Meet Our Staff

Chris Wells is the President, Owner, Operator, and Licensed Funeral Director for Wells Funeral Home and Cremation Service and Forrest Memorial Park Cemetery. 

Chris grew up in the funeral home business with his parents, Tommy and Dottie Wells. He attended Magnolia Heights School and graduated in May of 1991. Then, he went on to Northwest Community College, where he graduated in July of 1992 with an Associate's Degree in Mortuary Science. He has been an active part of the father/son business since then. 

Chris is married to Heather Allred Wells and is father to Layton Wells, Emily Wells, and identical twin sons, Jensen and Landry Wells. They are active members of the First United Methodist Church in Batesville.

Tommy Wells, the founder of Wells Funeral Home, passed away on February 9, 2022. 

Myles Marascalco, a Batesville native, is the wife of Payton Marascalco. They are members of Independence Presbyterian Church and currently reside in the town of Batesville with their two fur babies. Myles is the daughter of David and Tracey Durham. 

She attended North Delta School and graduated in 2016 with honors. She then went on to receive her Associate’s Degree in Mortuary Science at Northwest Community College in Southaven and graduated in July 2018. Myles became dual licensed in funeral service in August 2018. She is also certified to run and operate a crematorium. 

She currently serves on the Northwest Funeral Service Advisory Board and is an active member of the Junior Auxiliary of Batesville. She loves to serve her community and the families of Panola County as well as the surrounding counties. When Myles is not working, she enjoys going to lake and spending time with her family.

Jimmy is a lifelong resident of Batesville, graduating from South Panola High School. He and his wife Bessie have been married for over 30 years and reside in Batesville, MS. He has worked in Public Safety for over 30 years, graduating from the MS Law Enforcement Training Academy and the FBI National Academy. He has devoted much of his life to the community through not only public safety, but also by serving on the board of directors at The Grace Place and Batesville Civitan, as a Deacon at First Baptist Church, and as Alderman at Large (Vice Mayor) in the city. Jimmy is looking forward to further serving his community through funeral service. 

Jamie is a lifelong resident of Batesville, graduating from Batesville High School. He graduated from The University of Mississippi with a BBA degree in 1965. After working in Memphis, Tennessee, and Oxford, Mississippi, he returned to Batesville to work in the family dry cleaning business. Jamie retired and sold Smith Cleaners in 2006. He has worked at Wells Funeral Home since retirement. In April 2010, Jamie received his Funeral Director's License from the State of Mississippi.

Mr. Smith is married to Bonnie Young Smith, and they are the parents of three children, James F. Smith Jr., Todd Y. Smith, and Ellen Smith Kergosien. They also have eleven grandchildren. Jamie has belonged to various civic clubs and served on the City of Batesville Planning Board and on the Board of Directors of the South Panola Chamber of Commerce. The Smith family are members of First Baptist Church of Batesville.

Julie grew up in Marks, Mississippi, graduating from Delta Academy and receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. 

She moved back to Batesville in 1997, where she continued her banking career, working for Union Planters and later Guaranty Bank in Batesville. After nearly 20 years in the banking industry, Julie joined the Wells Funeral Home family in 2014. 

She is married to Ben Graves of Batesville. They are members of Batesville Presbyterian Church.