About Us

I have worked in the funeral business since my senior year at East Rutherford High School in 1981. My first career was in radio, working at WBBO in Forest City, WXIK-WOHS in Shelby, and WCAB in Rutherfordton. My first employment in funeral service was with Horton Landreth at McKinney-Landreth Funeral Home, and I worked and lived at both Rogers & Breece and Jernigan-Warren Funeral Homes in Fayetteville while attending the funeral service education program at Fayetteville Technical Community College. I was able to graduate (despite the hinderances of several chemisty instructors) with an AAS in Funeral Service in 1984 and was licensed to practice Funeral Directing and Embalming in 1985. I slipped up to Asheville for four years of employment with Groce Funeral Home, and managed get back down the mountain in 1988 to Rutherfordton firm McMahan's. I bought the Washburn Funeral Home in August of 1998 and was able to build the new funeral home and move in March of 2002. On a daily basis, I am one man operation but I am fortunate to have some great part time personnel who come in when we get busy...
Locally, I am fortunate to be surrounded by some fine funeral firms - who I keep a good "mutual aid" agreement with so we can assist each other when we need to with personnel and vehicles... They are fantastic...

Fun quote of the day: "He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire" - Winston Churchill

Mark followed in his son Bryan's footsteps and became a part time funeral assistant in 2018. He had a long career of teaching physical education at both Ellenboro Elementary School(1980-1995) and East Middle School(1995-2017). He also spent many years inhaling bus fumes whilst driving various buses for the school system. Our other part timers here marvel at his abilities to monitor useful apps on his phone that tell you helpful things like where the plane flying overhead is coming from and going to, though we don't think these abilities are related to the previously mentioned bus fumes exposure. He graduated from East Carolina in 1979 with a BS, and got his Master's degree in 1980. We kinda like having an eastern North Carolina native on our staff. Many will see Mark on visitations and services, if you have the time, you can ask him where the plane flying overhead is going.

Fun Quote: "The quality of a man's life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence." - Tom Landry

Golden Valley resident Michael Sersland joined the Washburn & Dorsey staff in 2014 and spent many years working services and visitations. In the past few years, his interest in fire service has been his burning interest, so he now works full-time time for the Kings Mountain Fire Department, and also as a volunteer at Cherry Mountain Fire Department. Though we don't see him as much as we used to, we are sure that the Kings Mountain folks are providing a proper amount of adult supervision. He still strolls through and digs urn graves, or puts up a tent occasionally, which he will quickly tell you, "It has to be right - not cattywampus...", which acquainted us with a new term whenst referring to tent set up. If we were inclined to spray a staff member with chemicals or have one dangle off a bunch of stacked pews, we would probably still call on him to do such.

Fun Quote -  "Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher" - Japanese Proverb

Sammy  is a 1974 graduate of East Rutherford High and right after those days, he continued his education in West Virginia for 2 years(although we tend to think he probably educated a few West Virginians...). He pursued a bunch of goals during that time after school and purchased our local supermarket, "Mal's" in 1987. He was the popular owner of "Sammy's" until June of 2017 when he sold the store and retired. His zest and zeal to be around the public again, spurred him on to lasso a job with the Washburn & Dorsey staff in 2021. We are moderately excited to have him as our engineering department, one of his first acts was to repair our 1954 Philco television that we show dvd's on, that had baffled a longtime tv repairman.

Fun quote: "All my life I always wanted to be somebody. I see now I should have been more specific." Lilly Tomlin

Neil is a graduate of East Rutherford, Class of 1978. He attended ICC from 1978-1980, Graduated from Appalachian State in 1983 and received his Masters Degree from Gardner-Webb in 1993. His long educational career with the Rutherford County Schools includes his stint at Ellenboro School from 1985-1995; he was assistant Principal at Forest City Dunbar and Cool Springs from 1995-1998; assistant Principal from 1998-2006 at East Rutherford Middle School; he finished his career as Principal at Sunshine Elementary from 2006-2022. We had new staff photos made in 2022 and Neil had his made before much time to think about whether working at the mortuary parlor was really a good idea or not, so now we had this spiffy professional photograph made he'll have to hang around awhile.

Favorite Quote: "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."

Bob worked as a part time assistant at Washburn & Dorsey from 2001 to 2022, and now occasionally works to see if he can Methodize the Baptists on the staff or calm the current staff members down to a mere idle. He was quite dedicated over the years and went on a tremendous amount of 2 am home calls and never complained. So we wish him well in his retirement, if you see Bob out, tell him you appreciate his Marine service during Vietnam please.

Fun quote of the day: "He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know." -Abraham Lincoln

This is Carol, she has worked for umpteen years at the pharmacy in Rutherfordton. Around the funeral home, she is our ladies beautician, reporting to work when needed. For many years she had to answer the phone and work visitations, but we have let her slide on those duties the last few years. Former Anderson County Sheriff (and former Kent Dorsey radio coworker from 1979) Gene Taylor snapped this nifty shot of Carol outside the Washburn Home one day to spiff up our site a bit. She also appears on the Preneed Page, a photo with Swan Quarter/Columbia/Plymouth Funeral Director Steve Bryan serves as our token, "Happy People Having Fun" photo that so many funeral home sites seem to have...

Fun Quote: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind, don't matter, that those what matter don't mind..." Dr. Suess