currently the secretary at Rush Funeral Home in Oakdale. She is a life-long resident of Oakdale and a 2005 graduate of Oakdale High School. She is married to Carl Cloud and they have three children, Preslee, Lindee Kate and Tate. In her spare time, she enjoys shopping, spending time with her family, and camping.
Phone: (318) 448-0846
Bambie joined Rush Funeral Homes four years ago. The last two years she has worked full-time as the business assistant at Rush Funeral Home in Pineville and attendant for visitations and funeral services.
She has one daughter, Jenna, and in her spare time enjoys fishing, scrapbooking, and photography.
Howard Jerald Rush, Sr. was born on September 14, 1927 in Georgetown, Louisiana, the second of the three children of Luther and Alma Rush. Howard and his siblings grew up on the dry hills of Grant Parish, living most of their early lives in Pollock, Louisiana. From the age of seven or eight, Howard Rush always had a job. He has never been afraid of work and it shows today as he enjoys working 40 plus hours a week at the wonderful age of 80. Howard graduated from Pollock High School in 1947 and began his new endeavor of making mattresses which would change his life forever. He made mattresses at night and peddled them door to door in his 1946 Ford Pickup each day. His peddling efforts migrated Howard to the Oakdale area where he met his wife, Doris Clark. Thery married in 1950 and rented a building in downtown Oakdale where they started a small furniture store and later a finance company to finance his furniture deals. Doris minded the store while Howard delivered and sold door to door. In 1966, Rush decided to start a funeral home in Oakdale, selling stock to raise enough capital for its establishment. By the same means, he established Great Central Life Insurance Company to provide insurance policies that would be funded through Rush Funeral Home. In 1972, came his idea of starting two beautiful perpetual care cemeteries, Resthaven Cemetery and Restland Memorial Gardens, established in conjunction with his funeral homes to provide for the families he served. Later came Great Central Fire Insurance Company, four other Rush Funeral Home locations and then a 28,000 square foot addition to his 1948 furniture store, now call The Rush Center! Rush is the recipient of the Mayor's Award and the highly coveted 1999 Civic Service Award which is given based on outstanding leadership and dedicated service to the community. He has been highly recognized for being an epitome of success in several newspapers and magazines including the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, the Lake Charles American Press, the Times of Southwest Louisiana, the Oakdale Journal and The National Retailing News. Rush and the former Doris Clark have been married since March 4, 1950. Paying tribute to his wife, Rush said, "Four out of my four kids are too good to be true, thanks to their mother. She is a world class mother." The Rushs are most proud of the fact that all four children, Howard Jr., Ray, Kathryn and Kelly work in the businesses. In addition to their four children, the Rushs have eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren. The Rush have lived in the same home, located 4 miles outside the city of Oakdale, for over fifty years. For recreation, Rush enjoys traveling, reading and riding his golf cart with the grandchildren. He has an office in each of his businesses, however he spends the majority of his time in his office at the furniture store. I guess his first love is always the greatest. When asked about the last fifty years, Rush stated, "I hope my next fifty years are as good as my last!"