Grantsville / West Virginia / United States
Martha E. Stump and her husband, S.T. Stump were natives of the Stumptown area of Gilmer County. They moved to Grantsville and built a log house near what is now the Bethlehem Baptist Church. S.T. Stump was engaged in farming, livery business and the early oil and gas drilling near Grantsville. Martha E. Stump opened the M.E. Stump Furniture Store in Grantsville where she began to sell homemade coffins. As time passed, she received requests to deliver the coffins to homes which she accomplished by horse drawn wagon. Soon, she was asked to conduct funeral services in homes and churches throughout the area. She sold the furniture store and opened M.E. Stump Undertaking Company in a building on Main Street in Grantsville. When motorized vehicles became available, a Model T Ford flat bed truck was purchased and later a Model A Ford hearse. In the late 1920s Gerald Stump, a son of Ira N. Stump, graduated from Cincinnati College of Embalming and entered the family business as the areas first licensed embalmer. In 1941, a second son of Ira N. Stump, Ira Charles Stump, graduated from Cincinnati College of Embalming and joined the family firm as a licensed funeral director and embalmer. In 1946, the Pell residence on Market Street in Grantsville was purchased and the funeral home was moved into the new facility where it is presently located. In 1952, Ira N. Stump died and the firm was carried on by his sons, Gerald and I. Charles Stump. In 1973, John Stump, son of Ira Charles Stump, purchased half interest in the family firm and in 1976 purchased the remaining family interest. John S. Stump had been employed at the funeral home since 1957 and became a licensed funeral director and embalmer in 1962. He also is a graduated of Cincinnati College of Embalming. Roanna M. Stump joined the firm in 1981 as Secretary and Treasurer of the company and served as office manager and co-owner. She also served as manager of the preneed funeral services program and is a member of the Board of Directors. In 1986, John S. Stump and Roanna M. Stump purchased property in Arnoldsburg and built a new Stump Funeral Home which opened in June 1988. In 1998, J. Neil Stump, son of John S. Stump and Roanna M. Stump, and Gina R. Cano-Stump, graduated from Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. Gina and Neil met and became engage in college. They were married shortly after graduation and both joined the Stump Funeral Home as the fifth generation to carry on the family tradition of funeral service. They serve today as licensed funeral directors, embalmers and co-owners.
