When J.R. “Buddy” Thompson opened his business in 1928, the community was named New Brookland (later the name was changed to West Columbia). Buddy was assisted in the early years by his wife Bleeka; his parents, John D. And Della; his baby brother E.L. “Tootsie”; his nephew Roy Price; his other siblings (part time) Clifford, Inez Sox, Thelma Morrison, and Minnie Price; as well as a few dedicated staff members.

The hard work and efforts of the Thompson family was recognized and rewarded by local communities, and the business grew. When air conditioning became available, it was installed in the building, and a passenger elevator was installed in the 1950s. Many dedicated staff members were employed throughout the years as the business continued to grow and flourish.

In 1963, Buddy and Bleeka’s son, John D. Thompson, began working with the family firm part time. In 1965, an addition was added to the original building that included three visitation rooms, an arrangements office, and a foyer with a full basement beneath, adding a large storage room. At the same time, another two-story building was attached to the original garage, which added a 12-car garage and a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment with a kitchen, large den, and a large storage area that could be accessed from the original second story storage area built over the 1935 garage.

Buddy died in 1969, leaving the business to his wife, Bleeka, and his brother, Tootsie. In 1972, Buddy’s son, John D. Thompson, received his license and began to work full time with the family firm. Under John D.’s leadership, the firm continued to grow, and in 1999, John D. built the 20,000 sq ft ground level Lexington location on Augusta Road to better serve communities (West Columbia, Cayce, Olympia, Columbia, Springdale, Lexington, Gaston, Swansea, South Congaree, Sandy Run, Red Bank, Irmo, Pelion, Chapin, and other outlying areas) that appreciated the quality services provided by the Thompson family and staff.

John D.’s son, J. Blake Thompson, joined his father in the family business about this time, after graduating from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science and receiving his license. The business continued to grow until 2010 when John D. Thompson was stricken by Sudden Hearing Loss Syndrome, losing 100% of the hearing in his left ear and 50% of the hearing in his right ear. The SHLS was untreatable, and John was unable to function to his own standards, resulting in the sale of the business in 2011. John and Blake did retain ownership of both physical locations, and in 2021, the conglomerate that purchased the business chose not to continue to operate the West Columbia location at 200 State Street.

In keeping with tradition, the staff of McAlister-Smith remains committed to offering families the finest in personalized service. Our belief that every funeral or memorial is an opportunity to honor, celebrate, and remember is just as strong today as it was more than 135 years ago.

We honor tradition while also embracing change. So, we invite you to drop by any time to tour our state-of-the-art locations and gain a fresh perspective on what a funeral home is and what it can provide.

When John McAlister founded McAlister Funeral Home in 1886, he and his family believed in providing personal and caring services before, during, and after a funeral, placing particular emphasis on the importance of family. That tradition of superior service has continued for well over a century.

In 1999, the Smith family joined the McAlister to form McAlister-Smith Funeral & Cremation. Together, owners Archie D. Willis III, great-grandson of founder John McAlister, and Mark Smith, a native of Bamberg, SC, expanded operations.

Mr. Willis III is now retired, and Mark Smith is the sole proprietor. Over the years, the Mount Pleasant location has been relocated, and event centers have been developed in Goose Creek, James Island, and West Ashley.

In January 2023, McAlister-Smith expanded operations to 200 State Street in the Midlands region. McAlister-Smith partnered with Mr. John David Thompson, retired funeral director and owner of the property, to breathe new life into the historic building that has been so central to providing a location for families to celebrate, honor, and memorialize their loved ones for generations.

The building at 200 State Street in West Columbia was built/completed about 1935 and was among the first of the buildings in the state to be built specifically as a funeral home (to provide funeral services as they were performed at that time). The building was built for, and to the specifications of, John R. “Buddy” Thompson who had started his funeral business in a rented building just down State Street in 1928.

In those days, the funeral home also provided ambulance service as well as funeral service and was manned 24 hours a day. To facilitate this range of services, much of the second story of the building was living quarters for the Thompson family, but it also had a selection room. The ground floor was dedicated to business use, hosting a chapel, two visitation/viewing rooms, two bathrooms, a flexible room (used for viewing/visitation or to provide additional seating for the chapel), an arrangements office, an operating room, and a storage room.

The building also had a full basement, two additional storage rooms, and a single-door garage. There was an enclosed hallway on the second level connecting to another building in back of the main facility, which had a 7-car garage, a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment with kitchen and dining room, as well as a large storage area that you could access by a hand pull freight elevator.

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