Biographies of Key Personnel

Joseph U. Suhor III

Chairman/CEO

Joseph U. Suhor III began his funeral service career in 1977. After receiving an architectural engineering degree from Delgado College in New Orleans, he joined Acme Marble & Granite Company, a division of Stewart Enterprises in New Orleans. The New Orleans native also spent nearly a decade at LaClede Steel in sales and engineering.

In 1983, Suhor joined Sloan Enterprises, a 50-year-old family-owned burial vault business. He acquired the company in 1986 after serving two years as Executive Vice President, and the company became Suhor Industries, Inc. As Chairman & CEO, Suhor remains active on a day-to-day basis.

Suhor also serves on the Board of Wilbert, Inc. with subsidiary operations in funeral service and plastics. He served as Chairman from 1995 to 2001 and currently chairs the Merger and Acquisition Committee. Suhor serves as an Advisory Director at U.S. Bancorp in Kansas City and on the Board of Directors of the Epilepsy Foundation of Kansas and Western Missouri. He is a Board Member of the International Memorialization Supply Association (IMSA) and serves on the Board of Regents for the National Museum of Funeral History.

Suhor is a retired Captain in the United States Army Reserve. He resides in Leawood, Kansas with his wife Carol. To contact Joe via email, click here.

Dennis P. Welzenbach

Chief Operating Officer/CFO

Dennis P. Welzenbach is a Certified Public Account who graduated from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA. Before joining Suhor Industries as Chief Financial Officer in 1987, he worked for 8 years at Ernst & Whinney, and served as Chief Financial Officer for John Massman Contracting for 5 years.
Welzenbach joined Suhor Industries, Inc. in 1987. Welzenbach oversees the day-to-day operations of Suhor Industries. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Suhor Industries.

A member of Missouri Society of CPAs, and the AICPA, Welzenbach is a licensed funeral director, a member of the Missouri Funeral Directors Association, and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Wilbert Manufacturers Association serving as the President of that association from 1997-1998.

Welzenbach belongs to the Leawood Rotary Club and the Knights of Columbus. He is also a licensed Kansas realtor. To contact Dennis via email, please click here.

Marvin G. Smith
Senior Vice President of Operations

Marvin G. Smith is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the states of Iowa and Kansas. He graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and earned an MBA from St. Ambrose University in 1983.

 

Prior to joining Suhor Industries in 1995 as Senior Vice President of Operations, Smith worked for John Deere Harvester Works, Davenport Cement Company and Lafarge Corporation. At Suhor Industries, Smith manages operations for the company and has profit and loss responsibility for all locations.

Smith is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Society of Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Engineers and a Licensed Funeral Professional in the State of Missouri. Smith is also a Certified Financial Planner, former president of Great River Road Credit Union and presently a member of the Board of Directors of the Wilbert Manufacturers Association.  To contact Marvin via email, click here.

Jeanette Geiser

Treasurer

Jeanette Geiser, born in the St. Louis, Missouri area, graduated from Columbia College, Columbia, Missouri in Business Administration. She joined the company in 1981 and worked in all areas of office administration. In 1995, Jeanette was promoted to Controller and in 2005 to Treasurer.

She currently supervises the cash management, payroll, payables and IT functions in the home office in Overland Park, Kansas. Jeanette, her husband, Jim , and their three sons live in Garden City, Missouri. To contact Jeanette via email click here.

Michael Anderson

Regional Manager - Louisiana & East Texas

SI Funeral Services

8650 Box Road

Shreveport, LA   71106

318.869.2083

Mike Anderson was born in St. Joseph, Missouri.  He attended Missouri Western State University where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice.

Mike joined SI Funeral Services in 1995 as a Customer Service Representative.  In 1998, he was promoted to Plant Manger of the St. Joseph manufacturing facility.  He held that position until 2007 when he was promoted to Regional Manager of Louisiana & East Texas.  His current responsibilities include overseeing manufacturing and warehouse operations in the state of Louisiana, Beaumont, Texas and Hope, Arkansas.

Mike resides in Bossier City, Louisiana and enjoys golf in his spare time.  To contact Mike via email click here.

Photo not available at this time.

Dennis Brokaw

Regional Manager Oregon

SI Funeral Services

15520 SE 102 Ave

Clackamas, OR   97015

503.656.2997

Dennis Brokaw joined Oregon SI Funeral Services division as Regional Manager in August, 2006. The division plant and headquarters is located in Clackamas, Oregon with warehousing operations in Salem and Eugene. Dennis is responsible for production operations in the Vault and Casket Divisions, as well as regional Marketing and Sales Development.

