Our Staff

Bridget has been in the funeral service as a managing funeral director and embalmer in the Kansas City area since 1996.  A native of Coon Rapids, Iowa, she graduated from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, in 1994 with a degree in Accounting, and is also a 1995 graduate of the Mortuary Science program at KCKCC.   She has been married to her husband, John, since 2000 and they make their home in Shawnee with their three cats.  She enjoys reading, hiking, exercising, traveling, and volunteering in her spare time.

Bridget is passionate about helping others in their time of need and recognizes the importance of making every service meaningful.

Born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, living in Johnson County for the past 32 years serving families in Olathe and more recently Overland Park, Kansas.

Occupation background:

• Funeral Director/Embalmer
• Career began in Kansas City, Kansas
• 40 years in funeral service, 31 in Olathe, Kansas
• Managed funeral homes 33 years

Civic:

• Member of St. Pius X in Mission, Kansas
• Member of Overland Park, Masonic Lodge
• Member of Scottish Rite Bodies of Northeast Kansas
• Member and 2018 Potentate Abdallah Shriners
• Member and Past President of Olathe Noon Optimist
• Former Member of Board of Zoning Appeals, City of Olathe
• Former Member of the Planning Commission, City of Olathe
• Charter Member, Past President and “Paul Harris Fellow” of Olathe Santa Fe Trail Rotary Club
• Past Chairman of the Board of the Olathe Area Chamber of Commerce
• “Spirit Award” Recipient
• Past Chairman of the Leadership Olathe Program

David is a licensed funeral director and embalmer and has worked in the death care industry for over thirty years. He has written both magazine and newspaper articles on the subjects of death, grieving and healing after loss. He is also a public speaker and has shared his educational insights on the industry, death, dying and moving forward from the loss of a loved one. 

He graduated from The San Francisco College of Mortuary Science and also received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications from The University of Utah. In 2022 David released his new available novel, Sending People to Heaven - The Undertaker.  David and his wife reside in Missouri. They have seven children and seven grandchildren. 

Throughout David’s experiences as a mortician, he has learned to treasure living as a tremendous gift of adventure, growth and self discovery. He also suggests you go ahead and enjoy that slice of cheesecake or that mouth watering danish every once in a while! It’s all a part of the journey.

Paige was born and raised in Clarinda, Iowa before moving to the Kansas City area to pursue her education. 

In her free time she likes to spend time with her boyfriend Quinton, exercising, and reading. Paige is passionate about taking care of each family and making each service the best it can be. 

Carina is an Iowa native who has called Johnson County home since 1991.  She stumbled into the funeral industry in 2001 and fell in love with the business of helping families through difficult times.  She has worked on the administrative side of the business for 15 years and has enjoyed assisting families even though most of her efforts are unbeknownst to the families we serve.

She has two grown sons, one who resides in the area and the other in Austin, TX. In her spare time, she enjoys, rooting for the Royals, Chiefs, and Sporting KC, spending time with family, gardening, repurposing, and reading.

Pat graduated from the Loyola University of the South with a BA in Business Administration. She received the outstanding award for the female student in the School of Business in her Senior year. 

Pat married Bill Schonacher the year after her graduation. Once her children were born, she went back to school to work on her Master’s Degree in Education in Counseling.

Once she completed schooling, she had a varied career. She has taught in high school, technical level, and Johnson County Community College and has administrated a Federal Grant for the sheriff of Orleans Parish in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Pat joined the Family Service Counselors in February of 1990. She has enjoyed a long and fulfilling career assisting families in the Preneed Division as well as in the cemetery at Johnson County Memorial Gardens. While serving families, Pat has earned the highest award as Certified Service Professional on numerous occasions.

Pat has many interests. She loves her family and the care of her home and flower garden. Pat belongs to three bridge groups and has many friends. Pat is a Cure of Ars Catholic Church member and belongs to several groups within the Church.

When you think about all the possible careers in the world, very few would choose to become a Family Service Advisor for a Funeral Home, but somewhere along my journey, I truly believe this is my life’s calling.  After all, I’ve always had a passion for helping others.

