About Us

History

In 1911, a house was built at 303 S. Madison Street in Madisonville by Chris Connor and his family. The property was passed down to Connor's daughter and son-in-law, Hope and G. B. Randolph, and they lived in the house until 1938. At that time, J. I. Riddle of Mexia purchased the funeral business of Will Hollis in Madisonville, as an addition to his other funeral homes in the area, and the Randolphs leased their building to him for the establishment of this new business.

Mr. Riddle sent Tom Ferguson, who had been managing one of Riddle's funeral homes in Normangee, and his wife, Margaret, to operate the new business, which was now named Riddle Funeral Home of Madisonville. In 1958, Tom and Margaret bought the property from the Randolphs, made renovations to the building, including the addition of a new chapel, and continued leasing the facilities to Mr. Riddle. In 1968, the Fergusons purchased the funeral home from Riddle and changed the name to Ferguson Funeral Home.

On January 1, 1983, the Fergusons sold their business to Billy and Carol Walters, who were ready to expand their services into Madison County after nearly five years of operating their funeral home in Centerville. The funeral home's name was then changed to Madisonville Funeral Home. Over the next decade, the Walters, aided by Carol's sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and David Haas, who moved to Madisonville in 1987 and took up residence in and management of the funeral home, continued to build up the funeral business and gain the respect and trust of the community.

In 1995, an opportunity became available to the Walters family to further expand their business and bring a new, modern funeral home facility to the Madisonville community. They were able to purchase a tract of land on the corner of Hwy 21 and N. Short Street, east of downtown Madisonville, and there the Walters family built their new facility, which included a bigger chapel and parking lot than the previous building, along with more updated amenities.

Ten years later, Madisonville Funeral Home is still at the Hwy 21 location, and the Walters family is still serving the community of Madisonville with the same caring and dedication that began all those years ago.

Who We Are