Our family and the Rowe family have been friends since 1973. For nearly 100 years, the Rowe family has run their funeral home the right way. They put the needs of the families whom they served first and treated them with dignity and respect in their time of need. They earned the respect of their peers in the business, and the admiration of those families they served. My father always spoke highly of John and Peter Rowe, and we always knew that we could rely on them whenever we needed assistance. My father would be thrilled to know that the Rowe family has chosen the William R. Short and Son Funeral Home to carry on the Rowe family's tradition of caring for the needs of the families who entrusted the care of their loved ones to them.

It was a great honor when my father asked me to join his business in 1997 and when he made me an owner of the William R. Short and Son Funeral Home in 2003. It is also a great honor that the Rowe family selected me to purchase their business. As John and Peter said in their letter to the families whom they serve, "It is our belief that Phillip Short and his family best represent the decades of service, respect and tradition that our families have come to know. We encourage you to continue your entrusted are to the William R. Short & Son Funeral Home." I have great admiration and respect for the Rowe family, and I am humbled by their words.

In the near future, The William R. Short and Son Funeral Home will be renamed as the Short and Rowe Funeral Home. Although the name will change, the tradition of caring for your family in your time of need will continue. At the Short and Rowe Funeral Home, we will welcome all families who entrusted the care of their loved ones to the Rowe family.

The Rowe Funeral Home will close next week, and all services will be transferred to the current location of the William R. Short and Son Funeral Home at 95 West Main Street.

We started discussing this transition a little more than two years ago. I am very pleased to announce today that the Short family and the Rowe family will be serving the families of Marlborough and surrounding communities for many years to come. John P. Rowe Jr., J. Peter Rowe, and John P. Rowe III, will continue to serve the families who entrusted their loved ones to their care at the Short and Rowe Funeral Home when they are available.

If you have been served by the Rowe family in the past, and you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 1-508-485-0180. I would be happy to speak with you or meet with you in person to address any of your questions or concerns.

-Phillip Short