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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]
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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.
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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]
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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]
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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]
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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]
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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]
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Ryan Parker Funeral Director
