History & Staff

About Us

Our History

We are an independently owned family funeral home and have been since our beginning in 1890. We are currently the 4th family to own the chapels in both locations. The Wadena Chapel was founded in 1890, and the Bertha Chapel in 1911. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to include the Bielema Funeral Home, it's chapels in Wadena and Verndale, and it's rich history in 2007.

We have a strong commitment to providing the most complete service possible to all the families that we serve. No two individuals are alike, and their funeral/memorial service should reflect that uniqueness.

We Offer:

Traditional and Non-traditional funeral services
Pre-planning and Pre-funding
Non-local services (working with out-of-state funeral homes)
Grief follow up services
Service and Memorial videos
Information on death and dying
Community outreach programs
Services for Veterans

You will find us to be quite active in our communities. Members of our staff are involved with the Lions Club, Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Wadena Area Concert Association, Ringnecks Forevermore, Knob Hill Sportsman Club, Elks Lodge, Meals-On-Wheels, The Bertha Community Club, and Knights of Columbus. We are proud sponsors of area Arts organizations as well as hunting and conservation groups. We strongly support our area Law Enforcement, Fire Departments and Safety organizations.

We are a member of the Minnesota Funeral Directors Association as well as the National Funeral Directors Association, Arrowhead Funeral Directors Association, out-of-state member of the North Dakota Funeral Directors Association, and are proud supporters of the Children's Grief Connection, an organization that works with grieving children and families across the state of Minnesota.

We strive to bring peace and understanding to life’s most difficult transitions. We truly are one family caring for another.