Our staff is comprised of dedicated and licensed professionals with the experience to answer all your questions regarding our services. Please feel free to contact any of our staff members at any time.
Licensed Funeral Director
Mark attended Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and graduated
from Worsham’s College of Mortuary Science in Chicago in 1977. Mark moved to
the Sheboygan area in 1983 after purchasing the former Ahrens Funeral Home in
Howards Grove. In 1996, he acquired the former Gerend-Habermann Funeral Home in
Sheboygan. In 2003, work was completed on the new 9500 sq ft. Westview Funeral
& Cremation Care Center. Ballhorn Chapels became part of the company in
2014.
Mark is a member of Pine Hills Country Club and is a Master
Mason with the Sheboygan Blue Lodge #11. He is a past president of the
Lakeshore Funeral Directors Association and of the Howards Grove Lions Club and
Sheboygan Jay Cees. Mark is also a past president of the Wisconsin Funeral
Directors Association, where he continues to serve on the committee. He is past
chairman of the Sheboygan County Lions Eye Bank and was on the advisory
committee for the Milwaukee Eye Institute. He also is a former member of the
board of directors for the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce and the
Salvation Army. Mark is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church of Howards Grove
LCMS and is a past board member of the Sheboygan County Chaplaincy. Mark and
his wife, Debra, live in Howards Grove. He enjoys doing volunteer work on
community projects, restoring vintage cars, and gardening.
Licensed Funeral Director/Manager
Fawn Schaefer was born and raised in Milwaukee. She
graduated from Rufus King High School in 1995 and Milwaukee Area Technical
College in 2000 with an associate degree in
mortuary science. She is also a preplanning specialist and received
her insurance license in 2005. Fawn started her apprenticeship at Schramka
Funeral Home in Milwaukee and then, following graduation, went
to work for Schuette-Daniels Funeral Home & Crematory in
Burlington. Family is very important to Fawn, so she relocated to
Appleton in 2014 and joined the Ballhorn Chapels & Zimmer Westview team in
June of 2015.
As an active member of the Wisconsin Funeral Directors
Association, Fawn served as President for the
Southeastern District for over six years while in
Burlington. She then served as a board member with the Lakeshore District
and is the current Lakeshore District Board Rep on the WFDA Board. Fawn is
active with her children’s schools and activities and is a member of the Sheboygan
Rotary. She enjoys reading, shopping, and entertaining her family and
friends. She is married to her husband, Lucas, and they have two
children, Sam and Scarlett.
Licensed Funeral Director
Nicole is a Sheboygan native and graduated from Sheboygan
Falls High School in 2004. She knew early on in life that her calling was to
serve her community during one of the most sensitive times of their lives. In
2016, Nicole graduated from Milwaukee Area Technical College with a degree in
mortuary science. After serving her apprenticeship with Wittkopp Funeral &
Cremation Services in Plymouth, she then joined the Ballhorn Chapels &
Zimmer Westview team in January of 2018.
Family is very important to Nicole, and any of her spare
time is spent with her husband and four children. She also enjoys traveling,
being outdoors, and volunteering within the community.
Licensed Funeral Director (WI/MN)/Certified Funeral Celebrant-Insight Books/Certified Crematory operator - CANA
Ean grew up in southwestern Minnesota and started working for his local funeral home at 17 years old. Since then, he has seen the positive impact funeral professionals have on families at the end of their loved one's life and is determined to help families in any way he can. He graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities with a bachelor's degree in mortuary science in 2019. After graduation, Ean worked in southeastern Minnesota until relocating to rural Elkhart Lake to be closer to his wife's family, who live near Howards Grove. Ean loves spending time with his wife, family, friends, and Golden Retriever named Dolly.
Funeral Director Apprentice
Originally from Buffalo, New York, Rebecca has an associate degree
in criminal justice and an associate degree from Pittsburgh Institute of
Mortuary Science. In addition, she is a certified CANA Crematory operator. When
Rebecca was 19 years old, her father passed away from brain cancer. Her
experience at that time led her to funeral service, with a goal of giving
others the same peace of mind knowing their loved one is cared for with
compassion and dignity.
In
her spare time, Rebecca enjoys doing photography, reading, and antiquing.
Administrative Specialist
Tracy has worked in the customer service and accounts
receivable and payable fields most of her adult life after graduating from high
school. Along with training and learning skills on the job, she has completed
classes in Microsoft Word and Excel at UW Sheboygan College. She has been
working at Ballhorn Chapels since January 2005.
