Staff

Our dedicated staff members are here to provide support, compassion, and information to help you through your journey of grief and the celebration of your loved one’s life.

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Neal J. Schneider Funeral Director/Owner

Neal is the 5th generation of the Schneider Family to become a funeral director. Neal attended UW Rock County and UW Whitewater and is a 2005 graduate of the MATC School of Mortuary Science. He served his apprenticeship at Schneider Funeral Home and Crematory, Janesville, and had also worked at Becker Ritter Funeral Home in Brookfield until returning to Janesville upon graduation.  In 2015, Neal joined the partnership with his father and grandfather, and when Neal's grandfather retired in 2016, he became partners with his father, William Schneider.  Neal later purchased the remaining share of the funeral home from his father in April of 2019, when William retired. When not working Neal enjoys motorcycles, snowmobiles, and boating.

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Heidi Mannion Office Manager

Heidi joined the Schneider family in August of 2017, as the office manager.  Joining the Schneider family was an easy fit, she lives within walking distance to the funeral home, her children attend Craig High School, and her church, St. John Vianney, is a block away.  Heidi is the “go to” person at the funeral home and Neal’s “right hand.” She is passionate about serving people. She and her husband, Michael, have been married for 25 years and have two children, Gabriel and Grace. When not spending time with her family you can find Heidi coaching on the soccer field.

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Aaron Kerr Funeral Director

Hi there!  My name is Aaron and I appreciate you taking the time to read this to get to know my backstory a little better.   I was born in Rockford, Illinois on a cold fall morning; the son of Rev. Dr. William R. Kerr, Sr. and Diane (Johnson) Kerr.  Both of my parents were heavily involved in funeral service during my entire life, as my father had his Doctorate in bereavement and served families regularly in the transition and celebration for people who were dealing with a loss.  My mom is a very talented beautician and has worked for a well-respected funeral home in the area now for the past 50 years.  I regularly tagged along on their trips to the funeral homes, and eventually found myself being called upon to play my bagpipes at funerals regularly. In 2010, I enrolled at the Worsham College of Mortuary Science, and received my funeral director and embalmers license in 2011.  Since then, I’ve been called on by the Schneider Family on a consistent basis, to play my pipes for the families of the greater Janesville area, which has always been an absolute honor for me.  In January of 2018, Bill and Neal Schneider gave me the invitation to serve the Janesville community as a director and arranger for the Funeral Home, and I’ve loved it here ever since.  My wife, Katie; and our three boys: Keiran, Ronan, and Malcolm; and even our dog, Mabel, enjoy spending our time outside whenever possible; especially tent camping.  We have a weekend getaway in La Valle, and really look forward to Friday Fish and pull tabs when we get there.  Outside of my time at the funeral home, I am honored to serve as the Duty Piper for Janesville Police Department, and I also enjoy participating in bagpipe competitions in the greater Midwest area and even Canada.  It’s an honor to be in this position to help serve the families of Janesville and provide a well-suited option for the people they love so dearly.

 

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Andi Emmel Funeral Director/Director of Cremation Services

Andi is a Janesville native, graduating from Craig High School in 1982. He served four years of active duty in the U.S. Army as a helicopter mechanic and later, after earning a Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice through Central Texas College, 20 years as a trooper with the Wisconsin State Patrol, retiring in 2014. He then earned an Associate's Degree in Funeral Service in 2015, through Milwaukee Area Technical College. He has been employed by Schneider Funeral Home since 2006; full time since 2015. He has two wonderful children, Aaron and Lindsay, and enjoys boating and traveling.

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Kristina Meserole Licensed Funeral Director

Kristina is originally from Baraboo but has been in the Janesville area since 2016. She graduated from Worsham College of Mortuary Science in January 2022. She completed her apprenticeship with Schneider Funeral Home and will continue to serve the Janesville community as a Licensed Funeral Director. Kristina has a passion for people and takes pride in the work she does here at Schneider Funeral Home.  When she isn’t at work, Kristina can be found spending time with her family, which consists of her husband, Andrew; their three kiddos: Isla, Emma, and Charles; and two chihuahuas, Tinka and Haddie Mae. She and her family enjoy spending time outdoors. They love nature walks, fishing, and animals. 

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Ju-Leah Wendtland Funeral Apprentice

Ju-Leah is originally from Brodhead, but has been a resident of the Janesville community for the past few years. After graduation from high school in 2011, she became a Certified Nursing Assistant and worked at various nursing homes for 10 years before becoming an Apprentice Funeral Director for Schneider Funeral Home in 2020. Ju-Leah started Mortuary School in May of 2021 to become a Licensed Funeral Director, and is looking forward to a life-long career in Mortuary Science. She has always had a passion for helping and caring for people. Ju-Leah is very excited to see what life has to offer, and where her journey will take her. She plans to eventually travel all over the United States and visit every city on her bucket list. Ju-Leah is a motivated, kind, happy person, and is always willing to jump in and help in any way she can. 

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Nicole Sowatzke Funeral Director Apprentice

Nicole has been with the Schneider Family since January of 2022 as an Apprentice.  She is currently enrolled at Milwaukee Area Technical College studying Mortuary Science. She grew up in Beloit and has resided in Janesville for the last 10 years.  Before working here, Nicole was a hospice CNA. She is married to Daniel and they are a blended family with 3 children: Genevieve, Xander, and Brayden. In her spare time, Nicole likes to craft, travel, go for walks with her dogs: Jake, Sarah, Apollo, and Maverick, and hang out with her children and grandson, Westen.