Born and raised in the Portland area, this Oregon native spent 20 years in distribution, operations and general management with a national manufacturer/distributor of material handling equipment. He holds a BA degree in Business Administration from the University of Portland.

Residents of Clackamas, Dennis and his wife, Kristi, have a daughter. The family loves to travel which gives Dennis plenty of excellent opportunities to enjoy his hobby, photography. To contact Dennis via email click here.

Chris Carson

Vice President SI Construction Services

SI Construction Services

1609 Union Ave

Parsons, KS   67357

620.421.4434

Chris was born in Parsons, Kansas. He graduated from General Motors training center in Kansas City in 1972 and began working in vehicle and plant maintenance at Individual Mausoleum Company.

Together with a partner, he purchased the company in 1989 and developed an aggressive stance toward expansion in the retail monument trade and cemetery construction, which included mausoleums, lawn crypts, columbarium’s, and features and grew their business five fold. Suhor Industries purchased Individual Mausoleum in October, 2000, and changed the company name to SI Funeral Services in 2005.

Presently, Chris heads up Suhor Industries’ Construction division, where he is responsible for three crews installing lawn crypt and columbarium niche projects throughout the United States. Parsons residents, Chris and his wife, Joyce, have a grown daughter. To contact Chris via email, click here.

Michael Forbes

General Manager - Parsons, Kansas Facility

SI Funeral Services/SI Memorials

1609 Union Ave

Parsons, KS   67357

620.421.4210

Michael Forbes was born in Pittsburg, Kansas. In 1984, he studied archeology in Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, Turkey and Italy. He graduated from Pittsburg State University in 1988 with a degree in Business Administration.

Mike began his funeral service career in 1989 when he joined Individual Mausoleum Company, where he held the position of National Sales Manager, responsible for overseeing the operations of 14 retail monument stores. Suhor Industries purchased Individual Mausoleum in October, 2000, and promoted Mike to Regional Marketing Manager for the state of Kansas is 2001, and added the responsibilities of Parsons, Kansas Plant Manager in 2003. The Individual Mausoleum name was changed to SI Funeral Services in 2005. Parsons residents, Mike and his wife, Jennifer, have two daughters. To contact Mike via email, click here.

Greg Kelsey

Vice President - New York & Pennsylvania

SI Funeral Services

14 Lancaster Parkway

Lancaster, NY   14086

716.685.5200

Photo and bio to come.

Lance Ray

Vice President Colorado, Kansas & Oklahoma

SI Funeral Services

345 W. Hefner Road

Oklahoma City, OK  73114

405.752.9033

Lance Ray was born in Arkansas City, Kansas. He is a first generation funeral director with over 15 years of funeral service experience. He has worked in both independent and consolidator owned funeral homes and spent 9 years with Wilbert-based organizations. He was recognized for his performance with Wilbert as Rookie of the Year in 1998 and Regional Salesperon of the Year in 2002. He also received Wilbert's Ultimate Service Award in 2001.

Lance joined the Suhor organization in 1997 as Regional Marketing Manager for Kansas; was promoted to Vice President of Kansas in 2000; and has served as Vice President of SI's Oklahoma region since June 2005.  In 2006, Lance assumed responsibility for Colorado and Kansas regions.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in human resources management from Friends University, Wichita, Kansas, and is a graduate of the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service. Lance is a licensed funeral director and embalmer in both Oklahoma and Ohio. Lance resides in Edmond, OK, with his wife, Denise, and their three children. To contact Lance via email, click here.

Curt Shannon

Regional Vice President Texas

SI Funeral Services

611 Jealouse Way

Cedar Hill, TX   75104

972.291.7584

Curt Shannon was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He is a fourth generation funeral director who began his funeral service career in 1980 in a family-owned business. He has managed both independent and consolidator owned funeral establishments.
Curt joined Suhor Industries in 1998 as Regional Marketing Manager for the North Texas and Beaumont Regions. In 2004 he accepted the position of Vice President, Texas region overseeing operations in the state. He is also instrumental in the development of training on a company-wide basis.

Curt attended North Texas State University. In 1988, he graduated from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, where he served as President of the Pi Sigma Eta fraternity. Mr. Shannon is Past President of the Texas Funeral Supply Sales Clubs and served on the Board of Directors of the North Texas Funeral Director’s Association. Curt is also a member of the Tarrant Masonic Lodge #942 and the Moslah Shrine Temple. Curt is a lifelong resident of Fort Worth where he resides with his wife and two children. To contact Curt via email, click here.

