Some people pursue the family business because it was there and their family expects them to. Then there is Wayne McWilliams, even though his father, mother and brother were all funeral directors Wayne followed his heart into the profession. He learned that it was really his calling but that is getting ahead of the story.
Wayne grew up in Rogers City, Michigan the next to youngest of 5 siblings. His youth was spent helping in the flower shop his family owned in addition to the family funeral home. After graduating from Rogers City High it was on to Michigan State University where he received a BA in Business Administration, after his undergraduate degree the next stop was California College of Mortuary Science where Wayne graduated with honors, a 4.0 and perfect attendance.
Wayne returned to the family business to help his mother, his father having died at an early age in an auto accident in 1970. Wayne learned early that he really enjoyed funeral service that it just wasn’t the family business and having lost his father early in life taught him a valuable lesson of funeral directing that he maintains to this very day. The lesson is every family should be treated the way he would want to be treated at a time of loss; treated with compassion without pressure but with empathy and a guiding hand. Funeral service that can only be delivered by someone who has walked in the shoes of a grieving family.
In 1985 Wayne’s family sold their funeral home and Wayne decided to complete a course of study at the New England Culinary Institute, following culinary school he worked for Marriott in Washington DC and part time for a funeral home in Alexandria, Va. Then on to Roanoke VA where he worked for a funeral home for 6 years. But as life works so many times, he came full circle returning to Michigan, Alpena specifically, in 1994. It was that year he bought a donut shop eventually expanding it into a full line bakery and café all the time working part time on a contract basis for area funeral homes. During these times away from funeral service Wayne realized how good a funeral director he was and that he missed the work, so in 1998 he accepted a manager’s position for Wacterhauser Funeral Home in Alpena, in 2004. He eventually bought it from a large corporation that had not managed the facility well. But it was just the opportunity and challenge Wayne was looking for. The ability to restore the luster back not only to the facility but to the quality of funeral service that only someone with passion could accomplish. In just 5 years Wayne with the help of his wife Karen he has seen the funeral home double the number of families they serve. Their dedication, sweat and passion have established the McWilliams funeral home as a leader in the community.
Wayne resides in Alpena with his wife Karen and therapy dog Emma a golden retriever, 3 children and 6 grandchildren also live in the area. In his spare time you will find him baking, cooking, watching sports on TV and reading. Wayne sees the Life Stories as another addition to the family friendly, homey atmosphere he and Karen have created at the funeral home.
The third of four children Karen Ann Kendziorski was born in Flint, Michigan and spent her formative years there, moving to Rogers City, Michigan when she was 13. Her early years were filled with sports, crafts and helping people. Rogers City changed her life on a number of different fronts, new school, new friends, and the country versus the city. But the greatest life changing event was meeting Wayne McWilliams, in 1971 they started dating and it was the start of a life of sharing and serving together, people who were experiencing a loss.
Karen always loved helping people and Wayne’s career as a funeral director was the perfect backdrop and channel for the skills that came natural to her. Supporting those in grief and supporting her husband as he dealt with the pressures of owning and operating a business along with the duty of guiding people through loss.
2004 was the year Karen and Wayne’s partnership experienced its full potential as they purchased the Wacterhauser Funeral Home. The firm had fallen on hard times but in just 5 years they have returned the facility to full potential, creating an atmosphere much like the homes of the people they serve; a safe place to laugh and cry and to say good bye to a family member.
Karen takes her care for people outside the walls of the funeral when she is volunteering for the American Cancer Society, Relay for Life or giving grief related seminars to help those struggling with loss and trying to put their life back together.
Karen lives with her husband Wayne in Alpena and with their Therapy dog, Emma. When not at the funeral home you will find her sharing time with her 3 children and their families that have given the McWilliams family 6 wonderful grandchildren.
Some people are born into a career in funeral service and some discover it on their own. Jeff Faircloth found it by love and marriage—so to speak. Jeff lived in a lot of different places growing up. He was a ‘Navy brat’ as he tells it, meaning he and his brother and sisters lived in a lot of different places from coast to coast. One of those places was Alpena, MI where he fell in love with Amy Ann McWilliams—whose father is a funeral director.
Funeral directors often need extra help and Wayne McWilliams knew right where to find it. He put Jeff to work on many different occasions doing all the extra things that go into making funerals run smoothly, including many behind the scenes things that must be done in a time period of just two or three days.
Jeff had no experience with funeral service before he met Amy but he learned fast. It wasn’t long before he learned, too, that he found great satisfaction in helping people through one of the most trying times in their lives. Jeff sees his work in funeral service as a calling, a ministry in a way. A ministry full of opportunity to make the all important funeral process as meaningful and as easy and comfortable as possible for people. Down deep, in the depth of his soul, Jeff yearns to do his absolute best to guide people by the grace and direction of God and the love of Jesus Christ.
Jeff is a busy guy right now. He is serving his apprenticeship under Wayne, his father-in-law, and is enrolled at the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service in New York City. Plus he’s a husband and a father. Jeff’s wife, the former Amy Ann McWilliams, is a stay at home mom with their three beautiful daughters, Kayla, Grace, and Annette. Oh, and don’t forget Tucker, their “therapy dog in waiting”. Tucker is the son of Emma, the therapy dog at the funeral home.
Jeff and Amy along with their daughters and Tucker make their home in Alpena. Jeff loves spending time with his family plus he enjoys playing and watching sports. He finds comfort and solace, too, in the time he spends in fellowship and reading God’s Word.
Amy grew up in Roanoke, VA and in Alpena, MI along with her sister and brother. Funeral service and all that it involves is a normal part of life for Amy as she comes by it naturally through her father. Amy studied mostly liberal arts in college but, interestingly enough, also studied sign language. Like Jeff, she values every minute spent with their daughters. She also loves spending time with family and friends and her church group. And she enjoys swimming, whenever she gets the chance.
Together, Jeff and Amy look forward to serving the people of Alpena and surrounding areas during their time of need. They look forward also to using Life Story Network to help families focus on the life that was lived. They know the Lord works through all of us, giving every life a story—an important story that needs to be remembered, learned from, and passed on from generation to generation.
Emma’s life began March, 2003. Karen McWilliams went with her daughter Stacy to help her select a golden retriever puppy for Stacy’s children and as fate would have it they came home with two puppies and Emma would make her home with Wayne and Karen and their Bassett hound Earl. Karen had always intended for Emma to be the therapy dog at the funeral home but Emma didn’t start her ministry at the funeral home until Earl died in late summer of 2009. Today Emma looks forward to going to the funeral home every day. Golden retrievers are the number one choice for therapy dogs and is easy to tell why; Emma intuitively knows when to go to someone in grief and lay her head on their lap, making the rounds until everyone is comforted. Even though Emma won’t complete her certification until the spring of 2009 she already is one of the most remembered staff members at the funeral home.