OUR History

Robert A. Ryan

In 1926, a young dairy farmer from the Town of Rockland, Robert A. “Bob” Ryan, recognized that the De Pere community needed another funeral establishment. At that time, southern Brown County was served by two funeral parlors—Kuehl and Schumerth—both located on Broadway Street in De Pere and operated in conjunction with furniture stores.

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 church on the third day.

Mr. Ryan opened his funeral home in a storefront on Main Avenue in downtown De Pere. In August of 1926, he conducted his first funeral for the family of Ellen Lee. As the need for professional funeral services grew, so did the business. In 1937, Mr. Ryan and his family built a new, modern facility at the corner of Second and Reid Streets—one of the few buildings at the time constructed solely for funeral home operations.

Mr. Ryan was assisted by two close family friends, Leo Burke and Jim Dillon. The Ryan family’s reputation and commitment to “Thoughtful Service, Sincerely Rendered” quickly spread throughout the area, serving families from Askeaton to Oneida.

Tragically, Mr. Ryan passed away in June of 1941 while working at the funeral home. Jim Dillon continued operating the funeral home for the Ryan family during the years that followed.

Robert B. Ryan

At the time of his father’s passing, Robert B. Ryan, Mr. Ryan’s only son, was enrolled in the ROTC program at St. Norbert College. He later served honorably in the United States Army from 1946 to 1948 and was discharged as a Disabled American Veteran.

After completing his mortuary education in Milwaukee, Robert B. Ryan joined the family firm in 1950, continuing his father’s legacy of dedicated service to the community.

Lloyd Meyer

In 1955, Lloyd Meyer, an Oshkosh native with a family heritage in the funeral profession, joined the firm as a licensed funeral director and embalmer. Mr. Meyer, also a United States Army veteran, quickly became an integral part of the funeral home’s operations.

During the early 1960s, St. Norbert College began expanding rapidly. In 1963, the Ryan family sold the Reid Street property to the Norbertine Order to support campus growth. At that time, Mr. Ryan and Mr. Meyer purchased land on what would become North Tenth Street on De Pere’s west side.

In 1964, they moved into the newly constructed Ryan Funeral Home at 305 North Tenth Street—a state-of-the-art facility designed to meet the evolving needs of families. During those years, Mel Mason and Casey Kolb assisted the funeral directors in serving the community.

Scott J. Baeten

In October 2016, the Baeten family purchased the funeral home and proudly continue serving families throughout Northeast Wisconsin.

While funeral service has evolved over the decades to reflect the changing wishes of families, the personalized, value-conscious, and family-centered approach established in 1926 remains at the heart of Ryan Funeral Home.

Today, the funeral home is operated by funeral directors Scott Baeten, Emmalee Broomhall, and Rebekah Boucher; apprentice funeral directors Dominic Maino and Seth Baeten; along with dedicated support staff Jerry Henrigillis, Randy Hansen, Rex Meyer, Bridget Vandelist, and Abby Webster. 

For nearly a century, Ryan Funeral Home has remained rooted in the values upon which it was founded: compassion, integrity, and thoughtful service sincerely rendered.

From its beginnings in a downtown storefront to its present-day home on North Tenth Street, each generation of leadership has honored the trust placed in them by the De Pere community. Today, that legacy continues through a dedicated staff committed to serving families with the same care, dignity, and personal attention envisioned by Robert A. Ryan in 1926.