About Us

We have years of experience caring for families, from all walks of life. Each family comes to us because they know we are leaders in our profession, dedicated to excellence in service, and have the highest integrity.

We are proud to share our history of Hancock Funeral Home which began on January 7, 1965, when Dan L. Moody and Ruby Gillispie Moody opened Moody Funeral Home in Fort Meade, Florida. Mr. and Mrs. Moody purchased the F.M. Yearwood family residence located at the corner of East Broadway and North Washington Avenue in Fort Meade, FL. The home originally was built around 1910 as a three story residence, which is pictured here, and the large live oak tree in the front of the home served as the end of the line marker for the Fort Meade Street Railroad. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Meade_Street_Railway  In the early 1920's the second and third floors burned and the home was rebuilt as a two story home. Currently the original bricks laid on Broadway run underneath the funeral home chapel, as the home is an icon in the history of Fort Meade. https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/TMN8NQKKNSQJMBF3   

In the early 1950's the residence was purchased by the Williams family, where they operated a boarding house for several years, and room rates for $50 month for a room and upstairs access and $100a month for a room and whole house access.  Dan L. Moody, a Fort Meade native purchased the home in the early 1960's and began renovations, officially opened in 1965, and spanned his career for over 30 years until 1995 in Moody Funeral Home. Dan originally started working in the funeral business when he was a senior at Fort Meade High School in 1951, and worked with Elwood North at North Funeral Home. Soon being caught up as the primary witness in the famous Elwood North murder trials ( https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/TLMD6LH7G3GPH7J5 ) following North's conviction, Dan worked with Dukes-Steen Funeral Home in Lakeland, went on to serve in the U.S. Army in the Graves Registration dept. during the Korean War, and upon his return from Korea, he worked with Ott-Laughlin Funeral Home in Winter Haven. While working there he purchased the property in Fort Meade, from which he formed Moody Funeral Home.  In the mid 1990's many funeral homes in Polk County had owner's reaching retirement age like Mr. Moody, and the sale to corporate funeral businesses were on the rise. Moody Funeral Home was sold to the Loewen Group, a Canadian based business, that soon went bankrupt with its assets of funeral homes across the state of Florida were sold off to individual owners who bought several homes together in a region. Works & Sons of St. Petersburg purchased Moody Funeral Home and held it for two years, and then it was sold to Troy Brant of Wauchula, who was an employee of Works. Brant owned the funeral home for two years and after now nearly ten years of corporate ownership, the business had spiraled downward, nearly to non-existence. 

In August, 2006 the Hancock family purchased the funeral home, and a story that ends where it begins, Allen and Margie Hancock had been friends with Dan and Ruby for many years, and Allen worked part-time with Dan Moody in the 1960's and 70's, and their son Chuck grew up with Dan and Ruby nearly as second parents. With this initiation of being around a funeral home, Chuck Hancock, had the calling to also work in the funeral business. At age 16 Chuck began working for Dan Moody until he sold the business, and then continued in the funeral business until 1999 when the business that the Hancock's opened with Lacey McClellan in 1996, Hancock & McClellan Funeral Home, was sold to nearby Whidden-McLean Funeral Home of Bartow with the initiation of the sale beginning with McClellan who held 51% ownership until Chuck graduated from mortuary science school.   In Chuck's last semester at Lynn University in Boca Raton, McClellan began the sale process of the funeral home without the Hancock's knowledge and consent, and as many partnerships do, the business continued and the friendship scarred. The Hancock's had a 5 year non-compete agreement as per the funeral home sale, and because people always wind up where they are supposed to be with divine intervention, Moody Funeral Home, where Chuck started and Allen and Margie spent many days and nights as friends of the Moody's, came available for sale by Mr. Brant. In August, 2006, and after one month of renovations, the former Moody Funeral Home, re-opened September 29, 2006 as Hancock Funeral Home. After the Hancock family purchase, the funeral home made a quick recovery, and has been returned to its roots of which it was founded, regaining the majority of Fort Meade business, and Mr. Moody seeing the business he started return to something notable the way he left it in 1995. Dan Moody passed away just two years later in July of 2008. 

