A century of compassion/service to families, neighbors, community

Cheryl Hentz

Contributor

August 10, 2026

DE PERE – For 100 years, Owner and Funeral Director Scott Baeten said Ryan Funeral Home has stood beside families in De Pere and the surrounding area with unwavering compassion, dignity and care.

Though the funeral home is no longer owned by the Ryan family after his family purchased the business in 2016, Scott said its family-owned tradition continues.

The home’s history

The story, according to ryanfh.com, began in 1926, when Robert A. Ryan believed De Pere – which was already served by two funeral establishments – needed another option.

He opened Ryan Funeral Home in a downtown storefront on Main Street in west De Pere.

During that era, visitations – then called “calling hours” – were typically held in the home of the deceased or a family member.

Most services included two-night wakes, with the funeral Mass or service held at a church on the third day.

Over the years, funeral homes began serving as a place where family members and friends could gather to honor their loved ones.  

As demand for professional funeral services grew, Ryan Funeral Home continued to expand, including the opening of a funeral home on the St. Norbert College property.

Robert A. was assisted in the business by two close friends – Leo Burke and Jim Dillon  – who helped support its growth.

Ryan Funeral Home also began a relationship with the Oneida Nation in January 1928 when they performed the first funeral for an Oneida Nation member.

Since then, Ryan Funeral Home has continued honoring that relationship by respectfully incorporating Oneida customs and traditions into the services it provides to families.

Robert A.’s death in 1941 came at a challenging time for the family and the business, since his son, Robert B. “Bob” Ryan, was then in Virginia recovering from wounds received during World War II. 

Burke and Dillon kept the funeral home operating until Bob could return home and take over the business.

After receiving an honorable discharge as a Disabled American Veteran – per the site – Bob completed his mortuary education in Milwaukee and joined the family business in 1950. 

As the business continued to grow, Bob welcomed Lloyd Meyer as a second funeral director. 

The two later, he said, relocated Ryan Funeral Home to Tenth Street, while donating the former location on the St. Norbert College campus to the Norbertine Order.

Meyer eventually bought the business from Bob, who retired in 1983 and later died in 1996.

Ironically, Meyer died 10 years later on the exact same day. 

The next chapter of Ryan Funeral Home’s history began in 2016, when Scott – who already had about 10 years of experience in the funeral and mortuary profession – and his wife, Carrie, purchased the business and have continued its family-owned tradition.

“I worked at Muehl-Boettcher Funeral Home in Seymour for 10 years,” he said. “After 10 years, the owner [at Ryan Funeral Home, Lloyd Meyer], called me and asked if I was ready to ‘come home.’”

Scott said his connection to Ryan Funeral Home dates back to childhood.

Raised a block away, he said he grew up with the funeral home as part of his neighborhood, walking past it every day.

“So, I ‘came home,’” he said. “And, when Lloyd was ready to retire, Carrie and I bought the funeral home from him.”

Scott said their two sons, Caleb and Seth, have since joined the business as apprentice funeral directors, ensuring Ryan Funeral Home’s family-owned legacy will continue into the next generation.

Special qualities needed to be a funeral director 

Seth, 23, said for him, going into the funeral business was a natural decision. 

“I was basically raised in the funeral home,” he said. “I can remember back in elementary school I used to get picked up from Our Lady of Lourdes, where I went to school, and would get dropped off at the funeral home where I ran around for a few hours until Dad was done working.”

Seth said his father’s example influenced his decision to join the business. 

“I think about my dad’s leadership example and watching him come home satisfied, knowing he was doing a good thing helping the community, was an influence on me,” he said. “You don’t see that too often, and being able to see that, especially from a young age on, means a lot to a person and was something I wanted to strive toward.”

When the opportunity came to work at Ryan Funeral Home for a summer, Seth said he jumped at the chance – and never left.

Success as a funeral director requires certain qualities, he said, some of which can be learned over time, while others come from within.

Being compassionate, Seth said, is one of the most important qualities a funeral director can have, along with approachability.

He said the profession also requires a willingness to work weekends and be available when needed.

Scott said funeral directors also need to be somewhat extroverted and community-minded, whether that means attending events, building relationships or staying involved in the community.

“Being out in the community is where you meet people,” he said. “And you have to meet them where they’re at.”

Scott said the family remains active in their church and community, though he acknowledged that reaching younger generations can be more challenging as fewer people attend church today. 

