History & Staff

Walter "Doc" Ford began his career in July of 1957 along with his wife Iris who was Secretary/Treasurer and licensed Funeral Director of the firm for over 50 years. He currently is a member of the Elk's Lodge, Masonic Lodge, Moolah Shrine and the Eagle's Lodge. Lifetime active member of Centenary United Methodist Church.
He has been active in many other boards in the community.

Kevin was a 1979 graduate of Cape Central High School. He then graduated from Louisiana Tech.
He and his wife Cindy have two children, Josh (Julianna) and Kristen (Brad LaBruyere). He has five grandsons, Montgomery, Fisher, Hampton, Ford and Josh Jr. and one granddaughter, Engram. He is a lifetime member of Centenary United Methodist Church in Cape. He serves on the board at Centenary United Methodist Church and SoutheastHEALTH. Kevin is an avid golfer and enjoys spending time with his grandkids.

Josh was a 2003 graduate of Cape Central High School and 2008 graduate of Arkansas State University with a degree in Business Management. While at ASU he was a member of the Red Wolves baseball team. A lifelong member of Centenary United Methodist Church, Josh serves as an Ambassador Board Member for Southeast Health, and is a member of St. Marks Masonic Lodge and the Lions Club of Cape Girardeau. He and his wife, Julianna, reside in Cape Girardeau with their four children.

Kristen was a 2007 graduate of Cape Central Senior High School, a 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia and a 2015 graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City with her Master’s degree in Art History. Kristen is a lifelong member of Centenary United Methodist Church. Kristen and her husband Brad reside in Cape Girardeau and have two sons, Hampton and Ford.

Saylor graduated from Jackson Senior High School in 2011 and Southeast Missouri State University in 2015. Saylor is a lifelong member of LaCroix Church in Cape Girardeau, where she also serves in the Children’s Ministry and on the Funeral Meals Team. Saylor enjoys spending time with her friends and family, traveling and being outdoors. She lives in Cape Girardeau with her daughter, Laney and son, Bo.

Mark Dunaway joined Ford & Sons Funeral Home in May 2021 as an apprentice. He became a Missouri Licensed Funeral Director in October 2022. He is currently the manager of the Mt. Auburn Road location in Cape Girardeau. He is a 2004 graduate of Cape Central High School and 2009 graduate of University of Nebraska at Kearney. He previously worked over a decade in the insurance industry, where he is licensed in life, health, property and casualty. He was born and raised in Cape Girardeau to Mike and Mary Etta Dunaway. He married Kate Miller in June 2012. They have two daughters, Ellie Jane and Emmaline. He is a member of LaCroix Church, Cape Chamber and Cape Girardeau Country Club.

Alan has been a Funeral Director with Ford and Sons since 1988. He is married to Denise and they have 5 children. He is active at St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau. Graduate of Notre Dame High School in 1978, Southest Missouri State University in 1982.

Joe was a graduate of Jackson High School in 1969 and graduate of Kentucky School of Mortuary Science in 1972. He has been in the funeral industry since 1970. He was married to the late Janet M. (Steeg) Lowes of Jackson, MO for 42 years. They have 2 children, 4 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren and one on the way. Member of Hanover Lutheran Church. Hobbies include, sports, horses, dogs and walking.

Tyson Wunderlich comes from Altenburg and is a graduate of Perryville High School. He has music degrees from Southeast Missouri State University and New England Conservatory. He and his wife, Carrie, along with their daughter, Layne, are members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. He enjoys serving as a musician in the area as an active pianist and conductor.

Samantha graduated from Jackson Senior High School in 2005 and is currently attending mortuary school at Worsham College of Mortuary Science.

Samantha and her two daughters Allie and Peyton are members of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, running, wine making, and being outdoors.

Shann is a 2000 graduate of Savannah High School in Savannah, MO and a 2002 graduate of Kansas City Kansas Community College with a degree in Mortuary Science. She has been a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer in Missouri since 2003.

She is a member of the Cape County Cowboy Church.

Shann has a daughter, Shiloh, who is her pride and joy and loves spending time with her, especially on the basketball court.

