Our Heritage

The Corley Family of funeral homes has a long and successful history of service to the citizens of North Central Texas.

The original Corley Funeral Home was established in 1878, in Mexia (Limestone County) Texas. It began as most funeral homes did during that era as a furniture store that offered funeral supplies, coffins, livery service and “˜undertaking’ services. Its beginnings were under the ownership of John R. Corley Sr.

John R. Corley Sr. had two sons who followed in his footsteps and carried on the family tradition of fine funeral service.   Jack Corley, John R. Corley Jr's. brother, attended the University of Texas in Austin. In 1941 Jack Corley purchased the Thurlow Weed Funeral Home in Austin which is today, known as Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, Austins' most prestigious funeral service provider.  

Meanwhile, John R. Corley Jr., operated the Corley Funeral Home and Furniture Store in Mexia, Texas. In 1929 he purchased the stately residence located on the west side of the Court House square in Corsicana from a well known, successful cotton broker and opened the Corley Funeral Home of Corsicana.   At this time Corsicana was experiencing tremendous growth as the result of an oil boom in East Texas and Navarro County and the population swelled as people flocked to Corsicana to seek their fortune in the oil field.  

John R. Corley Jr.’s son, John R. (Bob) Corley III, was born about this time and later joined his father in the family business at an early age, after finishing his education and military service.

In 1965, the Corley’s sold their funeral home in Mexia, Texas and the same year bought out a competitor in Corsicana, known as the McCammon Funeral Home, located at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Fourteenth Street. Today, Corley Funeral Home is still located in the stately facility located at Second Avenue and Thirteenth Street, directly across the street from the Courthouse Square. It has had several additions over the years to stay current with the services requested and provided and now encompasses approximately 17,000 square feet of facility.

It is a beautiful funeral home, shaded by 40-foot Magnolia and Oak trees and its heritage and history of service are a vital part of overall history of Corsicana and Navarro County, Texas as we begin our eighty first year of service to our community.

Click on the book to the right to find out more about our history.