History and Staff

Woodridge Memorial Park has been proudly serving families in the Lexington County area since its founding in 1976 by Leon and Edith Strasburger. Our unique location, nestled in rolling hills and deep valleys, is a restful and beautiful setting where families can visit and honor their loved ones. Our 90-seat mausoleum chapel and unique family shelter gazebo by the 1-acre pond with fountain allow for unique venues for staging special memorial occasions. The beautiful hydrangeas, rose bushes and azaleas throughout the park were raised by Mrs. Strasburger in her personal garden and relocated to Woodridge Memorial Park.

Woodridge Funeral Home was established in 2006 to provide an even greater level of service and convenience for our families. This modern and cozy facility allows for small group visitations in a warm homelike setting.

Gregg is a native of Saluda and began his career in the funeral industry while in high school after losing a childhood friend in an accident. The time he shared with this friend’s family during the funeral caused him to choose a career in funeral service. He is a lifelong resident of the Midlands and was first employed with Thompson Funeral Home in 1987. He rejoined the team several years ago and now serves as the market leader.

Gregg is a graduate of Saluda High School, LaSalle University, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing and Business and a 1984 graduate of Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service. He is a licensed funeral director, embalmer, pre-need counselor and licensed pre-need insurance agent.

Gregg is a member of the Cayce-West Columbia Lions Club and Lions Clubs International, having served as District Governor. He is an active member of the Lexington and Cayce-West Columbia Chambers of Commerce, the National and South Carolina Funeral Directors Associations and Wightman United Methodist Church where he is a vocalist and musician on the Praise Team, Chairman of Finance and serves on various other committees. Gregg also is a member of the West Columbia River District, where he serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors.

Gregg is married to Tracie Pitts Turner who is employed with Bernardo Geriatric Medicine. They have two children, a son, Tyler and a daughter, McKensey, both of whom are married. He and Tracie have one grandson, Bennett.

Dave has worked for Thompson Funeral Home twice; first as an apprentice funeral director in the 1980's with Earl "Tootsie" Thompson, and he currently works with families at both Thompson Funeral Homes locations in Lexington and Columbia and serves as the Manager of both Woodridge Funeral Home and Woodridge Memorial Park.. David has been a licensed funeral director since 2008, and is a member of St. Martin's in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in downtown Columbia. Dave is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association, and also served as the 2017 Chairman for the Central-Coastal region of the South Carolina Funeral Directors Association.

Dave earned his bachelor's degree and two masters' degrees from the University of South Carolina, and was a SC public elementary and middle school teacher for 15 years prior to returning to funeral service. He enjoys caring for people in their time of greatest need.

Makeba joined the Thompson Funeral Home family as a licensed funeral director with years of service to families.

Assisting families in advance with preplanning their service is a passion of hers and credits her family with instilling benignant traits in her as a child.

She is involved with various organizations, including, but not limited to Rotary, Hospice, Junior League, as well as Habitat for Humanity.

Simone has joined the Thompson Funeral Home team in June of 2022. She is a native of Blythewood, South Carolina. She has been in the customer service and administrative field since 2014, and loves making a positive impact on the people that surround her. Before joining the Thompson Funeral Home team, she was in management where she grew and coached her team for the last 5 years leaving them to be one of the best spas in the Columbia area at time of departure. Simone is currently working towards her Business Management degree to continue growing in her career field.

She has a large family and quite a few friends who she loves to spend her spare time with. Simone’s intentions for her new role are to continue being the best version of herself while growing and evolving in her personal and professional life to exceed in her goals for the future.

Raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dan has always worked in professions that involve helping people. Having worked in the Cemetery/Funeral industry for over 20 years, he is passionate about his work as a Market Sales Manager in the Columbia/Lexington area of South Carolina.

Dan is dedicated to the families and staff who call on him, seeking assistance, guidance, and practical solutions to their needs. He is trained to listen and personally address particular issues and concerns. He specifically enjoys sharing the necessary information needed to make informed decisions about making arrangements now or planning for the future.

Teresa grew up in the small town of Graceville, Florida, and shortly after graduation, became editor of her hometown newspaper. After six years in the newspaper industry, she moved a few miles north to Dothan, Alabama where she established a career in marketing and public relations. She worked for 25 years in the peanut industry of Southeast Alabama where she served as a Board Member for the National Peanut Festival Association, as well as Chairman for one of their division’s competitions during which time she appeared on numerous television and radio broadcasts, including Food Network.

In the Fall of 2017, she chose to move to Lexington, South Carolina so she could enjoy being close to her sister and family. In August of 2023, Teresa began working part-time with Thompson Funeral Home and was later hired as an Administrative Assistant. She says the desire to minister, play and sing Gospel music continues to be a special highlight in her life. And now, being able to help those who have lost loved ones is extremely rewarding and is a true calling.

Katria joined Woodridge Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home in July of 2023, after having a long career in Sales Management, Retail Sales, and Real Estate. She is originally from Mount Vernon, Ohio. After serving in the United States Air Force, she raised her two daughters in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. Katria resides in Lexington, SC with her husband, Donald. Katria and her husband have been actively involved and supporters of the Arts in the Columbia, SC area, often attending the SC Philharmonic, Workshop and Town Theater. They are avid cruisers and love to travel. They have three daughters, one son, and five granddaughters.
 
Katria has always had a passion for helping others and wants to continue to service families and listen to their future and immediate needs.

Native to Alabama, Kennedy began his career with family service in 2017. He serves as a family service advisor at Greenlawn Memorial Park with 6 years of continuing experience. He grew up as a pastor's kid which created a passion for people and serving others at a rather young age. This work has been an excellent step to further fuel his passions and open new doors to the world of serving families.
 
Kennedy is an avid Star Wars fan who enjoys a variety of sports, being with his family, and playing video games in his free time.