In addition to my role as a Family Service Advisor, I am also the Director of Community Relations for Olathe Trading Post & Pawn.  In that capacity, I enjoy the responsibility of conceiving, planning, organizing, promoting, and hosting all the store’s marketing events and working in the store’s Jewelry Department.  As if that wasn’t enough, I’ve also been a WW (formerly Weight Watchers) Coach for the last 17 years helping people improve their health and quality of life through weight loss and healthy lifestyle changes.

When I’m not at work, I enjoy spending time with my husband, Steve.  Any chance to get together with our three children and their families, Christopher, Dylan, Lauren and her husband, Brian, and our Grand dog, Kristofferson, is always a special treat.

Holly graduated from Ottawa University with a BA in Healthcare Management.  She also received her Life and Health Insurance License in 2000. 

Holly has been in the funeral industry for over 10 years and prior to that she opened and managed six dental practices in the Kansas City region.   Holly joined Johnson County Funeral Chapel and Memorial Gardens in 2024 and enjoys assisting families with their preneed arrangements.  Partnering with families during their time of need is the most rewarding part of her position.

Holly has three amazing boys: Riley, Bryson, and Rhett, and her beloved best furry friend Boogey, and keeps herself busy attending their sporting events.  She also enjoys following the Kansas City Chiefs and the Royals.  Her other interests include gardening, home remodel, and spending time with her family. 

Mark has been with Johnson County Memorial Gardens since August 2011. He is a Kansas City native and a graduate of NW Missouri State University with a degree in horticulture. He has worked in the grounds maintenance industry for 35 years. Hillcrest C.C., KCMO, and Arbormasters Tree and Landscape, Shawnee Kansas, serve as bookends to his 20yr stay as the Grounds Maintenance Superintendent with Quivira Falls Community Association, Overland Park.

Lee was born in Kansas City, MO in 1984 and is a graduate of Independence Academy. He joined the Terrace Park Team in February 2015 with over ten years of experience in cemetery maintenance. He transferred to Longview Cemetery in 2018 and was promoted to Grounds Leader at Johnson County Memorial Gardens in 2021.

He loves the Kansas City Chiefs, outdoor activities—especially camping and fishing—and spending time with his family. Lee enjoys the relationships he has made with those who visit the cemetery, building supportive relationships with his co-workers, and being able to work outside. Lee and his longtime girlfriend, Sara, live in independence with their beloved rescue dog, Peanut.

Raymond Cowley joined Johnson County Memorial Gardens in 2012 as part of the cemetery service qualified staff. Ray’s hard work and dedication to Johnson County have been noticed by the continued upkeep of the grounds. His primary position is lawn maintenance. 

Growing up in Kansas City, Missouri, Ray graduated from Southwest High School. He has two children, ages 18 and 17 that continue to keep him busy. When Ray has downtime, he enjoys spending time with his extended family in the area, barbequing, bird watching, river rafting, camping, detailing vehicles, and tuning in to a Chiefs or Royals game. He also appreciates a great game of pool or bowling and relaxing with a fishing pole in hand. Ray volunteers some of his time working with RBI Baseball.

Kay has worked at the Overland Park Chapel since 1970 and when the Johnson County Funeral Chapel was built in 1996, she worked at both locations. Kay started her career as an administrator but became a funeral director soon after . She was appointed manager of the Overland Park Chapel in 1982 and also managed the Johnson County Funeral Chapel when it opened in 1996. Kay retired from these positions in 2002 and now works part time helping on church and chapel funerals and plays the keyboard for services when needed. She is the organist at Prairie Baptist Church where she has been on staff for 45 years.

Kay has lived in the Kansas City area since middle school and graduated from Shawnee-Mission North, she then attended Emporia State University where she met her husband, Lindo. They were married for 53 years and he passed away last year. Lindo and Kay have two children, Donna Sosna and her husband Dennis and Brian Lopez and his wife Debbie. They also have two grandchildren Jennifer and David. 

Kay loves working in the funeral industry and enjoys helping people in their time of need. It has been a very rewarding career for Kay and she plans to continue doing this for a long time!

