Our Staff

Tamela Cooper is the owner and operator of Banister-Cooper Funeral Home and is a licensed funeral director and embalmer in both Georgia and North Carolina. She worked in a number of industries including food service, call center, and construction before being called to the funeral profession. She is a 2012 graduate of Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service and originally joined Banister Funeral Home in 2012. Tamela began working in the funeral industry in Cleveland, Georgia. She and her husband purchased the funeral home in 2017. She is also a member of North Mt. Zion Church of God.

Tamela resides in Towns County with her husband Marvin and youngest son Memphis who attends Towns County High School. Together she and Marvin also have four adult children, Andrew, Wesley, Morgan, and Mackenzie spread across Georgia, Colorado and South Carolina. Outside of work Tamela enjoys decorating her home for the changing seasons, listening to old music, traveling and spending time with her kids. Through the years you could find her at Towns County wrestling matches, chorus concerts, band concerts, football games, and much more.

Tamela is active in the community where she is co-chair in the Hiawassee Downtown Development Authority. She is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce, a supporter of the Towns County Emergency Management Agency, a member of the National Funeral Director's Association, and the Georgia Coroner's Association. Tamela served as a deputy coroner for seven years and was elected Towns County Coroner in 2020.

Marvin Cooper is the co-owner with his wife, Tamela, of Banister-Cooper Funeral Home. He has been a north Georgia resident and small business owner for over 25 years. He brings significant financial and managerial experience to the company.

Marvin completed a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Memphis in 1987 before moving to Georgia to pursue a Master's degree at Georgia Tech and an MBA at Emory University. He has worked for companies large and small including IBM and AT&T throughout the southeast as well as resided internationally before settling permanently in north Georgia. He loves the beauty of Towns County, the good hearted people here and our pace of life. His part in Banister-Cooper Funeral Home is a chance to give back to this wonderful community and minister to people when they are hurting.

Cassandra Banister joined our staff in October 2018 as a part time assistant and not long
after became our full time Office Manager.

Cassandra and her husband Will are both natives of Towns County. As a mother of three children, Cole, Kinsey and Makayla, she spends her free time taking them to dance, karate, basketball and many school and church related events.

She is a natural people person who is passionate about taking care of the families in our community and keeping our office running smoothly.

Ken Nicholson worked for Banister Funeral Home back in the early '90s before life led him in a different career direction. He remained on in an as-needed capacity, helping on nights and weekends for over 15 years. The Lord continued to lay the funeral industry on Ken's heart while also tugging at the owners' Marvin and Tamela to bring his experience, compassion, and talent on board regularly. Ken joined our Banister-Cooper team on December 1, 2020, as an apprentice and funeral associate.

Ken and his wife Freda reside in the Bell Creek community and attend Lower Hightower Baptist Church. They have a daughter and son-in-law, Ciji and Damon Crowder, and three grandsons, Kendall, Keenan, and Collin who all attend Towns County High School.

Kristen Carvajal came on board in October of 2022 during one of the most difficult times we face in our industry. She has a ginormous heart; she is witty, and spunky and brings a boatload of humor to the table. Her love for the families we care for is by far above average and we are truly grateful and blessed she has joined our team.

Kristen is married to Jose Carvajal who is a police officer with the Hiawassee Police Department and they have a 1-year-old precious baby girl Aura. Kristen is a student at Gupton Jones College of Mortuary Science and scheduled to graduate in 2023.