STAFF DIRECTORY
Once you request the services of Max A. Sass & Sons Funeral Home, we will immediately put our experienced funeral professionals to work for you. A single, dedicated individual will stay in contact with you every step of the way and guide you through the decision-making process. He or she will carefully explain your options, make recommendations at your request, take care of all the small details, and ensure that you and your family's personal touch is always present.
Our staff is composed of funeral directors and support staff.
James A. Sass
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Position: President & oversee operations at all four locations
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Education: Attended St. Alexander Grade School, Don Bosco High School, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Graduate of Wisconsin Institute of Mortuary Science
Length of Employment: Began working at the funeral home 46 years ago.
Community Involvement: President of the Milwaukee Society of the P.N.A., Member of the city of Franklin Fire and Police Commission, South Side Business Club, 3rd Degree Knight of Columbus, 4th degree Bishop Henni Council, Member and Past President of the Greenfield Lions Club, Member and Past President of the Milwaukee Funeral Director Association, Past Chairman of the Board the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Examining Board, Chairman of the Board of Lincoln Savings Bank, President of Lincoln State Bank, Member of the Board of Merchants and Manufacturers Bank Corp., Past Chairman of the Board of St. Francis Hospital, Board Member of Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Volunteer Special Olympics, Awards, South Side Business Man of the Year, Polish American of the Year, Recipient of the Melvin Jones Award (the Highest award a Lion can attain), helped found the Compassionate Friends - Milwaukee Chapter, and is also a Member of St. Anne Intragenerational.
Hobbies/Interests/Personal: Married to Susie, with three children, Steven, Tami, and Kimberly. We love spending as much time with and enjoying our five grandchildren, golfing and fishing.
 Steven J. Sass
Position: Funeral Director
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 Michael Kremski
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Position: Funeral Director
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I was born at St. Francis Hospital on Milwaukee’s south side to Marv and Judy Kremski (nee Sass). My family were established business owner’s, with my grandfather Myron operating a tavern on 20th and Oklahoma, my grandmother Hilde owning and operating a card store and my mother’s parents owning Max A. Sass & Sons Funeral Home. I attended Blessed Sacrament, St. Mary Hales Corners and St. Alphonsus grade schools and St. Thomas More High School. I went on to attain a degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and my funeral service degree from the Milwaukee Area Technical College. I joined the firm in 1988 as an apprentice, was licensed in 1992 and have tried my best to continue our family’s commitment to service ever since.
I was married in 2000 to Amy Beining. We started a family and have three children, Caroline, Katherine and William. We live in Franklin and enjoy being part of the vibrant and growing community. We belong to St. Martin of Tours Church, are active in many community activities and enjoy a wide range of outdoor events as a family.
I am a member of the Franklin Lions, the Kiwanis Club, Southside Business Club, served as subdivision president and on the finance committee at St. Martin of Tours. Community service has always been a hallmark of our family and I serve on the Boards of the Franklin Educational Foundation and Franklin Youth Football.
I pride myself in helping families to arrange funerals that are meaningful and personal to them. I want the families I have the privilege of serving to feel that they having honored their family member in exactly the way that was appropriate to them to not just follow the “same old format”. I think in the past, some of the emphasis was taken off the person who had died and place on the ritual itself. Today people are doing an excellent job of blending meaningful rituals with personalization.
Marlowe Larsen
Position: Funeral Director/Manager
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Qualification/Experience: Licensed Funeral Director for 31 years
Education: Associate Degree in Funeral Service MATC
Length of Employment: Since 1985
Community Involvement: Member of St. Lukes Lutheran Church Greendale, WI. Member of Voices of St. Lukes. Mmber of Muskego Area Chamber of Commerce.
Hobbies/Interests/Personal: I was born in Luck, Wisconsin in 1955, and the youngest of three children. I grew up on a dairy farm which my parents owned in Luck. Having grown up on a dairy farm I am not afraid of work because on a farm the hours are long and the work does not stop on the weekend or at 5 pm. I attended a small school in Luck, which housed first grade through 12th in the same building. Upon graduating from High School I joined the U.S. Army and served three years of active duty and three years of inactive duty. I served two of those years in Okinawa, Japan as a Morse Intercept Specialist with a Top Secret Clearance. After serving my active duty time in the U.S. Army I came home and worked for a short time in a plastics factory in the Luck area. I then decided with the help of my father, who was the sexton of the local church cemetery to go in the field of funeral service. I served my year of apprenticeship at a small funeral home in Glenwood City, WI working alongside the owner of the business. After my apprenticeship was over I enrolled in the Funeral Service Program at M.A.T.C in Milwaukee. While I was going to school I worked full time at Rexnord Plastics Division. I would go to school during the day and work second shift at the factory to support myself. I also would work once in a while at a Funeral Home on the weekends to further my experience in the field of Funeral Service. I began working at Max A. Sass & Sons Funeral Homes on December 1, 1985 and have been with the firm since then. I have two adult daughters which are both married and one grandson. I try to spend as much time with family as possible because that is very important to me. Family is a very important part of anyone’s life and we only have one chance at it so we need to make the best memories we can while we can. As a funeral director at Max A. Sass & Sons Funeral Homes I strive to help every family through the most difficult time of their life to be able to memorialize their loved one in their own unique way.