In 1997, Tracy married Todd, and they have a daughter who
lives in California. Tracy and Todd spend most summers camping and traveling to
different campgrounds in Wisconsin, enjoying the outdoors with family and
friends. Tracy likes to stay active with various activities such as running,
working out at a local gym, and playing volleyball. She is also interested in
gardening.
Office Manager/Funeral Director Apprentice
Becky was born and raised in the Manitowoc/Two
Rivers area. She is married to her husband, Chuck, and together they
have a blended family of four children: Alex and Claire, and Alex and Allison.
They also have two dogs and a cat. Becky has her Funeral Director
Apprenticeship in addition to being the Office Manager.
She truly enjoys helping families.
In her spare time, Becky likes spending time with
her family and playing on several volleyball teams.
Funeral Assistant
Allen was born and raised in Sheboygan and was a longtime
employee of St. Nicholas Hospital, retiring in August of 2021. In 2008, he
joined the funeral home family as a funeral director assistant. He is a
dedicated member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Sheboygan and was an active
member of the Sheboygan Jaycees for over fifteen years. Allen lives the creed
he learned in the Jaycees that “Service to humanity is the best work of
life.”
Funeral Assistant/Funeral Director Apprentice
Scott was born and raised in the Sheboygan area and
graduated from Sheboygan North in 1981. He has two children: Derek and
Madeline. Scott has been a telephone technician for O & W Communications
since 1988. His work in funeral service began in 2016 as a Funeral Assistant.
In 2019, he received his license as a funeral apprentice.
With a huge heart, Scott is always willing to help family,
friends, and anyone who could use a helping hand. His compassion and kindness
carry over to funeral service, ensuring that all families have what they need
and feel cared for. Scott resides in Elkhart Lake and is an active member of
the Elkhart Lake Fire Department. In his spare time, he enjoys doing almost
anything outdoors such as hunting, fishing, kayaking, and taking walks along
the water. Scott is also an avid photographer and enjoys finding the beauty in
the small things each and every day.
Funeral Assistant
Julian is a longtime resident of the Sheboygan area. In
1958, he began his broadcasting career with WHBL in Sheboygan. He also owned
and operated Central Photo Company for a brief period in the 1970s and was
manager of the Louise Sills Commercial Photography Division before purchasing
Central Photo from the Sills Corporation. In 2000, Julian retired from radio
broadcasting when he sold his radio stations, WKTS/WXER in Sheboygan and WGBM
in Green Bay. He served as Secretary for the Sheboygan Downtown Association and
was on the Sheboygan Area United Way Board of Directors. Julian currently
serves as the Technical Director for the Weill Center for the Performing Arts
in Sheboygan. He and his wife, Jane, recently moved from their retirement home
at Pigeon Lake in Manitowoc County to Howards Grove.
Funeral Assistant
Jerry and his wife, Barb, live in Sheboygan Falls. They have
four grown children; three live in the Sheboygan area and one lives near
Knoxville, TN. Jerry's career began in banking and moved into health care management.
He retired from Western Missouri Medical Center in Warrensburg, MO, in
2013. Upon his retirement, Jerry and Barb moved back to the Sheboygan area to
be near their five grandsons. Jerry enjoys playing golf and watching his
grandsons' sporting events.
Funeral Assistant
Ken was born and raised in Sheboygan, where he attended
school at Sheboygan North and graduated in 1976. Ken went to UW-Sheboygan and
then to UW Milwaukee. In 1983, he married Brenda Duessing, and they have
two wonderful children, Amber and Aaron, both of Sheboygan. Besides helping as
a Funeral Assistant, Ken also is an independent agent for a logistics company,
works as a Karaoke Host/DJ for Top Shelf DJs & Karaoke, and is
President of the Sheboygan County Warming Shelter for the Homeless in Sheboygan
County. Ken enjoys shooting darts in the winter and playing golf in the summer.
He started working for Ballhorn Chapels/Zimmer Westview in May of 2018.
Funeral Assistant
Doug previously lived in Sheboygan and attended
UW-Sheboygan, earning an Associate of Science degree. He worked for the
Kohler Company as a staff analyst and a designer in the Power Systems Group. He
currently holds one patent for an original design. In January
2018, Doug retired after 42 years with the
company and began to search for a part-time
job. His strong faith in the Lord gave him a desire
to serve families during one of their most difficult
times, so he joined Zimmer Funeral Homes in March of 2019.
