Our Valued Staff

We have years of experience caring for families, from all walks of life. Each family comes to us because they know we are leaders in our profession, dedicated to excellence in service, and have the highest integrity.

  • John A. Evans

    John A. Evans Owner and Funeral Director

    John is a lifelong Porter County resident, born in Valparaiso on January 3, 1950. He has resided all of his life in Chesterton, with the exception of college and two years in the US Army. John is a 1968 graduate of Chesterton High School, has attended Purdue University North Central and is a graduate of the Indiana College of Mortuary Science. He received his embalmer’s license on September 26, 1978 and his funeral director’s license on November 9, 1978, making him a 3rd generation funeral director. In 1986, John purchased the Chesterton funeral home from his uncle, Carl Edmonds, and has since added to the business with the addition of Edmonds & Evans Funeral Home Portage Chapel and Heritage Cemetery & Crematory. John has served Porter County for more than 25 years as former Coroner and Chief Deputy Coroner, was North County Commissioner for 16 years, and President of the Porter County Board of Commissioners for 6 years. He has also served the Town of Chesterton as former Police Commissioner and is a member of several local civic organizations. John and his wife, Laurie Wehner-Evans, reside in Chesterton and have been married for more than 30 years.Email: [email protected]

  • Laurie Wehner-Evans

    Laurie Wehner-Evans

    Laurie is the wife of John Evans and a lifelong resident of Porter County. She is a graduate of Portage High School. She received her Bachelors Degree from Indiana University and her Masters Degree in Nursing from Valparaiso University. She currently serves as Director of Community Relations for Porter Hospital, formerly serving as Director of Emergency Services for Porter Valparaiso Hospital Campus. Laurie is a certified instructor in many areas of nursing and trauma related care. Like her husband, Laurie has been active in her share of Porter County Government, serving as former County Coroner. She is a member of many local and nursing related organizations. Laurie is past president of the Emergency Nurses Association and former Indiana State Director for Emergency Nurses C.A.R.E. (Cancel Alcohol Related Emergencies). In her spare time, Laurie enjoys traveling with her husband.

  • Jennifer Lowry C.P.C.

    Jennifer Lowry C.P.C. General Manager and Funeral Director

    Jennifer graduated from Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana with an Associate’s Degree in Mortuary Science. She is a member of several local organizations and enjoys reading and meeting new people. Jennifer resides in Porter County and has one daughter, Briana and one son, Evan. In addition to her work as a Funeral Director, Jennifer is also a Certified Pre-Need Counselor and has worked with Edmonds & Evans Funeral Homes since 1998.Email: [email protected]

  • Jessica Hawk

    Jessica Hawk Assistant General Manager

    Jessica is a Chesterton High School graduate and attended Indiana University. She is a member of the Duneland Kiwanis. She enjoys spending time at the lake and quality time with her friends and family.

  • Myles Evans

    Myles Evans Funeral Director

    Myles is a life long resident of Chesterton . He has been in and around the funeral, cemetery, and crematory industry his whole life. Myles is a 4th generation Funeral Director. He is a graduate of Chesterton High School class of 2007 and received his Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from Purdue University West Lafayette in 2012. He then received his Mortuary Science Degree from Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science in 2019. Myles is hard working and kind-hearted. He understands that caring and support are needed at such a difficult time. Myles supports the Military and its Veterans. He is a member of the Moose Lodge 1623. Myles has been happily married to his wife Abby for almost 10 years, who is a local elementary educator and Yoga instructor. They live in Chesterton with their 2 fur babies Duncan & Kali, and they spoil them rotten. Myles and Abby often go to sporting events, concerts, and enjoy visiting local and distant breweries. Myles is a big sports fan. He loves the Chicago Black Hawks, Bulls, Bears, and White Sox. Email: [email protected]

  • Jillian Evans

    Jillian Evans Office Manager

    Jillian was born and raised in Chesterton and is a 2005 Chesterton High School graduate. She has been with Edmonds & Evans Funeral Home since 2012. Jillian is very passionate about her job and being able to help families through difficult times. She has three beautiful children, often supporting them in show choir, baseball, and soccer. In her spare time Jillian enjoys going to the beach, concerts and spending time with her family and friends. Email: [email protected]

  • Troy  O'Brien

    Troy O'Brien Funeral Director

    Troy is a lifelong area resident and received his degree in Mortuary Science from Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. In his spare time, he enjoys philosophy, science fiction movies and writing. Troy has worked for Edmonds & Evans Funeral Homes since 2010 and is a Certified Funeral Celebrant. He currently resides in Michigan City with his daughter, Scarlett. Email: [email protected]

  • Jennifer Horton

    Jennifer Horton Funeral Director

    Jennifer is a graduate of Chesterton High School and Ivy Tech Community College with an Associates Degree in Mortuary Science. She is a Certified Cremation Specialist with certifications in crematory operations, arrangements and administration. Jennifer and her husband Craig have 3 children and 3 grandsons who are the apples of their eye. In her spare time, she likes spending time with her family and traveling. Jennifer has worked for Edmonds & Evans since 2015.Email: [email protected]

