History
Sometimes it seems the idea of a neighbor caring and helping their neighbors becomes lost in our daily life. But time and again, when tragedy occurs in our community, Ford Funeral Home provides “Generations of Caring”.
Ford Funeral Home was incorporated in the 1950’s in the state of West Virginia by two brothers, Joseph F. Ford and William H. Ford. The brothers, who served in World War II, were graduates of Fairmont State College and continued their post graduate education in mortuary colleges. Joseph attended the Anew York School of Embalming and Restorative Art and William graduated from the Cleveland College of Mortuary Science. William received his masters degree in counseling and guidance from West Virginia University .
The Ford Funeral Home is a multi-generational business. Lillie A. Ford, deceased, was a funeral director and embalmer and mother of Joseph and William. Joseph F. Ford, III, William H. Ford, II, R. Jay Ford and Bradley A. Ford joined the firm as the third generation. The fourth generation includes Lauren L. Ford and William Ryan Ford. The full staff serves families at four locations.
Demonstrating family tradition of belonging to and supporting professional organizations, Joseph Ford, deceased, William, Joseph, III, William, II, and R. Jay are all past presidents of the West Virginia Funeral Directors Association. William also served for twenty-one years as the executive director of the “American Board of Funeral Service Education – the accrediting agency of the mortuary colleges in the United States .
The business located in Fairmont , WV expanded to include the R.C. Jones Funeral Home in Fairmont , WV , the DeGarmo Funeral Home in Rivesville WV and the Allen Funeral Home in Bridgeport , WV . The Allen Funeral Home was purchased by the Ford family on July 1, 1999 with Bradley A. Ford as owner/manager.
The current location at 215 East Main Street , Bridgeport , WV has served the community since 1931. At the turn of the century, James Hannibal Sauborne began the practice of undertaking in the Bridgeport community. Mr. Sauborne had been a stable boss at the P.K. Mines at Despard. Since providing horses and carriages was necessary, many men with this equipment began providing funeral services. The tradition of funeral service was passed on to the Bartlett, Tucker, Allen and Ford families with the understanding of careful selection of successors to ensure personal and quality service to the families. To the Ford family, “service is more than just a word”, and our guiding principles continue to be integrity, professionalism and an ongoing responsibility to the community.
Licensed Funeral Directors: 
At Ford Funeral Home, we are committed to gently guiding a family through what is invariably a difficult time, to make the experience as pleasant as possible. We offer a variety of services ranging from Traditional and Cremation, to After Care counseling. Our staff continues a time-honored tradition of serving the community in good as well as difficult times. 
Our funeral home landmark facility located at 215 East Main Street, Bridgeport has provided traditional service for 75 years
