Eden Valley Chamber Business Showcase: Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home

I recently met with Deb Dingmann, CFSP (Certified Funeral Service Practitioner), Funeral Director, Mortician, and part owner of the Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Homes, and also the fourth generation of the Dingmann Family to participate in their family business. Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Homes continue a long tradition of independent, family-owned funeral homes in the communities of St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids, Avon, Becker, Big Lake, Clear Lake, Long Prairie, Princeton, and Eden Valley.

In the late 1800s, when Eden Valley came to be, there was no such thing as a funeral parlor. Wakes were held in the deceased person’s home, and caskets (for funerals) and coffins (for burials) were made by local cabinet-makers. Because of this, hardware store owners also owned funeral homes, often located in the same building. John Ruhland and Henry Schoenecker owned a hardware store together from 1906 to 1920, when Henry Schoenecker took it over (located where the Eden Valley area Library is located today). In 1942 his sons Andrew and Lawrence took over the hardware store. Eventually Lawrence and his wife Fern became licensed funeral directors and were Eden Valley’s morticians (after George Wartman). Fern Schoenecker was the first female licensed mortician in the State of Minnesota, something she was quite proud of. In 1966 it was known as the Schoenecker Harp Funeral Home.

The Dingmann family business history is a long one! In 1904, John Dingmann ran the hardware store in Clear Lake, Minn., and began providing funeral services in 1910 until his death in 1936. His son
F.E. Dingmann ran the hardware store, funeral home, and International Harvester dealership in Clear Lake. In 1940, he -purchased the hardware store and funeral home in Kimball. F.E., Ralph Dingmann, and nephews Phillip, Eugene and Cyril ran their businesses until 1954. In 1960, Ralph owned and operated the hardware store and funeral home in Clear Lake, and F.E. ran the hardware store and funeral home in Kimball. In 1970, Ralph sold the Clear Lake Funeral home to his nephews Doug E. and Phil.
Doug E. became a funeral director/mortician, eventually moved to Sartell and, in 1974, he and his wife Karen purchased the Vesser Funeral Home in Sauk Rapids where he, his wife, and their four children Dan, Deb, Doug and Dawn moved into the funeral home. Doug E. and Karen eventually bought the funeral home in Kimball and, in 1978, after Paul Harp died, his wife sold Schoenecker-Harp Funeral home in Eden Valley to Douglas E. Dingmann, Deb’s father. In the years since then, additional locations have been purchased and numerous family members have joined the family business, including Dan’s son and Deb’s son, making them the fifth generation to join the family business.

When I met Deb at her office at Williams Dingmann in Eden Valley, I told her that I had been fortunate to have lived in Eden Valley for more than 20 years and hadn’t had the occasion to be inside the funeral home before. In fact, it was the first time I’d been in a funeral home for any reason other than to make plans or attend a service. I found it to be very peaceful and truly a lovely space.

I had many questions for Deb, including exactly what schooling is required to be a funeral director and mortician? Deb earned her Bachelor of Science in Mortuary Science from the U of M,
a four-year degree. Classes range from Funeral Home Management, Restorative Arts, to Grief or Bereavement Counseling. Students must complete an apprenticeship with a licensed embalmer or funeral director before graduating. Deb pointed out one improvement in the system, now allowing prospective students to tour funeral homes or have on-site experiences before deciding to spend money for a degree that they may find is not exactly what they had in mind for a career. As you can imagine, it’s probably not for everyone. They do offer tours for various groups, school-age or college classes, hospice groups, etc.

The other question I had to ask: what was it like to live in a funeral home as children? Because all the children in this family grew up in the business, it really made no difference to them. Deb was in first grade when her family moved into the Sauk Rapids Funeral Home; she and her family still reside there today. The most positive aspect of living in the funeral home for Deb and her siblings was special, actually making it easier for the family to spend more time with their father. As you can imagine, a funeral director’s life is busy and doesn’t run on a normal schedule. They can be called out at any time, day or night. Most of the time, there had only been one funeral director running a business. As the years have passed, and the Dingmann family has been able to employ more help and directors, it’s become easier to keep a more reasonable schedule, helping to reduce stress and burnout.

It takes a special person to do something like this for a living. Think about your friends and family, people who you know that work fire and rescue, are EMTs, medical care personnel, anyone in the position of caring for others. Before joining the family business, Deb worked as a Health Information Administrator at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. She decided that wasn’t where she needed to be. She told me the most rewarding part of this career is being able to help people through the most difficult times in their lives.

As with any industry, Deb has seen many changes over the years. In the early years, about 90% of all funerals had caskets, vaults, and burials. Today about 50% are cremation.

As a business in Eden Valley, Williams Dingmann has held an important position in this community. They have been members of the local Chamber for several years, and have recently become more active in local events. James Neppl is their Community Outreach Coordinator, Resident Chaplain and Celebrant (and yes, that’s quite a title). Neppl has been attending Eden Valley Chamber’s Biz-Nest Mingle meetings, whose purpose is to plan Eden Valley events. I’ll be honest, it isn’t always easy to find a way for a funeral home to participate in some events, not like they can offer a “cents off coupon,” or have you pop in for a cup of coffee!

One event we are pleased to offer is a Chamber-sponsored Lunch & Learn on Thursday, Sept. 19. Neppl will be the guest speaker, hosted by Williams Dingmann, with a talk entitled “End of Life and Pre-Planning.” This event will be held at A Maze’n Farmyard on from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event offers a free lunch, and the seminar and is open to the public. The only requirement is that you register the number of attendees by emailing the Chamber at evmnchamber@gmail.com so the caterer can plan accurately for the meal.

While I haven’t attended a service at Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Homes, I have been in other funeral homes, either making arrangements or attending services for loved ones. It is good to be guided through that process by people who are not just trained well to do their jobs, but who are kind and compassionate while they lead you through what is always a difficult time.

Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home

233 State Street N, Eden Valley MN 55329

(320) 453-3608 (24/7/365)

Website: www.williamsdingmann.com

Email: edenvalley@williamsdingmann.com

Business hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on-call 24/7/365