Werner Harmsen Funeral Home
November 5, 2025
Cornerstone Funeral and Cremation Services Joins Werner Harmsen Funeral Home
Merger expands family-owned and operated network of funeral homes.
WAUPUN — Werner Harmsen Funeral Home, based in Waupun, Wis., announced today that Cornerstone Funeral and Cremation Services, with locations in Beaver Dam and Markesan, has joined the family of Werner Harmsen funeral homes.
The merger demonstrates Werner Harmsen’s commitment to preserving local, family-owned and operated funeral homes that provide compassionate care rooted in the communities in which it operates.
“Our founder Mike Werner built the company by providing final arrangement needs for families with an emphasis on trust, dignity and community connections,” explained Tyler Schulz, president and partner of Werner Harmsen. “To honor his legacy, we’re dedicated to maintaining that business model and exceptional level of care. We’re proud to add Cornerstone to our network of family- and community-focused funeral homes and further extend our service into Beaver Dam and Markesan.”
As part of the merger Todd Michael and Taylor Boyd, funeral directors for Cornerstone, and the team of Cornerstone staff, will transition employment to Werner Harmsen and continue to serve existing and new families. Both facilities will maintain the Cornerstone Funeral Home name and the Markesan location will undergo interior facility renovations.
“Today our ownership changes but, because of who we’ve partnered with, there will be no changes in how we serve families,” explained Todd Michael of Cornerstone. “This merger allows Cornerstone to protect what makes it special and ensure continuous care for generations to come. The same familiar faces from Cornerstone will be serving the community and will now be supported by the trusted Werner Harmsen team of funeral directors and staff.”
Mike Werner opened Werner Harmsen Funeral Home and the Werner Harmsen Furniture store in downtown Waupun in 1968. Last spring Werner Harmsen acquired Kratz Smedema Funeral Home in Cambria. Today, 25 employees support the family-run businesses, including partners Schulz and Spencer Beek and funeral directors Wayne Buteyn and Lori McConochie.
Werner Harmsen Funeral Home attends to families from any community within the region but, with the 2024 Kratz Smedema acquisition and 2025 Cornerstone merger, its core service area will expand around Waupun and extend from Lamartine and Oakfield to Burnett and Beaver Dam, Fox Lake and Randolph to Cambria and Friesland, and Markesan to Brandon and Alto.
Individuals or families who had pre arrangements secured with Cornerstone have been contacted via mail to review their plans. If you did not receive a letter or wish to learn more about Werner Harmsen, please call (920) 885-9999 or visit wernerharmsenfuneralhome.com/connect.
Werner Harmsen Funeral Home will host a community open house at the Markesan location when renovations are complete. The open house will allow residents to meet the entire team of Werner Harmsen funeral directors and view the updated interior of the Markesan funeral home location. Open house information will be announced once details are finalized.
To learn more about Werner Harmsen Funeral Home, its history, or the services it provides, please visit wernerharmsenfuneralhome.com.
About Werner Harmsen Funeral Home
Established in 1968 Werner Harmsen Funeral Home provides pre-planning, immediate need, and aftercare services to families planning for—or finding themselves in need of—funeral services. Traditional embalming, cremation, memorial, visitation, graveside and Veteran-specific services, as well as personalized funeral planning, are available through Werner Harmsen Funeral Home with locations in Beaver Dam, Cambria, Markesan and Waupun, Wis.