Dan Welzenbach

Regional Vice President Missouri
 

SI Funeral Services

11919 Cartwright

Grandview, MO  64030

816.966.9000

Dan Welzenbach assumed the Regional Vice President position for the Missouri SI Funeral Services division in May, 2006. In this position, Dan oversees the operations of the 12 Missouri and two Arkansas locations that distribute funeral, wastewater and agricultural products and services. His office is at SI’s Grandview, MO plant.

Dan was born in Davenport, Iowa and raised in the Quad Cities area. Prior to joining SI, he was National Merchandising Manager for the supply and tool division of Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation and held various management positions with Payless Cashways Building Materials. With his over 23 years experience in retail and industrial sales and management, Dan has extensive experience in inventory analysis, budgeting and product merchandising.

Dan enjoys most outdoor activities, especially hunting and golf. This Lenexa, KS resident and his wife, Amy, are the parents of two daughters and son. To contact Dan via email click here.

Marketing Team

Tim Ash

Veteran & Wholesale Monument Sales

SI Veteran Memorials

10965 Granada Lane Suite 300

Overland Park, KS 66211

913.345.2120

Tim began his funeral service career with D.W. Newcomer's Sons in 1987 as Manager of its Floral Hills Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri and was Director of Cemetery Operations for 10 locations in Kansas and Missouri. His experience includes planning and developing mausoleums, lawn crypts, columbaria and new cemetery gardens, as well as overseeing the management for pre-need sales.

In 2007, Tim joined Suhor Industries in 2007 as Marketing Representative for SI Memorials and SI Veteran Memorials for Northern Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.

Tim is both a licensed funeral director and a licensed real estate agent in the state of Missouri. He serves on the permanent committee board that oversees the planning and coordination of the annual Memorial Day Ceremony and Event at the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, the nation's only World War I memorial.

Born and raised in South Central Kansas, Tim worked in his family's movie theater and drive-in growing up. After attending Kansas State University, he worked as Area Operations Manager for Dickenson Theaters in Kansas City. He and his family are residents of Lee's Summit, Missouri.  To contact Tim via email click here.

Lonnie Beeler

Regional Marketing Manager Oregon

SI Funeral Services

15520 SE 102 Ave

Clackamas, OR   97015

503.656.2997

Lonnie Beeler has served as SI Funeral Services’ Regional Marketing Manager for the Oregon, Washington and Northern California area since April, 2006. His duties include marketing and outside sales for the West Coast region, with office and plant in Clackamas, OR.

Born in Portland and raised in the Columbia Gorge area, Lonnie spent 30 years selling custom wheels and managing a retail tire store before starting in the funeral business in 1992 as a casket delivery truck driver for Oregon Wilbert. He was promoted in 1994 to manager of their casket plant with duties that included ordering materials, production, inventory control, customer service, deliveries, hiring and training. He continued in this position in 2000 when SI purchased the company. In 2004, Lonnie opened the California casket sales territory for SI and added the Eastern and Southern Washington areas in ’05.

Residents of Clackamas, Lonnie and his wife, Nancy, have two married daughters and one granddaughter. For 15 years, in addition to his other jobs, Lonnie coached girls’ basketball for the local high school. His favorite pastimes are golf, taking the family boating and watching one of his daughters coaching girl’s high school basketball. To contact Lonnie via email click here.

Eddie Bierschwale

Regional Marketing Manager Texas

SI Funeral Services

5111 SE Loop 410

San Antonio, TX   78222

210.922.2122

Mr. Bierschwale oversees all marketing relations of the Texas region. Eddie joined Suhor in February 2005 as a Regional Marketing Manager. In this role, Bierschwale focuses on establishing and maintaining a consistent high level of training and merchandising in all markets of operation.

Prior to joining Suhor, Mr. Bierschwale worked with Brookehill Funeral Group as a location manager of the Oak Hills Mortuary in San Antonio, where he had worked as a funeral director and embalmer since 1981. To contact Eddie via email, click here.
 

David Edmiston

Regional Marketing Manager Colorado & Kansas

SI Funeral Services

4985 Locust Street

Commerce City, CO  80022

303.289.2771

David Edmiston was born in Denver, Colorado.  He attended the University of Colorado in Boulder where he earned a Bachelor's Degree.

David joined SI Funeral Services in Commerce City, Colorado in 2007 as Regional Manager for Colorado and Kansas.  He is responsible for overall marketing, customer relations and sales support for this region.

David resides in Littleton, Colorado with his wife, Jana and two daughters.  He volunteers at the Children's Hospital in Denver and enjoys golf, biking, travel and reading.  To contact David via email, click here.

Photo not available at this time.

