Derek Bales is a graduate of Middletown High School and Cincinnati Collage of Mortuary Science where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 2010. He has been the owner and Funeral Director/Embalmer of Preble Memory Gardens Funeral Center and Cemetery since 2020. Derek joined the Preble County Mental Health & Recovery Board in 2025 in hopes to be able to assist those in need and to serve his fellow Preble Countians. As a former corrections officer and present funeral director, he has seen first-hand the effects mental health can have on a person. In his spare time Derek enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife Eshelle Bales, their 7 children and 4 grandchildren.