  • Tyler Jacobs

    Tyler Jacobs Funeral Director

    Tyler is a graduate of Wabash High School (2006) and Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science (2009) with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Mortuary Science. He has been a licensed funeral director and embalmer since 2010. Tyler is also certified in Crematory Operations through the Cremation Association of North America.He and his wife, Brianna, have two children, a dog, and a cat. Tyler and his wife are members of First Church in Hobart. There, he is active on the church greeting team and also enjoys being able to worship on the praise team. Tyler enjoys going on vacations and traveling with his family, going to sporting events, and supporting his children in their extracurricular activities that they participate in. He is an avid fan of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Indianapolis Colts (being from Central Indiana), and Chicago White Sox.Email: [email protected]

  • Craig Morris

    Craig Morris Funeral Director

    Craig received his Associate’s Degree in Mortuary Science from Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. While attending college, he was the recipient of the Chancellor’s Scholarship, the National Coca-Cola Foundation Scholarship and the Tri-Gard Vault Scholarship. He was also the recipient of the Embalming Scholastic Award. Craig has worked for Edmonds & Evans Funeral Homes since 2005. He is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa fraternity. Craig, his wife, Linda of more than 25 years, and their son, Patrick, reside in Michigan City. He is the father of five adopted children. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, growing orchids, and traveling with his family.Email: [email protected]

  • Ron Reed

    Ron Reed Funeral Director

    Ron is a graduate of Portage High School, as well as Worsham College of Mortuary Science, and has received his Paramedic license from Methodist Hospital. Ron has been a Funeral Director since 1970, and at Edmonds & Evans Funeral Home, he enjoys helping family members and being a part of the team. When he is not assisting many Funeral Homes where he can, he likes to spend his free time camping, boating, traveling, and cooking steaks outside on his grill.

  • Emily M. Dominguez

    Emily M. Dominguez Funeral Director

    Emily is a graduate of Nativity of Our Savior Catholic School (2008) and Portage High School (2012). She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Ball State University (2016) and then an Associate’s Degree from Worsham College of Mortuary Science (2017). Emily was awarded the Jack Adams Award for proficiency in Restorative Arts and has been a licensed funeral director since 2018. She is a member of Nativity of Our Savior Catholic Church in Portage.Emily lives in Westville with her fiancé, Ian Metcalf, and little cat, Egg. She is very creative and enjoys crochet, painting, and crafting. Emily and Ian love to ride bikes and kayak and are big fans of card games, especially Euchre.

  • Jerica Burts

    Jerica Burts Administrative Assistant

    Jerica was born and raised in Northwest Indiana. She is married with 5 children and enjoys traveling, hosting family gatherings, and cooking. She has been with the funeral Home since 2022 and comes from a background in customer service management. Jerica takes pride in and is honored to assist families in their time of need.

  • Amy Saunders

    Amy Saunders Administrative Assistant

    Amy was born and raised in Chesterton and is a graduate of Chesterton High School. She holds a bachelor of science degree in education from Eastern Illinois University. Amy was a middle school teacher in Portage for 16 years. She has fostered children for 11 years and has 2 that she has adopted. She also has 4 children of her own. Amy loves spending time with her 3 grandchildren. She also like to sew and cook. Amy is always an ear to the families we serve and has a passion for helping them to heal through the grieving process.

  • John Peterson

    John Peterson Service Assistant

    John originally hails from South Haven, MI, but has been a Portage resident for the past 15 years. He is an active member of the Portage Kiwanis and Portage Chamber of Commerce, serving on the board of directors. Prior to retirement, John worked in the financial industry for 40 years. He is a proud United States Navy veteran, serving during the Vietnam War. John was stationed in the South Pacific on 3 different destroyers where he specialized in ship-to-ship communications. He is a member of the Portage First United Methodist Church where he is a trustee. John has 4 children and 6 grandchildren. He likes watching his TV shows and movies in his down time.

  • Pete Wolanyk

    Pete Wolanyk Heritage Cemetery & Crematory Superintendent

    Pete has been in his current position with Heritage Cemetery and Crematory since 2015. Being a jack of all trades, he brings a wealth of knowledge to the firm that is very valuable. Pete is a United States Army veteran where he served as a mechanic. In his down time Pete enjoys gaming, building, and most of all, spending time with his son, Hunter.

  • Annie  Coen

    Annie Coen Heritage Cemetery Office Manager

    Annie is a graduate of Chesterton High School. She has a passion for people and strives to help families in memorializing their loved ones in a variety of ways such as monuments and cemetery services. Annie has 3 sons and enjoys spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, and camping.

  • Dave Gill

    Dave Gill Heritage Cemetery Manager

    Dave has been in the cemetery industry for the past 16 years and has been with Heritage Cemetery since 2020. He considers himself a family man and enjoys motorcycles and carpentry in his spare time.

  • Allen Hagan

    Allen Hagan Heritage Cemetery Grounds Keeper

    Allen has been in the cemetery industry for 6 years. He takes pride in his work and keeping the grounds look well-manicured and clean. Allen is an avid fan of art and music and in his spare time he likes to read, watch movies, and spend time with his family.