Shackelford Funeral Directors has been formally recognized by the state of Tennessee for 100 years in business, a milestone the family-founded firm marked during a program Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, at its Bolivar funeral home on Mecklenburg Drive.
Tracey Exum of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) presented a certificate from TNECD Commissioner Stuart McWhorter recognizing the centennial, according to the Hatchie Press.
How Shackelford Funeral Directors Began
The business traces its roots to October 1926, when Robert Earnest and Loura Paisley Shackelford opened a funeral home in Savannah, Tennessee, in Hardin County.
Six years later, the family expanded west. The couple’s only child, Robert Paisley Shackelford Sr., and his wife, Kathryne Hall Shackelford, moved from Savannah to Bolivar and opened the second Shackelford Funeral Home in 1932.
A Fixture on and Near Court Square
The Bolivar location’s history follows the growth of the Hardeman County seat itself. According to the Hatchie Press account:
1932: The Bolivar funeral home opened in a building on the south side of Court Square.
1934: It moved to the east side of the square.
1964: After three decades on the square, it moved to its current home on Mecklenburg Drive.
That means the Bolivar funeral home has now served Hardeman County families for more than 90 years, while the company as a whole reached the century mark this fall.
Why the Centennial Matters for Hardeman County
Reaching 100 years is a rare milestone for any small business, especially one that still carries its founders’ family name. Since 1932, Shackelford’s Bolivar location has served Hardeman County families during funerals, visitations and the planning that follows a loss.
The certificate from the state’s economic and community development department puts an official marker on that century of service, which began with a single funeral home in Savannah in 1926 and grew to include the Bolivar location that has now operated for more than nine decades.
Key Facts
Founded: October 1926 in Savannah, Tennessee
Founders: Robert Earnest and Loura Paisley Shackelford
Bolivar location opened: 1932, by Robert Paisley Shackelford Sr. and Kathryne Hall Shackelford
Current Bolivar address: Mecklenburg Drive (since 1964)
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