 Steven J. Sanders
Position: Licensed Funeral Director and Office Manager
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Qualification/Experience: 35 years as a licensed Funeral Director
Education: Liberal Arts education at University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Associate degree in funeral services from Milwaukee Area Technical College (1979)
Length of Employment: Joined the Max A. Sass & Sons Funeral Home in July of 1988.
Community Involvement: Active member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Milwaukee where I sing in the adult choir, member of ASPCA, World Wildlife Fund, the Humane Society, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Ocean Conservancy, Wisconsin Historical Soc., Milwaukee County Historical Soc., Milwaukee Art Museum, Amnesty International, Sherman Park Community Assoc.
Hobbies/Interests/Personal: Gardening, traveling, exercise, proud owner of three naughty dogs, Tipper, Parker and Baxter.
Andrew Stiller
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Position: Funeral Director/Embalmer
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Education:1994 graduate of Milwaukee Area Technical College
Experience: Funeral Director/Embalmer for 14 years.
Community Involvement: Lifelong member of Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church.
Hobbies/Interests/Personal: Enjoys time with family and friends and working around the house.
Eliott Derocher
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I was born in Milwaukee in 1948 and the eldest of eight children by 1962. I attended Holy Redeemer Catholic grade school, Washington High School and MATC, for its mortuary science school, all located in Milwaukee. I was in the U. S. Navy before mortuary school, from 1967 until 1971, involved in the Vietnam Conflict. Later, I worked four years at "Western Electric" before deciding on this profession. I obtained my funeral director and embalmer licenses in 1979.
I own a home in Menomonee Falls and have been married 37 years. We have four adult children and six grandchildren. That is an awful lot of birthday celebrations, anniversaries, religious and school functions, doctor visits and, just general bonding with newborns, to keep me busy when not here on the premises.
Currently at Max A. Sass & Sons, I operate our crematory with one other director on our staff. I also work visitation detail assignments; interacting with families that have come to our funeral home because of a death in the family, or of a personal friend. Because of the experience I bring to the firm, I assist other directors on staff. That is, attempting to enhance that particular funeral service by attending to the needs of the family, who placed their trust into our hands in the first place.
Our funeral home has four locations, as you know. The directors, licensed apprentices and support staff, form a work force located in various neighborhoods. We involve ourselves with churches, cemeteries, funeral merchandise suppliers and others who are, even indirectly, involved in our profession. Of equal importance, we are in tune with our families' 'guests' who have come to our funeral homes to pay homage to a deceased member of the community. We supply the place and comfort. We supply the amenities. We supply the trust, because, this is most important to the Sass philosophy.
Joe Corrao
Position: Funeral Director/Embalmer
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Qualification/Experience: In Funeral Service since 2004
Education: Associate Degree in Accounting (Stratton College 1996), Associate Degree in Funeral Service (M.A.T.C. 2006)
Length of Employment: Joined Max A. Sass in February 2008
Hobbies/Interests/Personal: I am married to Liz, with no children. Interests include reading, watching baseball (Brewers) and gardening.
Gregory J. Fischer
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Position: Licensed Funeral Director
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Education: St Matthias Grade School, Graduate of Nathan Hale High School in West Allis and a 1990 graduate of the mortuary science program at MATC.
Experience: The last 23 years I've guided thousands of families in the planning of meaningful services, from memorial services and traditional services, to pay tribute and celebrate the lives of their loved ones.
Personal: I enjoy spending time with my Family, working around the house, motorcycling, camping, fishing and hiking with my family. I am member of St Alphonsus Church and the Patriot Guard Riders, a group of motorcycle enthusiasts, paying tribute and honoring those who served in the military with motorcycle escorts.
Lori Catherine Schultz
Position: Secretary
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Education: Dominican High School
Length of Employment: joined Max A. Sass & Sons Funeral Homes in 1999.
Community Involvement: Active Member at St. Paul Catholic Church. Volunteer at the Milw. Humane Society. Member of Chute Pond Snowmobilers Club, and the Dusty Trails ATV Club.
Hobbies/Interests/Personal: My husband (Tim) and I enjoy our 2 dogs and our cat. We are avid snowmobilers, ATVers, and all around out doors people. I like to work in my garden all spring, summer and fall. During the winter months I crochet and scrapbook.
Tom Kaminski
Position: Community Relations Director
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Education: St. Stans, Don Bosco, U-W
Community Involvement: Milwaukee Braves Historical Assoc Treasurer, St. Anne’s Center, Mendota Club U-W. – Polish National Alliance – Milwaukee Society.
Hobbies/Interests/Personal: Sports and travel. Traveled with Green Bay Packers 33 years, Dallas Cowboys 2 years, St Louis Cards 1 year, Houston Astro’s 1 year, Milwaukee Braves 5 years, Milwaukee Brewers 7 years, and Milwaukee Bucks 6 years.
