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History
of our Firm
Mitchell Hughes Funeral Home in Marion, IL dates to 1914. Through
a series of owners who have devoted themselves to the care and concern
of thousands of families in the Marion area, the firm evolved into
one of the most successful homes in southern Illinois.
Mitchell Hughes completed a major renovation in February, 1994 with
the addition of 7,200 square feet. The ante-bellum structure with
tall stately columns is comprised of red brick with three chapels,
a large gathering room with a fireplace and family rooms throughout
the two-story facility. The Casket Selection room has been re-carpeted
and redecorated to better serve the families of Mitchell Hughes.
C.D. Ozment was the founder of the business in 1914. He was followed
by Leonard Mitchell who married the Ozment's niece, Nellie. The Mitchell's
owned the funeral home until his death in 1980. Larry G. Hughes, President
and owner of Mitchell Hughes, did his apprenticeship and internship
at Mitchell Funeral Home. He became part owner in 1970 and sole owner
in 1982.
The Marion firm encompasses a half block on North Market Street near
the downtown district with easy access to the entire community. Hughes
shares his pride in his funeral homes with the city. He says, "Our
improvements are a way of saying thank you to the families that we
serve. We want our funeral homes to be as comfortable and beautiful
as we can make them."
Hughes grew up on a 250-acre dairy farm in northern Illinois in a
small town called Scales Mound. The farm was built by his grandfather
whose parents immigrated to America from Wales in the 19th century.
He was in the first mortuary class at Southern Illinois University
in Carbondale, IL. He was a 1966 graduate. During his college years
he worked for Johnson Funeral Home in Herrin. He married the former
Diane Cronin of Herrin, the daughter of Romie and Hilda Cronin. The
couple has one son, Ryan M. Hughes, who has joined his father in the
family owned business.
Johnson Hughes in Herrin has served Herrin families since 1933 when
Paul Johnson and Joe Gualdoni established the facility at 200 North
16th in Herrin. In 1935 the home was moved to its current location
at 201 South 13th just one block from Park Avenue and adjacent to
the Herrin Hospital Medical Complex. In 1938 Johnson became partners
with John Moroni and the home became the Moroni-Johnson Funeral Home
until Moroni's death in 1949.
The Johnson Funeral Home under the direction of Paul Johnson became
an important part of the city of Herrin. In 1983 after the death of
Mr. Johnson, Larry Hughes purchased the firm. With that acquisition
he became the largest funeral director in Williamson County with two
firms in the two largest cities in the county.
Johnson Hughes has had three major renovations, 1948, 1964 and the
most recent addition which brought a new sitting room, conference
and pre-need arrangement room, casket selection room and handicap
accessible restrooms and complete redecorating the rest of the home
in 1991. A new parking lot with landscaping and lighting was acquired
in 1996 directly across the street from the facility.
Competition
Williamson County has a highly competitive marketplace for funeral
service. The Hughes homes have maintained their excellent rating by
the large number of families that they serve by attention to detail,
competitive pricing, quality merchandise and a highly trained staff
that includes 6 licensed funeral directors. The Hughes Homes have
a complete Aftercare program with a trained director, an active Pre-Need
Program that embraces both outside and inside sales teams and the
offer of trusts and insurance for families to select from. The Hughes
name is synonymous with service, concern, and professionalism in each
encounter for families throughout the community.
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