Doug has three sons, and he lost his
first wife of 32 years, Margie, to cancer in 2013. He married Nancy Fritz
in 2018 and now resides in West Bend. Doug is very involved at
Bethlehem Lutheran Church as a member of the Board of
Elders, an usher, and a communion
assistant. He also volunteers for Sheboygan Area Lutheran High
School, helping with cross country meets, working in the cash room
for the annual auction, and assisting the basketball program as a
scorekeeper. His hobbies are bowling, biking, and home
remodeling.
Doug has three sons, and he lost his first wife of 32 years, Margie, to cancer in 2013. He married Nancy Fritz in 2018 and now resides in West Bend. Doug is very involved at Bethlehem Lutheran Church as a member of the Board of Elders, an usher, and a communion assistant. He also volunteers for Sheboygan Area Lutheran High School, helping with cross country meets, working in the cash room for the annual auction, and assisting the basketball program as a scorekeeper. His hobbies are bowling, biking, and home remodeling.
Funeral Assistant/Maintenance
John has three children and eight grandchildren, and he
truly enjoys spending time with his family. He tries to attend as
many of his grandchildren's activities as possible. John retired from
Hexion Chemical in 2014 and is keeping busy in his
retirement. He is an active member of his church, Zion ECC, in
Sheboygan and is Secretary of Treasury for the Howards
Grove Lions Club.
Maintenance
Rob is on the maintenance team for Zimmer Westview/Ballhorn
Chapels. He was born and raised in Sheboygan, and
he has two children, Robert III (Bobby) and Victoria
(Tori). Rob enjoys spending his free time with his children and doing
woodworking projects. In 1999, he established Perl Home Improvements.
Funeral Assistant
Mike has a BA in Religious Studies from
Cardinal Stritch University and an MA in Christian
Community Leadership from Regis University. Mike was ordained a Deacon in
the Catholic Church in 1994 and currently serves at St. John XXIII in Port Washington.
He has worked the majority of his career in various ministries in the
Church, most notably as the Parish Director pastoring/leading St. Peter Claver
Church in Sheboygan for ten and a half years. Mike retired from
church administration in 2019 after three years as Pastoral
Coordinator at St. John XXIII.
In his retirement, Mike has served as a Funeral
Assistant since February 2020. His experience with grieving
families and his compassionate nature make him
well-suited for assisting our funeral directors, families,
and guests.
Mike is married to his wife, Kathy, who is a retired second grade
teacher from St. John the Baptist School in Plymouth. They have a home in
Sheboygan. Their son, Ryan, is married to
Beth, and they have two children. Mike likes to run
and has completed several half marathons and two full marathons. He also
plays trombone in the Sheboygan Pops Concert Band.
Funeral Assistant
Mary Jane is originally from Woodstock, IL. Her family moved
to Wisconsin when her father was in the service. He passed away when Mary Jane
was eleven, so she helped her mother look after her younger siblings.
Throughout the years, Mary Jane had various jobs, but her passion was to run
her own bed and breakfast. She and her husband, Steven, worked hard to make
that dream come true, owning and operating a bed and breakfast for fourteen
years.
Mary Jane has one son and three granddaughters who are her
pride and joy. She also has two dogs named Harley and Milo.
Funeral Assistant
Bobby has lived in Sheboygan for thirteen years. During that
time, he has worked as a personal care worker for ten years and at another
local funeral home for four years. He also has experience working in cleaning
at several local businesses.
Bobby enjoys doing volunteer work at the local food pantry.
His faith as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses is important to him, and he considers
his work to be an example of those values.
Funeral Assistant
Jim was born and raised in Sheboygan. After graduating from
Sheboygan South High, he joined the Army and served both stateside and in
Germany. Upon leaving active duty, Jim joined the active reserves and
spent another seven years in the military.
Jim and his wife, Melody, have two adult daughters, Sarah
and Jessica. He spent the majority of his working years in the information
technology field. He retired from Thrivent Financial, where he managed all
of the corporate data centers and the staff that supported them.
As a long-time member of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ
in Sheboygan, Jim enjoys singing in the Chancel Choir and Men’s Choir.
Funeral Assistant
Curt is a native of Sheboygan Falls and graduated from
Sheboygan Falls High School. In 1984, he moved to the West Coast. While in
California, he furthered his education, obtained his life insurance license,
and worked for a major insurance company. He then went on to work as an
Administrative Assistant and Sexton at Rolling Hills United Methodist
Church.
Recently returning to his hometown, Curt joined the funeral
home staff in 2021 and attends Fountain Park United Methodist Church. He enjoys
spending time with his family, being outdoors, and cooking German food. Curt is
proud to be a part of serving families in their time of need.