The story of Stubbs - Conner Funeral Home begins with the original building, which was completed in 1844 as the Waynesville Academy. The Academy was converted into a residence in 1957, and at its close and consolidation with the village's two school districts (Union School) it became the home of S. Levering Cartright and family for many years.
Albert “Cap” and Opal Stubbs established the Stubbs Funeral Home in Waynesville in 1932 when they moved their home and business from Lewisburg, Ohio. They first operated their Funeral Home from 102 N. Main St. in the house owned by Maria Elbon. Mrs. Elbon lived in the north side of the home and the funeral home and living area for the Stubbs was on the south side. In 1935 they purchased the 1847 brick home at 185 N. Main Street that had originally served as an Academy for Waynesville and moved Stubbs Funeral Home to this site. In addition to the Stubbs Funeral Home, Opal and Cap had owned and operated the Waynesville Furniture Store and ran the ambulance service for Waynesville. They remained there until 1969 when they sold the Funeral Home to Steve and Kathy Conner.
Steve Conner was born and raised in Waynesville. His grandfather, Earl V. Conner, carried the mail from Corwin each day and worked part-time for the McClure Funeral Home, located at the northeast corner of Main and Miami Streets. Steve's father Earl W. Conner actually intended to pursue the profession following WWII, however after serving his apprenticeship, he had two heart attacks and decided to change his profession. Earl would go on to be the Waynesville Postmaster and later the President of the Waynesville National Bank and Chairman of the Board. During this time, Mr. Stubbs opened the funeral home on N. Main St. and eventually the McClure Funeral Home closed.
As fate would have it, Earl W. Conner and his family lived behind the Stubbs Funeral Home. Earl enjoyed helping Mr. Stubbs part-time as did Steve while growing up. At age 16, Steve decided that the funeral profession would be his lifelong occupation. When he was 18 he worked all summer for Mr. Stubbs. Mr. Stubbs once said, “you know, when I turn 65 in eight more years I'm going to retire and you will probably be ready to take over.”
Steve went to college for four years and was drafted into the Army immediately following graduation. Following his time in the Army he served two years in a funeral home in Dayton. In 1969, Mr. Stubbs called Steve and indicated he was ready to retire. Steve Conner took ownership of the funeral home on Jan. 1, 1970 at the age of 26. The name of the funeral home was then changed to Stubbs-Conner Funeral Home. Two years later he married Kathy Hauser and she became his full-time business partner and subsequently the mother of their three children, Brian, Tonya, and Brad. Steve also continued to run the ambulance service in Waynesville for many years.
In 1974, a large chapel and a full size casket selection room were added to the funeral home. These added amenities contributed to the expanding service Stubbs - Conner Funeral Home wanted to provide to their families. Two years later, they purchased the residence next door for the purpose of adding a large parking lot to the funeral home. The home has since been removed and the parking lot expanded again. The parking is now one of most plentiful surrounding a funeral home in the area.
In 1977, Albert Stubbs passed away and his wife Opal passed away in 2005. The Stubbs family still operates The Little Red Shed, an antique store on Main St.
Family is very important to the Stubbs - Conner Funeral Home, as witnessed in the retired owners' continuous work for the funeral home with no salary. Almost every member of the family helps out with funeral work. Steve's father who, after retiring from the Waynesville National Bank, came to work almost full time at the home. Following Earl's death in 1990, his cousin Leo S. Conner came to work on a part time basis until he passed away in 2004.
In 2003, Steve's son Brad and his wife Melissa took over in Waynesville. Brad attended Denison University and later received his Bachelor's degree from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in 1997. Brad and Melissa have two children, Carly and Wesley.
While they have passed the torch to the younger generation, Steve and Kathy Conner are still very active in running Stubbs-Conner Funeral Home. Following in his father's footsteps, Steve and Kathy ask for no monetary compensation, only for the satisfaction of knowing they helped one of their famlies through a hard time. They both continue to work hand in hand with Brad and Melissa on almost every funeral.
Stubbs-Conner Funeral Home continues to be independently owned and operated for over 70 years.