Neal J. Schneider

Funeral Director/Owner
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Neal is the 5th generation of the Schneider Family to become a funeral director. Neal attended UW Rock County and UW Whitewater and is a 2005 graduate of the MATC School of Mortuary Science. He served his apprenticeship at Schneider Funeral Home and Crematory, Janesville, and had also worked at Becker Ritter Funeral Home in Brookfield until returning to Janesville upon graduation.  In 2015, Neal joined the partnership with his father and grandfather, and when Neal's grandfather retired in 2016, he became partners with his father, William Schneider.  Neal later purchased the remaining share of the funeral home from his father in April of 2019, when William retired. When not working Neal enjoys motorcycles, snowmobiles, and boating.

Heidi Mannion

Office Manager
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Heidi joined the Schneider family in August of 2017, as the office manager.  Joining the Schneider family was an easy fit, she lives within walking distance to the funeral home, her children attend Craig High School, and her church, St. John Vianney, is a block away.  Heidi is the “go to” person at the funeral home and Neal’s “right hand.” She is passionate about serving people. She and her husband, Michael, have been married for 25 years and have two children, Gabriel and Grace. When not spending time with her family you can find Heidi coaching on the soccer field.

Aaron Kerr

Funeral Director
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Hi there!  My name is Aaron and I appreciate you taking the time to read this to get to know my backstory a little better.   I was born in Rockford, Illinois on a cold fall morning; the son of Rev. Dr. William R. Kerr, Sr. and Diane (Johnson) Kerr.  Both of my parents were heavily involved in funeral service during my entire life, as my father had his Doctorate in bereavement and served families regularly in the transition and celebration for people who were dealing with a loss.  My mom is a very talented beautician and has worked for a well-respected funeral home in the area now for the past 50 years.  I regularly tagged along on their trips to the funeral homes, and eventually found myself being called upon to play my bagpipes at funerals regularly. In 2010, I enrolled at the Worsham College of Mortuary Science, and received my funeral director and embalmers license in 2011.  Since then, I’ve been called on by the Schneider Family on a consistent basis, to play my pipes for the families of the greater Janesville area, which has always been an absolute honor for me.  In January of 2018, Bill and Neal Schneider gave me the invitation to serve the Janesville community as a director and arranger for the Funeral Home, and I’ve loved it here ever since.  My wife, Katie; and our three boys: Keiran, Ronan, and Malcolm; and even our dog, Mabel, enjoy spending our time outside whenever possible; especially tent camping.  We have a weekend getaway in La Valle, and really look forward to Friday Fish and pull tabs when we get there.  Outside of my time at the funeral home, I am honored to serve as the Duty Piper for Janesville Police Department, and I also enjoy participating in bagpipe competitions in the greater Midwest area and even Canada.  It’s an honor to be in this position to help serve the families of Janesville and provide a well-suited option for the people they love so dearly.

 

Andi Emmel

Funeral Director/Director of Cremation Services
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Andi is a Janesville native, graduating from Craig High School in 1982. He served four years of active duty in the U.S. Army as a helicopter mechanic and later, after earning a Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice through Central Texas College, 20 years as a trooper with the Wisconsin State Patrol, retiring in 2014. He then earned an Associate's Degree in Funeral Service in 2015, through Milwaukee Area Technical College. He has been employed by Schneider Funeral Home since 2006; full time since 2015. He has two wonderful children, Aaron and Lindsay, and enjoys boating and traveling.

Kristina Meserole

Licensed Funeral Director
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Kristina is originally from Baraboo but has been in the Janesville area since 2016. She graduated from Worsham College of Mortuary Science in January 2022. She completed her apprenticeship with Schneider Funeral Home and will continue to serve the Janesville community as a Licensed Funeral Director. Kristina has a passion for people and takes pride in the work she does here at Schneider Funeral Home.  When she isn’t at work, Kristina can be found spending time with her family, which consists of her husband, Andrew; their three kiddos: Isla, Emma, and Charles; and two chihuahuas, Tinka and Haddie Mae. She and her family enjoy spending time outdoors. They love nature walks, fishing, and animals. 

Ju-Leah Wendtland

Funeral Apprentice
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Ju-Leah is originally from Brodhead, but has been a resident of the Janesville community for the past few years. After graduation from high school in 2011, she became a Certified Nursing Assistant and worked at various nursing homes for 10 years before becoming an Apprentice Funeral Director for Schneider Funeral Home in 2020. Ju-Leah started Mortuary School in May of 2021 to become a Licensed Funeral Director, and is looking forward to a life-long career in Mortuary Science. She has always had a passion for helping and caring for people. Ju-Leah is very excited to see what life has to offer, and where her journey will take her. She plans to eventually travel all over the United States and visit every city on her bucket list. Ju-Leah is a motivated, kind, happy person, and is always willing to jump in and help in any way she can. 

Nicole Sowatzke

Funeral Director Apprentice
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Nicole has been with the Schneider Family since January of 2022 as an Apprentice.  She is currently enrolled at Milwaukee Area Technical College studying Mortuary Science. She grew up in Beloit and has resided in Janesville for the last 10 years.  Before working here, Nicole was a hospice CNA. She is married to Daniel and they are a blended family with 3 children: Genevieve, Xander, and Brayden. In her spare time, Nicole likes to craft, travel, go for walks with her dogs: Jake, Sarah, Apollo, and Maverick, and hang out with her children and grandson, Westen.