Kathy Hnilicka
Position: Pre-need Counselor
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Qualification/Experience: Elem. Ed. Teacher, Dir. of early Childhood Programs , Licensed State of WI Life Insurance Agent and State of WI Agent for Burial Agreements.
Education: B.S. Elementary Education and Two Library Science Degrees
Length of Employment: Since 2007
Community Involvement: Had served for 6 yrs on the Bd. of Dir. for the YMCA and YWCA. Chaired the West Sub. YMCA Partner Campaign 6 yrs. – Honored as their Vol. of the year, twice. Honored as Friend of Education by Wauwatosa Public Schools. Served as Pres. Of Wauwatosa Public schools PTAs Council.
Hobbies/Interests/Personal: Mother to 6 sons. Married 30 years. Photography, scrap booking, reading, travel.
Robert Walczak
Position: Public Relations
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Education: Graduate of Marquette University (1957)
Experience: Employed by National Funeral Directors Association for 45 years.
Community Involvement: Member of St. Roman Parish.
Hobbies/Interests/Personal: Married to Marion, with two daughters, Jan and Jill, and three grandchildren. Also on the loist of Marquette's all time great Basketball players.
 Carole Sayer
Position: Public Relations
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Education: I attended Muskego Grade School, Mukwonago High School and Marquette University.
Length of Employment: I have been with Max A. Sass & Sons Funeral Homes since 2001. I assist with visitations at our Westwood Chapel in Muskego.
Community Involvement: I have resided in the Muskego area for most of my life and active in many community activities. I am a member of Hales Corners Lutheran Church.
Hobbies/Interests/Personal: I am the mother of three adult sons and two precious granddaughters, who keep me young at heart. I enjoy arts and crafts, reading, travel and working in my yard gardening. I am known at the funeral home as the “Flower Lady”.
 Robert Kowalski
Position: Funeral Director's Assistant
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Education: Pulaski High School, University of Wisconsin - Madison (1 year)
Length of Employment: Since 2003 Community Involvement: Member of Divine Mercy Parish in South Milwaukee and a Lay Minister for the Parish.
Hobbies/Interests/Personal: Coached Track and Cross Country at Cudahy High School for 13 years. I enjoy golf, biking and cross country skiing. The Boy Scouts of America has had my services as a volunteer Scouter for the last fifty years. I have served my country for six years in the Marine Corps. I am married to my lovely wife Johann, we have two great children and five wonderful grandchildren. I enjoy watching my grandchildren participate in their sporting activities.
 Megan Barwick
I was born and raised in a small town in northern Wisconsin. I graduated from Antigo High School in 2004. I attended the University of Wisconsin Fox Valley and Milwaukee Area Technical College. In 2008, I completed my Associates degree in Mortuary Science. I enjoy community involvement and helping others. In 2009 I went back to school and obtained an EMT license and volunteered for local departments. In my free time I spend time with family, friends and my dog Mazo. My hobbies include volleyball, spending time at our family cabin on Post Lake and traveling. I am grateful to be able to facilitate the ultimate gift to one's family.
 Conrad C. Kaminski
C. Kaminski was born in an apartment above the former Gutowski Funeral Home located at S. 15th and Rogers, to Harriet and Zygmunt Kaminski, who was sports editor for the Nowiny Polskie. He graduated from St. John Kanty, Marquette High and earned a J/A BA degree from UW-Madison. His first job at age 14, while in high school, was at Lincoln State Bank where he performed all sorts of odd jobs after school and weekends for 75 cents an hour. After college he worked in advertising at the West Bend Company, and part time at WBKV FM evenings and weekends. Then he moved to WITI-tv6, as promotion and public relations director. He became a partner in an advertising agency and later operated his own agency. He was one of the founders of Franklin State Bank in 1982. That same year he started the first Polish Fest and managed it for two years. He returned to Lincoln State Bank as president and also served as president of M&M Bancorporation. Interesting items: While at TV6, Conrad went up to the top of the tower to film painters working on it. The 1,078 ft. tower was lighted at the time. A proud Army veteran, Conrad spent 13 months at Eniwetok, the Atomic Energy testing grounds in the Marshall Islands about 10 degrees north of the equator. Conrad is active in a variety of charitable and civic activities, too numerous to mention. He is married to Kathleen and together they have four daughters.
 Michael Hnilicka
Position: Pre-need Counselor
After working in the construction industry for 35 years, I decided to retire from that several years ago. During that career I worked for several general contractors. I also started and operated my own construction company for 5 years. Throughout my career I was fortunate to be able to work on many interesting projects in and around Milwaukee. Highlights include the re-development of the Schlitz Brewery, the Milwaukee Riverwalks, and various projects for Aurora Health Care. Since retiring from that career, I have entered the funeral profession helping people pre-arrange their funerals. I consider it a privilege to help our families. I have been married to my wife Kathy for 35 years and we are blessed with 6 sons. We loved raising our family and have many wonderful memories and traditions but are also enjoying our "empty nest". We enjoy family times, traveling, and of course are big Packer and Brewer fans.
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