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 began her career in the banking industry at Montgomery Bank in 2011 and joined Ford &Sons Funeral Home in 2017. 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, going to concerts and being outdoors. She lives in Cape Girardeau with her daughter, Laney and son, Bo.

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 two children, three grandchildren, one grandson that has passed away and six great-grandchildren. Member of Hanover Lutheran Church. Hobbies include, sports, horses, dogs and walking.

Rick Wieser, a Topeka, Kansas, native, is a 1976 alumnus of Southeast Missouri State University, where he quarterbacked the former Indians gridiron squad. A member of SEMO Athletics Hall of Fame, Wieser is also a longtime high school football referee. He has been a funeral director at Ford & Sons Funeral Home since 1996. He is married to Judy Wieser and they have three children: Alex, Max and Reagan. He is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau.

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.

Mark is a lifelong resident of Cape Girardeau. He is a 1978 graduate of Notre Dame High School. Mark attended flight school in Waco, Texas. After returning to Cape, Mark was involved in aviation until he made a career change in 1996, joining the Ford & Sons team in Cape Girardeau. Mark is a graduate of SIU Carbondale with a degree in Mortuary Science. He is a Missouri licensed Funeral Director, Embalmer and Preneed Agent. Mark primarily works at the Ford & Liley Funeral Home locations. Mark has roots in Bollinger County, where his father, John T. Seeing grew up in Leopold. Mark and his wife, Elizabeth have two children, Hannah and Kirkland and one grandson, Jensen. The Seesing family enjoys traveling and spending time at their family cabin on Castor River.

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.

Hannah grew up in Cape Girardeau, graduating from Cape Central High School in 2010. She earned her associate’s degree from Three Rivers Community College and then graduated from the University of Central Missouri with a Bachelor's Degree in Aviation Management in 2015. Hannah primarily works at the Ford & Liley Funeral Home locations and is in the process of becoming a licensed funeral director with Ford and Liley Funeral Home. She is looking forward to assisting area families. Hannah is the daughter of Mark and Elizabeth Seesing and looks forward to working alongside her dad to serve the people of Bollinger County. She and her son Jensen have recently relocated to the Leopold/Marble Hill area and look forward to becoming a part of the local community. When not at work, Hannah enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and spending as much time hiking and exploring the outdoors as she can.

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.

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.

GR is originally from Sikeston, Missouri. GR and his family moved to Marble Hill in September of 2020. He and his family love the area and the people here. His wife is a Principal at Woodland schools, where both their boys attended. He and his family enjoy outdoor activities and going for rides in their side by side. He joined Ford & Liley Funeral Home in October of 2024, where he is a Funeral Director Assistant, as well as our IT, and A/V Engineer. He loves to help his community and help bring joy and smiles to all he can.

Frank Trankler has joined Ford and Sons Funeral Home July 2025. He is a Missouri Licensed Funeral Director. Previously, he worked at McCombs Funeral Home for 8 years. He was born and raised in Oran, Missouri, but now lives in Jackson, Missouri with his wife Debbie. He has two children, Lance & Samantha Trankler and Natalie & Eric Fluchel and Papa to five grandchildren. He has been a Wedding Coordinator/Florist for several years and is looking forward to continue working at Ford and Sons.

Scott Eakers, a lifelong Cape Girardeau / Jackson resident, a 1985 graduate of Cape Central High School and also a graduate of the Southeast Law Enforcement Academy. Scott spent six and half years with the Cape Girardeau Police Department and ended his law enforcement career with the Jackson Police Department with 25 years of service, retiring as Asst. Chief of Police. He is married to Karen and they have one son, Jamie and two grandsons. He is a member of Millersville Christ Gospel Church. He enjoys family time, home improvement projects and regular exercise.

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.

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.

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.

Jorden was born and raised in Cape Girardeau. He is a 2024 graduate of Cape Central High School. He enjoys skateboarding, video games, listening to music and spending time with his wife, Ashlie.

David is a graduate of Woodland High School. He enjoys waterfowl, deer hunting and bass fishing with his wife. He currently resides in Cape Girardeau.

Gasner is a 2004 graduate of Academique Moderde de Petion-ville High School and a 2007 graduate of Jean XXIII University. He is a member of St. James AME Church in Cape Girardeau. He enjoys spending time with family and traveling. He currently resides in Cape Girardeau with his wife, Kyley Merisier.