Debbie Fleming

Regional Marketing Manager Pennsylvania

SI Funeral Services

432 Noble Road

Girard, PA   16417

814.774.8201

Debbie Fleming joined SI Funeral Services as Regional Marketing Manager for Pennsylvania and Ashtabula, OH, when SI purchased Horton Precast in December, 2006.

A graduate of Gannon University in Erie, PA, Debbie has a BS degree in Biology and a minor in Accounting. She started in the funeral industry in 1970 working as an Administrative Assistant for two funeral homes, before switching to burial vault sales with Horton’s in 2000. Since 1980, she has served as Executive Director of the Erie/Crawford County Funeral Directors Association.

Residents of Cambridge Springs, PA, Debbie and her husband, Don, have four children. Besides her full time jobs as Mom and SI Marketing Manager, Debbie has been a teacher for her home-schooled children for 15 years, as well as been involved in her church’s woman’s prison ministry. To contact Debbie via email click here.

Lucy Galloway

Regional Marketing Manager Louisiana/East Texas

SI Funeral Services

8650 Box Road

Shreveport, LA   71106

318.869.2083

Lucy Galloway joined SI Funeral Services in March 2005 as a Regional Marketing Manager in Colorado. In July 2006, she moved to Louisiana to oversee marketing relations in Louisiana, Southeast Texas and Southwest Arkansas territory. Her main focus is on product merchandising and training in all areas of operations.

A native of Southeast Kansas, Lucy worked for Cigna and Blue Cross in the Medicare Risk Division for seniors prior to beginning work in the funeral industry. Over the next 15 years, she worked in pre-need funeral planning, as well as a funeral director in the Denver area. Lucy enjoys playing bridge, traveling and spending time with her four children and eight grandchildren. Contact Lucy via email click here.
 

Gary Mosier

Wholesale Monument Sales Manager

SI Memorials

7035 E 41st Street

Tulsa, OK   74145

918.583.2641

Gary began his funeral service career in 1992 as Sales Manager with Muskogee Marble & Granite in Muskogee, Oklahoma where he was responsible for two retail monument locations and approximately 60 wholesale locations.

He joined Suhor Industries in 1997 as Regional Marketing Manager where he was responsible for all monument sales in Oklahoma as well as retail sales at Tulsa Monument Company and Lawrence Monument Company.

By 2000, his responsibilities had expanded to five retail locations and close to 100 wholesale locations. Mosier currently serves as Vice-President of the Oklahoma Funeral Directors Sales Club. Gary resides in Tulsa with his wife Jan.  To contact Gary via email click here.
 

Michael Nash

Regional Marketing Manager Missouri
 

SI Funeral Services

11919 Cartwright

Grandview, MO  64030

816.966.9000

Michael Nash, a licensed funeral director and embalmer, joined SI Funeral Services in May, 2005 as Regional Marketing Manager for Missouri Operations.

A native of St. Joseph, Missouri, Mike began working in the funeral industry while in high school as a part-time employee for Meierhoffer Family Funeral Home. He attended Missouri Western State College and received a mortuary science degree from Kansas City Kansas Community College in 1998.

In 1999, Mike began working for Stewart Enterprises, the parent company for D.W Newcomer's Sons Funeral Homes in Kansas City, Missouri. In December 2000, he joined Heaton-Bowman/Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel in St. Joseph and returned to Newcomer's to oversee the daily operation of their White Chapel facility in 2002.

Mike is a member of the Missouri Funeral Director's Association, the Knights of Columbus and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Padraig Pearse Division, Kansas City, Missouri. To contact Michael via email click here.

Gary Reddington

Regional Marketing Manager New York

SI Funeral Services

14 Lancaster Parkway

Lancaster, NY   14086

716.685.5200

Gary Reddington joined in SI Funeral Services in 1999 as Sales and Marketing Manager for the Western New York/Pennsylvania division. The division plant and headquarters is located in Lancaster, NY. A live-long resident of the Buffalo, NY area, Gary graduated Magna Cum Laude from St. Bonaventure University (Olean, NY) in May 1984 with BA degrees in both Communications and Business Administration. Following graduation, he worked for Moore Business Forms; from 1987-92, he was a sales representative for L.M. Berry Company selling advertising in Yellow Page Directories throughout New York state; and then was Western New York territory manager for the John Henry Co. (Lansing, MI) selling horticultural supplies to wholesale, retail florists and large wholesale nurseries. Residents of Lancaster, Gary and his wife, Susan, share a love for sports, especially golf and running. He is also a history buff and avid reader. To contact Gary via email click here.
 

Matt Stewart

Regional Marketing Manager Oklahoma

SI Funeral Services

345 W. Hefner Road

Oklahoma City, OK  73114

405.752.9033

Photo and bio to come.