“So, you go where the people are, and making those contacts and connections is important,” he said. “We’ve had people call and say, ‘We see you, we know you and we trust you.’ That’s quite the honor for us.”

‘De Pere is our home’

Scott said they have also expanded their community outreach through Lunch & Learn events, bringing people together for lunch, educational discussions and conversations on topics relevant to the families they serve.

“It gets people through the doors,” he said. “We usually average about 80 people. We don’t push any funeral services [that] we offer because that’s not what anyone came for. But we have booklets there, if they want to take one.”

Scott said there is a delicate balance between being helpful and being overly aggressive. 

Building trust in the community, he said, means knowing when to offer support without making people feel pressured.

“These events are something we really enjoy doing, and it’s always a good time,” he said. “We get people from all over coming to them.” 


Scott said the Lunch & Learn events are held at the Cedar Creek of De Pere Event Center – located next to the funeral home – which his family purchased about four years ago after the Congregational church that previously occupied the space closed due to declining membership.

Purchasing the building, he said, was an effort to meet the changing needs of families while creating a gathering space for the community.

In addition to hosting memorial services, Scott said the event center is available for celebrations of life and other community events. 

“The person we have running it does a phenomenal job, and she has it booked almost every weekend through the year,” he said. “And she has different things going on during the week, too.”

Scott said the Baeten family also continues to give back through a variety of community initiatives, including sponsoring summer golf events and hosting a Shred-Fest where residents could bring unwanted documents and other materials to be securely destroyed at no cost.

More recently, he said they collected recipes from community members and are putting the finishing touches on a cookbook, with proceeds benefiting the De Pere Historical Society, where he serves as a board member.

Scott said the community recently showed its appreciation for Ryan Funeral Home’s century of service by presenting him and Carrie with the Keys to the City.

The mayor, he said, also proclaimed Aug. 1 as Ryan Funeral Home Day. 

“De Pere is our home,” he said. “It always has been, and we want to stay and give locally. That’s always been our theme.”

Setting itself apart

Scott said Ryan Funeral Home is one of only four or five businesses in De Pere that have surpassed the 100-year mark.

Beyond its longevity, he said the relationships the funeral home has built and the way it serves families are what truly set it apart.

Those differences, he said, include having two on-site chapels, being the only funeral home in De Pere with its own crematory and owning and operating De Pere Pet Cremation.

Scott said the funeral home’s multigenerational staff is one of its greatest strengths, blending newer employees with those who bring decades of experience. 

That, Seth said, has allowed them to stay on top of changing trends in advertising and reaching potential customers.

“Besides our website, we’re on Facebook and Instagram,” he said. “We’re looking at using social media as a way to educate my age group about funeral services and getting rid of some of the misconceptions about it and answering people’s questions so when they do eventually have to walk into a funeral home, they come into it more educated and less scared about the situation.”

Scott said the funeral home’s approach is rooted in authenticity.

He said they are simply local people who have grown up in the community and are committed to serving the neighbors around them. 

“We’re always happy to help each other out, and we’re all like family or close friends,” he said. 

Scott said this sense of trust extends to the funeral home’s employees, with Ryan Funeral Home maintaining a reputation as a supportive workplace and retaining many staff members over the years. 

“I have the most phenomenal young staff, and they’re more to me than just the folks I work with every day,” he said. “They’re in this business for the right reasons, and it makes me feel good about the future of funeral service.” 

Speaking of the future

As Ryan Funeral Home celebrates its 100th anniversary, Seth said the immediate focus is honoring the families, employees and community members who helped the funeral home reach this milestone. 

“We want to continue providing compassionate, personal service, while finding meaningful ways to thank the community that has supported us for generations,” he said. “We also plan to continue listening to families and adapting our services to meet their changing needs.”

The long-term goal, Scott said, is to carry the values Ryan Funeral Home was founded on into the next 100 years. 

“We hope to remain a trusted, family-owned funeral home that serves each family with dignity, honesty and compassion,” he said. “This includes investing in our staff, facilities and services, preparing the next generation of funeral directors and continuing to be actively involved in the communities we serve. While funeral service will continue to change, our commitment to serving families and honoring every life will always remain at the center of what we do.”

For more about Ryan Funeral Home, located at 305 N. Tenth St. in De Pere, head to the previously mentioned website or find it on Facebook.