Greenwood, Minn. family of 5 remembered at funeral

Family and loved ones gathered at a funeral on Sunday for Brian Short, 45, his wife Karen, 48, and their three children, Cole, 17, Madison, 15, and Brooklyn, 14. 

Services were held at the sprawling Grace Church in Eden Prairie on Sunday afternoon. One love story, three children ,five lives, thousands of memories.

They remembered Karen, who from the moment she met anyone, she was welcoming and kind. They remembered Brian, who would take time to goof off with his brothers, jump on the ATV and plow the entire street when the snow plow would take too long to get there.

The fun-loving family appeared be living the dream, but behind closed doors, financial woes and a father battling depression and anxiety.

Cole was remembered as a young entrepreneur, Madison a budding soccer star and Brooklyn, who taught everyone to live life to the fullest.

"They were thankful for everything that they had. They were the most generous, humble, unpretentious people we met," one loved one said.

Brian Short was the founder of Allnurses.com. The company confirmed the loss of the family members in a statement after investigators discovered them dead inside their Greenwood, Minn. home on Lake Minnetonka.

It is with great regret and a very heavy heart that I have to share some very sad news with you. There is no easy way to say this. We just found out this afternoon that Brian and his family have passed away. The news is calling it an apparent murder-suicide, but this has not been verified by the authorities and details have not yet been released.

No matter what the details are, the results are still the same…..a very tragic loss for the extended families, friends, co-workers, and this nursing community.


All three Short children were students at Minnetonka High School. The school is offering walk-in grief counseling and small group counseling for students struggling with the loss of their three classmates.

A moment of silence was held at the school the following morning, as well as a special tribute at Friday night's home football game in remembrance of their classmates. Students are also being encouraged to wear blue on Monday for “Tonka Unity Day” in honor of their classmates.

The South Lake Minnetonka Police Department confirmed Brian Short shot his wife and three teenage children in their Lake Minnetonka home before taking his own life. Investigators are still searching for a motive.