Phillip "Phil" R. Short

Phillip “Phil” R. Short, 48, of Marlborough died Monday, March 14, 2022, surrounded by his loving family. 

He fought hard from “staht to finish” through his long battle.

He was the husband of Heather L. (Bickford) Short to whom he was married for 21 years.

He was born in Newburyport, MA the son of Linda (Currier) Short and the late William “Bill” R. Short. He lived in Marlborough for all his life.

Phil inherited his father’s compassion and desire to help people in times of need. Phil joined his father in running the William R. Short and Son Funeral Home, taking over the business upon Bill’s passing in 2012. In 2019, he purchased another Marlborough family business, the John P. Rowe Funeral Home, expanding and renaming it the Short and Rowe Funeral Home.

Phil was an active Marlborough community member, belonging to many local organizations including the Marlborough Lions Club, the Knights of Columbus Council #81, Bandiera e Concordia Lodge #240 Sons of Italy in America, and Society of St. Vincent de Paul. He was a long time and active member of both the former St Ann’s Church and of Immaculate Conception Church in Marlborough, serving the parish as a Eucharistic Minister.

A longtime local youth sports participant, Phil happily devoted much of his adult life to coaching his sons and many other Marlborough youth in football and baseball as well serving as a board member for Marlborough American Youth Football. Phil loved being surrounded by family and friends.  He took pride in hosting many gatherings at his residence, especially during Patriots playoff games. At his family’s summer home on Fort Meadow, he could be found behind the grill or on the water, towing guests on ski tubes for hours on end. He found a new passion for brewing beer and hard cider which he happily shared with family and friends and most recently his re-found love of baseball cards.

Phil is survived by his wife Heather and their 2 sons, Adam and Kevin Short; his mother, Linda Short; brother, Gregory Short and his wife Tammy; his sister, Caitlin Hynes: his father-in-law and mother-in -law Stephen and Joanne Bickford of all of Marlborough; sister-in-law Jennifer Sylvester of Seattle: brother-in-law James Bickford and his wife Geneva; 8 nephews and 1 niece: Alec Wade, Jason Short and his fiancé Nicolette Carter, Robert Short, William Hynes, Aaron Landry, David and Aiden Bickford, and Zoë and Chase Sylvester.

A Funeral Mass will be Celebrated on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. in the Immaculate Conception Church 11 Prospect St. in Marlborough. Burial will follow in Evergreen Cemetery.

Visiting hours will be held on Friday, March 18, 2022, from 4-8 p.m. in the Short and Rowe Funeral Home, 95 W. Main St., Marlborough, MA

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Phil’s name to, Dana Faber Cancer Center, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215 or any Marlborough Community Organization you may choose.

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