Our History

In 1972 Short Funeral Home and Cunningham Funeral Home merged to establish Short-Cunningham Funeral Home. The owners were Bill Stanfield, Florence "Jackie" Short(wife of John William Short) and Robert D. Cunningham Sr. 

After the deaths of the founding partners, the business incorporated in 1985 with Robert D. Cunningham, Jr. as President and principle partner and Larry D. Hodgson as Operating Officer. In 2003 Hodgson purchased the remaining interest in the business to become the sole owner of Short-Cunningham Funeral Home, PC. 

The business owns and operates Short Funeral Home located at 527 North Mulberry Street and Highland Memorial Cemetery on College Drive in Mount Carmel IL.

Robert D. Cunningham and wife Mennidean, owners and funeral directors, moved the business from the original building at 2nd and Market Streets. The first floor and basement of the large Victorian building served as the funeral home. The second and third floors have served as living quarters for members of the company since 1957. In addition to funeral service the firm also provided full time ambulance service until 1981.

Short Funeral Home was originally established on the corner of 9th and Main Street in Mt. Carmel by Roy D. Short in 1916 and then in 1940 Mr. Short and his son John William Short decided to build this establishment that is used today.  The building was finished in 1941. The main level and basement level were used for the Funeral Home business and the second level was used as living quarters. The business also provided full time ambulance service. The funeral home was operated by the Short family until 1972 when owners Jackie Short (widow of John William Short) and Bill Stanfield, and Robert D. and Mennidean Cunningham of Cunningham Funeral Homes decided to merge the firms, creating Short-Cunningham Funeral Homes.