Meet Our Directors

Kevin R. Satre licensed funeral director and owner   Kevin is from Winthrop, Minnesota. He graduated from Winthrop High School and attended Mankato State University. It was in Mankato where he was introduced to funeral service. While at Mankato State he worked as a night attendant for Johnson-Boman Funeral home under the direction of Larry Essen and John Rothfork. Essen and Rothfork were very helpful in giving the experience to Kevin to know this would be his chosen profession. Kevin worked in the Twin Cities at two funeral homes, Gearty–Delmore Funeral Home and Kozlak Funeral Home while attending the University of Minnesota. He is a 1989 graduate of the University of Minnesota. Following graduation Kevin accepted a funeral director position will the Clasen–Jordan Funeral Home in Austin, Minnesota. While working in Austin Kevin was married to Gayla Glemming in 1991. In 1992, Larry Essen and John Rothfork offered Kevin and Gayla a position with Mankato Mortuary. Kevin and his wife Gayla became partners in Mankato Mortuary in 1998. In 2005, Kevin and Gayla purchased John Rothfork’s stock after his retirement. Kevin and Gayla expanded the business in January of 2006 through a merger with Tom Vertin and now own and operate five funeral homes under the name of Mankato Area Funeral Homes.   Kevin and Gayla have two daughters, Jayne and Abby. They are members of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Mankato. Kevin is a Kiwanis member of and on the community advisory board of the Mankato Lutheran Home.

Gayla D. Satre licensed funeral director, owner, preplanning consultant Gayla is from Tower City, North Dakota, graduated in 1984 from Maple Valley High School in Tower City, attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks for four years and transferred to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in 1988. Gayla received her Mortuary Science degree from the U of M in 1989. She was employed during her internship with Peterson-Olson Funeral Home in St. Paul and White Bear Lake and later moved to Austin, MN, where she was employed for two years with Mayer Funeral Home.   In October 1991, she married Kevin Satre while living in Austin. They moved to Mankato in 1992 and have been actively involved in the Mankato area. Kevin and Gayla have had ownership involvement since 1998 and recently added Olson-Tichenor Funeral Home in Mapleton, Landkamer-Johnson-Boman Funeral Home in Mankato, St. Peter Funeral Home - Klein Chapel in St. Peter and commercial property in North Mankato to their business. As President and an owner of Mankato Area Funeral Homes and its five locations, Gayla is involved with all aspects of the funeral industry as a licensed MN mortician and funeral director, a certified pre-planning consultant, and a MN licensed insurance agent. Being active in the community, a member of Christ the King Lutheran Church and the Mankato Rotary Club, she finds much of her spare time spent with their two daughters, Jayne and Abby.

John “Jack” Schroeder licensed funeral director   Jack is a 1988 graduate of Hutchinson High School, Hutchinson, MN.  Jack received a B.S. Degree in Biology from Mankato State University in 1993 and a B.S. Degree in Mortuary Science from the University of Minnesota in 1995.  He was employed with funeral homes in Little Falls and Hutchinson before joining the staff at Mankato Mortuary in October of 2000.

Joseph NL Owens licensed funeral director  Joseph Owens is a Lake Crystal area native. He graduated from Lake Crystal Welcome Memorial High School. He attended Mankato State University and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mortuary Science. Joe joined Mankato and Lake Crystal Mortuaries as an apprentice and became a licensed funeral director in 2000. Joe enjoys music, theater, the arts, and mechanical musical instruments.

Jeff Toomer licensed funeral director

Zachary Quale intern funeral director Zach is from New London, Minnesota.  He graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2005.  After choosing to pursue a career in funeral service, he attended the University of Minnesota, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Mortuary Science in 2009.  He joins Mankato Mortuary as an intern while he completes his licensure.  Zach and his wife Amy enjoy playing  music, being on the lake, and spending time with their dog, Buckley.

Jennifer Klein Owen licensed funeral director Jennifer is from Murray, Iowa. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Design from Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph, Missouri and a Bachelor of Science degree in Funeral Service from the University of Central Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Jennifer was a licensed funeral director for two years at Bill Eisenhour Funeral Home in Midwest City,  Oklahoma.  In June of 2007, she moved to Mankato, became a MN licensed funeral director, and began her career at Mankato Mortuary.  She is married to Jeff Owen.

Shanna Wood licensed funeral director Shanna was born in Estherville, IA and moved to Mankato in 1992. She graduated from Mankato East High School in 1997. She became interested in a career in funeral service after a career day in high school. She attended Minnesota State University, Mankato and later transferred to the University of Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2002 with a bachelor of science degree in Mortuary Science.   After working a year in a funeral home in the small southwest Minnesota town of Westbrook she was excited for the opportunity to move back to her hometown of Mankato.  Shanna and her husband Brent enjoy spending time with their daughter Audrey, downhill skiing, biking, and camping.  Shanna is a member of the Mankato Area Women of Today.

Blake Combellick licensed funeral director