Ann was born in Kansas City in 1942, the oldest of nine children. She is the matriarch of her huge, ever growing, family. She is a Registered Nurse and started her nursing career in 1962, being a hospital nurse, a staff RN and a Nursing Supervisor until 1980. She then worked as a Medical Disability Case Manager with Workers Compensation Insurance Company from 1980-2009 when she retired. When Ann has downtime, she will tell you that she enjoys sleeping, shopping, yoga and travel; all in that order.

In 2009, Ann joined the team, part time, at Johnson County Funeral Chapel & Memorial Gardens. She truly enjoys being part of the company and industry. Ann has an understanding that every situation is unique and special, she takes great pride in helping others in their time of need.

Tom, a Cleveland, Ohio native, has been with Johnson County Memorial Chapel & Garden since 2017 and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from John Carroll University in University Hts., Ohio. After college, he was a teacher and Varsity Basketball coach, first at the elementary school, then the high school level, also assisting at the Varsity & Freshman levels for football and baseball.  His basketball teams won 213 games over 13 seasons, a winning percentage of 86.2%. In 1969, he joined the Allstate Insurance Co. as n Mgmt. Trainee. Moving up the ranks, he received several promotions involving relocations to Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and back to KC, now as the Regional Underwriting Mgr., handling 5 states.  In 1979, he entered the Residential Real Estate industry as an agent.  After 4 years, and is a multi-million dollar producer, he became the Sales Manager at Summerson-Burrows Realtors.  In 1989, he joined the J.D. Reece Co. Realtors as a Manager/Broker, ultimately reaching the position of Sr. Vice President, a position he held as the company merged with J.C. Nichols to form Reece/Nichols Realtors.  He was a state Director, served as President of the Johnson County Board of Realtors, as well as President of its Multiple Listing Service, and received the "Realtor of the Year" award in 1997.  He retired in 2010.  Tom and his wife, Jan, have been married for 52 years, and have 2 grown, married daughters, and 8-year-old identical twin granddaughters. He loves golf, sports, and his church, Cure of Ars Catholic Church.

Kenne Kuttler is a retired executive of The Kansas City Star who is now honored to help families celebrate the lives of their loved ones. 

Along with serving families as an Ambassador, Kenne is a Licensed Assistant Funeral Director, Certified Funeral Celebrant, and community liaison.

A Shawnee Mission North High School graduate, Kenne earned a Journalism degree from the University of Kansas, and a master’s degree in Religion from Park University.   

Kenne enjoys playing with the Mission Bells bell choir at the Community of Christ Church where she is a minister.

Emma was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas.  She now resides with her husband of 35 years, Bill, in Lansing, Kansas.  Emma has three grown daughters and 3 grandsons.  Emma has worked in office administration, accounting, the health field as a pharmacy tech and helped start a grant funded after school program for elementary children.  She has been a stay at home wife, mom and Memaw for 9 years and enjoys working as an ambassador here at Johnson County Funeral Chapel.  Emma also works at her local quilt store in her spare time.   Emma enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, quilting, embroidery and volunteering with her local quilt guild.  

Russ is a native Kansan with roots in Wichita. He moved to Kansas City while the Royals were preparing to win their first World Series and joined Johnson County Funeral Chapel while the Royals were celebrating their second. Russ views his opportunity to serve families as a personal ministry. Russ’ background consists of 30 years in the marketing and public relations world. He “retired” to focus on real estate and mortgage interests. He loves to travel, and much of it on two wheels (bicycles and motorcycles). 

Lia is new to the funeral industry as a transport from a long history of experience in the healthcare background. Origially from Des Moines, Iowa she graduated DMACC in 2012 with an Associates of Science degree, afterwards successfully completing an Advance Certified Nursing program through Signature Healthcare and graduating Purdue University Global at the top of her class in 2023. 

Lia is engaged to her best friend Charles and they live with their 4 fur babies. Her kitties, Raven and Rayho as well as rottweilers, Ocho and Xena.

She enjoys outdoor activities, writing, and time spent with her two children, Aleia and Aerik.

Lia is a passionate advocate for educating those on CPR and AED usage as she is a survivor of a sudden cardiac arrest. Lia has future plans to attend KU to become a Grief Counselor as well as becoming a Funeral Director Assistant. She is a kind individual who will provide assistance to anyone in their time of need.