Meet Our Caring Team

Originally from Valley City, ND, Kasie attended Valley City State University and the University of North Dakota, where she studied marketing and forensic pathology. She graduated from mortuary school in 2015 from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, where she was Class President and President of the Student Senate. Kasie worked as a licensed funeral director in York County Pennsylvania for seven years and maintains her licensure in Pennsylvania. She is an Insight Institute Certified Funeral Celebrant, which means she is able to create and officiate uniquely personalized and meaningful services for families. In addition, Kasie is a Cremation Association of North America Certified Crematory Operator. Kasie is a member of the 2022-2023 NFDA National Emerging Leaders Program and plans to obtain her Iowa Funeral Director Licensure and Certified Funeral Service Practitioner certification.

Kasie enjoys traveling and trying new foods. She has visited nearly thirty different countries. Currently, Kasie is learning to play the piano and also aspires to run a marathon. 

Tracy (Murra) Jutting comes to us from Buffalo Center, IA. She graduated high school from there, attended Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Wheeling, IL and returned in 2011 to get back into small town funeral service, where it’s a good thing that everyone knows your name. 

She has enjoyed getting to know the people of Blue Earth and the surrounding communities since starting with the Southern MN group in 2018 and looks forward to many more years to come. She and her husband (Jarvis) enjoy traveling, participating in area cornhole tournaments and home improvement projects. They have two boys, Jaycob & Domenic.

Rena graduated from the University of Minnesota Mortuary Science program in 2018. She is originally from Blue Earth and is excited to return home to serve the families of this community. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, working out and taking annual fishing trips up north.

Royce is a native of Buffalo Center, IA.

He is a 1991 graduate of North Iowa High School in Buffalo Center and a 1993 graduate of Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, IA with a degree in Broadcasting. He started his broadcasting career at KIOW Radio in Forest City, IA when he was a senior in high school. He later joined the staff at KBEW Radio here in Blue Earth in 1993, as 98 Country’s first weekend announcer. He moved into the sales and sports departments in 1994 and remained there until 2001, when he enrolled in the Mortuary Science program at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, IL and graduated from the program in 2003.

Royce worked for Winter Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Buffalo Center starting in 1996, and returned there after graduating from Mortuary school to run their Blue Earth location which opened in 2003, he returned to KBEW in 2005 also in the sales department and as a sports broadcaster, and can still be heard on KBEW.

He is a Minnesota and Iowa licensed funeral director and joined our staff in 2014.

Royce lives in Blue Earth and is single. Royce is a member of his home church, the First Congregational Church in Buffalo Center and enjoys being with family and friends, sports especially the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Minnesota Vikings and traveling.

Cathy grew up on a farm in rural Amboy, her parents taught her the value of working hard and caring for others. She married Myron Kietzer in 1978 and moved to their farm in rural Willow Creek where they have been for 44 years. They were blessed with 4 children who are all close in the area. Cathy just retired as secretary of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Willow Creek after 30 years. She and her husband are also the custodians at church. They have 10 grandchildren now, and more coming! She and Myron have been farmers all their lives, but have retired from that now and their son is currently farming the ground. 

She began helping families in funeral service in 2005 at Zaharia Funeral Home in Truman. She works as the office manager at Spencer Owen in Winnebago and Zaharia in Truman. Helping families through one of the most difficult times in their lives should always be done with respect and dignity she feels. “I’m here to help families any way I can.”

She enjoys mowing lawn, vegetable and flower gardening, canning, camping with friends and family, house projects and traveling. She loves spending time with family and attending many of her grandchildren’s events. 

Andrew Schwarz joined Zaharia Family Funeral and Cremation Service as an Advance Funeral Planner in January of 2022. He grew up and graduated from Charles City, Iowa, and later moved to Des Moines, Iowa where he spent several years working in the mortgage industry. He completed his MBA at the University of Phoenix and taught classes as an adjunct college instructor for four years. In June of 2012, he moved to Albert Lea and has lived and worked there since.

Andrew and his wife, Corissa, were married in October of 2018. Together, they have four adult children. One of Andrew’s favorite pastimes is searching for antiques at various estate sales and auctions. He is an avid collector of several types of antiques, including a large collection of old books, cameras, tobacco tins, and antique commercial trade cards. He also enjoys spending time on walks and bike rides with his wife along the many beautiful nature trails and lakes. You’ll often find him fishing on Fountain Lake and gardening in his spare time.

Allison Johnston is from Northrop MN, she has a beautiful daughter named Norah. Allison graduated from Fairmont Jr Sr Highschool in 2017 and attended Minnesota West Technical College gaining an Associates degree in Liberal Arts, she is moving forth with her education to complete the Mortuary Science Program at (DMACC) in Des Moines, Iowa to become a Funeral Director. Allison is honored to help the communities she serves, to give families the best support and help they need. In her free time, Allison loves spending time with her little girl and family/ friends. She also enjoys boating, shopping, circuiting and softball!