The Hancock family has deep roots in the Fort Meade community. Allen started in the funeral industry at a young age, working with the Wells Funeral Home in Plant City and then, the former Bevis and Seidel Funeral Homes in Fort Meade along with assisting Dan Moody with the start of his business in 1965. Allen later went on to work and retire from Publix Supermarkets working in their corporate offices over 20 years, while continually working with Dan Moody at Moody Funeral Home in his spare time. Allen is the son of George W. and Evelyn Forsythe Hancock, who came to Fort Meade in the early 1940's from Springhead, FL, around the Plant City area. George retired from Swift & Co./Estech after 45 years of service, while Evelyn retired from a long tenure of over 30 years with the Polk County School Board as the cafeteria manager of Fort Meade High School. 

Marjorie Hancock is the daughter of Charles C. and Lucille Truluck Flood. Marjorie's grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. Luke B. Flood came to Fort Meade from Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland in 1886 on the very first passenger train to enter Fort Meade. Charlie Flood, Marjorie's father was a well known and established citrus grower and one of the four founding members of the Peace River Packing Company in Fort Meade. Lucille Truluck Flood, the daughter of J.F. Truluck and Ola Hiers Truluck, managed the family home and took care of the daily activities of the family estate. 

Thirty plus years later after his beginning with Mr. Moody, Chuck now holds the title of Funeral Director In Charge of the funeral home, while Allen works by his side and also takes care of public relations. Marjorie is the book manager for the business and Russell assists in the family business part time, while while building his real estate career full time.  Each member of the Hancock family takes their own separate roles to help make the business a success. Chuck attended Lynn University in Boca Raton taking funeral service classes and later graduated from AAMI, American Academy McAllister Institute in New York, New York. AAMI is a very distinguished mortuary science school, currently holding its place as the 4th best mortuary science school in North America. Just after graduation, Chuck received the national award from Kates-Boylston publications, The American Funeral Director magazine, in their top 10 graduate students from mortuary science colleges across North America competition, as one of 10 in their "Ones To Watch," column of successful funeral directors.

Upon their purchase of the business to operate as Hancock Funeral Home, the Hancock family added a very important addition, not only to the business, but to their family, Mr. Harold Lamb. Mr. Lamb was one of the longest standing funeral directors of Polk County, Florida, and was a native and lifelong resident of Lakeland. Harold was a WW II, U.S. Navy Veteran, serving on the Navy ship, USS Kidd. Mr. Lamb holds several U.S. Naval service awards, including being a recipient of the Purple Heart at the age of 16 for his wartime duties of World War II. Harold served as the Funeral Director In Charge of Hancock Funeral Home from Sept. 2006 to Oct. 2015, and brought his many years of experience and personal compassion to the business. Mr. Harold Lamb passed away at the working age of 87 on January 12, 2016 and was at the time of his death, the oldest active funeral director in Polk County, FL.

The Hancock family and staff offer their over 100 years of funeral service, to serve the Fort Meade community and surrounding areas, and to bring comfort and help to the families they serve. Community involvement is important to the family. Margie, who is now the only surviving granddaughter of Fort Meade pioneers Luke and Alicia Flood and the current matriarch of the Flood family, serves as the organist of Christ Church, of which her grandparents were founders in 1889. Allen serves on the Fort Meade Chamber of Commerce and Sr. Warden of Christ Church, along with being the past commander of Fort Meade American Legion, Post #23, for over 20 years. Russell is Jr. Warden of Christ Church, and currently leads the church in their prayer services each Sunday morning, and involved in Fort Meade's real estate sales. Chuck is the former Pianist and Music Director of the First United Methodist Church of Fort Meade and is the creator of the church's Prayer Garden, current President of Fort Meade Historical Society and Museum, and the recipient in 2020 to the prestigious award of being listed in 'Who's Who in America." Whatever the family's role in their community, they never forget that their primary responsibility is to Hancock Funeral Home and the families they serve.

Most recently, on February 24, 2022, our dear wife and mother, Marjorie Flood Hancock left us and moved to her heavenly home, after a very short  and courageous fight of cancer.   Marjorie was the backbone of her husband and two sons and the business, and is dearly missed .  We face each day differently now, but  we continue on serving families who put their trust in us, while we heal ourselves in our own  way.