She is an avid sports fan, her favorites being the Kansas City Chiefs and the St. Louis Blues, and enjoys being outdoors, hunting, fishing, and spending time with her animals.

Often the first person you see, Mary (Lappe) Emmenderfer, a Cape native formerly married to Gary Emmenderfer until his untimely death in 1994.
She is a lifelong member of St. Mary's Cathedral having served in many capacities including the school board. Mary's primary interests are her large family and cooking.

Florence is a graduate of Notre Dame High School, earned a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southeast Missouri State University and a Master of Arts, Pastoral Theology from St. Mary of the Woods College, St. Mary of the Woods, Indiana. She is a licensed pre-need agent, advising families in pre-arranging their own funeral or the funeral of a loved one, which helps relieve the burden for those left behind. She works with families after a funeral is complete, obtaining death certificates, designing cemetery markers or monuments and offering assistance as needed.

Terrell was born and raised in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and a graduate of Cape Central High School. He is married to Jane (Ponder) Weaver. Together they have a blended family of four children and four grandchildren. Terrell is a member of St. Vincent DePaul Parish in Perryville.
He enjoys spending time with family and friends. His hobbies include flower gardening, landscaping, traveling, and cemetery repair projects.

Bob has lived in Cape Girardeau since 1959. He was owner and operator of The Meat Shop.
He began working at Ford and Sons in 2006.
Bob enjoys greeting everyone with a smile and is passionate about serving others.

Mark graduated from Meadow Heights High School. He finished his undergraduate degree in Education at Illinois State University.
He received his Masters and Specialist degrees from Southeast Missouri State and retired after 32 years in education. He and his wife, Lana, have two sons, Casey (Sarah) and Noland (Rachel) and three beautiful granddaughters. He is a member of Crossroads Church. He enjoys spending time with family, traveling, playing music, and reading.

Jim was raised in southern Indiana and attended Oakland City University where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies (1992) and his Masters of Divinity (1996). While in Indiana he worked as a General Baptist pastor as well as a Business Analyst for a regional bank and an international plastics company. Jim moved to southeast Missouri in 2013 and joined the Ford & Sons staff in 2019.

He and his wife Candace have two children, Jessica and Landon. Jim enjoys reading, working with Boy Scout troop 210, and spending time with his family.

Steve was born and raised in Cape Girardeau where he attended Cape Public Schools. He is a veteran of the United States Navy. Upon his return to Cape he attended Southeast Missouri State University. Steve was employed by Proctor and Gamble for twenty-five years. He is a long standing member of St. James A.M.E. Church. He and his wife Yvonne have two children and two beautiful grandchildren. Steve enjoys spending time with his family and friends, helping others and fishing.

Clark was born and raised in Missouri. He graduated from Illmo-Scott City High School in 1978. He has lived in Cape Girardeau since 1979.
Clark is married to Vicki who is Director of Nursing at Doctors Park Surgery. They have four sons and 12 grandchildren.
They enjoy spending time with family, going to the gym and participating in various 5K events.
Clark has been employed at Cape County Memorial Park Cemetery since 1981.

Richard was born in Cape Girardeau and has lived in Jackson his whole life.
Richard enjoys spending time with family and friends but especially riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Matthew was born and raised in Cape Girardeau. He attended Cape Public Schools and graduated from Cape Central in 2003. Matt joined the Marine Corp from 2003-2006. He then returned to the area to work alongside his dad at Cape County Memorial Park Cemetery. Matt has four children, Makenzie, Austen, Jorden and Kiyla. He enjoyes spending time with family and riding motorcycles.

Ruby serves as an administrative assistant at both the funeral home and cemetery, Cape County Memorial Park. She has worked in the office part-time for 10 years and developed an electronic database for the records. Ruby brings years of customer service experience to her new position. She has managed her own hair stylist shop, and also is a stylist at the funeral home. Ruby is a life-long resident of the Cape Girardeau/Jackson area and currently resides in the Fruitland area with her husband, Joe. She has two sons and four beautiful grandchildren.