Meet Our Staff
Outstanding Service is Our Priority
The highest level of care starts with the quality staff members who will meet with your family. When you lose someone you love, you need someone who will listen to you and provide a healing and meaningful experience. Our highly qualified staff is ready to assist you throughout this difficult time.
Ashley Hoff-Czaplewski
MN and WI Licensed Funeral Director | Certified Crematory Operator | Certified Funeral Celebrant | Owner
Ashley was born and raised in St. Charles, graduating from St. Charles High School in 2004. She received her degree in mortuary science from the University of MN in 2008.
Ashley is a third generation funeral director, following in the footsteps of her grandpa, dad, and uncle. She says, “I love my job. I truly enjoy helping people through one of the most difficult times in their lives and helping them find creative ways to celebrate and remember the person who died.” Ashley is a licensed funeral director in MN and WI. She is also a certified funeral celebrant and certified crematory operator.
She and her husband, Brandon, live just outside of Winona. They have two children, Brooks and Tessa, who keep them on their toes. Ashley enjoys spending time on the river, hunting, hiking throughout their property, and spending time with family and friends.
Maddie Schmoker
MN and WI Licensed Funeral Director | Certified Crematory Operator | Manager
Maddie grew up in Kellogg, graduating from Wabasha-Kellogg High School in 2017. She went on to study at Iowa Central Community College for two years and earned her Associate of Arts and Associates of Science. She competed in track and field, throwing the shot put, hammer, and weight, and became a 3-time NJCAA All-American.
Maddie then transferred to Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan to earn her bachelor's degree in Mortuary Science, and continued competing in track. She was a member of the Mortuary Science students committee, Sports & Entertainment Business Association, and she held a director position for her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta.
Maddie joined Hoff Funeral Home in 2021 after graduating college. She currently resides in Goodview and is a member of the Goodview Activities Group. She is passionate about serving the communities and helping families find unique ways to memorialize their loved ones. “Each person has a different life story, and when a death occurs it’s my honor to assist in creating a meaningful celebration.”
In her free time, she enjoys snowmobiling, golfing, boating, side by side riding and playing volleyball.
Mara James
MN and WI Licensed Funeral Director | Certified Crematory Operator
Mara grew up in Rochester, MN. She knew she wanted to pursue a career in funeral service since she was in high school. She graduated from the Program of Mortuary Science at the University of Minnesota in 2008. She joined Hoff Funeral Home in March 2023.
Mara and her husband, Bryan, live in Winona. She has 2 step-children, Alex and Brenna. When she’s not at work Mara enjoys working in her home pottery studio, and trying to wear out her rambunctious dogs, Aspen and River. Mara has an eclectic taste for music and goes to concerts whenever she gets the chance. More than anything, she loves spending time with Bryan and the kids at home.
Grace Hartley
MN and WI Licensed Funeral Director | Certified Funeral Celebrant
Grace was born and raised in Wisconsin Rapids, WI, graduating from Assumption High School in 2016. She received her degree in mortuary science from the University of MN in 2020. She was the president of the Mortuary Science Student Association, an avid volunteer for Healing Hearts Connection Family Grief Camp, and worked for a trade service funeral home while in school.
Grace was first introduced to funeral service as a young child, when attending Hearts of Hope Grief Camp. That experience ignited a true passion for helping families during their most difficult days after a death.
In her free time, Grace enjoys being out on the river, fishing, kayaking, and spending time with family and friends. Her love of the outdoors comes from her first job with the Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes. She spent 6 summers working at a girl scout camp in Irma, WI, and was a Girl Scout for 17 years.
Grace moved to Winona and joined the Hoff team in October 2023. She currently lives in La Crescent with her fiancée, Eric; and two cats, William and Albert.
Kristi Meyer
MN and WI Licensed Funeral Director
Kristi was born and raised on a dairy farm near Lake City and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1988. She went on to study at MATC in West Allis, WI where she earned her Associates Degree in Science, Funeral Service. She acquired her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Augsburg University and is an Academic Behavior Specialist for children ages K-12.
Along with her passion for children with disabilities, she has been serving families at funeral homes in MN and WI since 1993. In April of 2024 she joined the staff at Hoff Funeral Homes full-time and will be serving all of their communities, making her home in Chatfield. Kristi has three children (Cale (Jordyn), Annie and Lauren) and is a proud grandma to Lennon and Logan. In her free time, Kristi finds joy in a kayak on the river, spending time with her children and cooking. "It was time to choose one career path that will take me into retirement and Hoff Funeral Homes was the perfect choice for me"
Brandy Merkel
MN Funeral Director Intern | WI Funeral Director Apprentice
Brandy was raised and still resides in Rochester with her two cats (Lenore and Squeaky Pete), her dog (Violet) and her significant other, Derrick. She worked at Mayo for 20 years before pursuing a degree in Mortuary Science. She graduated from DMACC on August 1st, 2024 and is now a licensed Minnesota Funeral Director Intern. Her hobbies are fishing, bird watching and taking Violet for walks. She is planning on moving her family to Rushford to be closer to the funeral home. She looks forward to getting involved in the community and exploring the area with Violet and Derrick.
Lisa Hawkinson
Preplanning Specialist
Lisa is from the small town of Elysian, Minnesota, and moved to Winona to attend Winona State University, where she received a degree in Social Work. She has remained in Winona where she and her husband, Matt, have raised their three children. After spending eighteen years driving her kids around and volunteering in their activities, it was time to channel her energy elsewhere.
She joined the Hoff staff in December of 2018 as a Preplanning Specialist, helping people plan their funerals in advance. She enjoys meeting new people each day and listening to their life stories. Although death isn’t an easy topic to talk about or to plan for, people are relieved once they have planned because it helps ease the stress for the family. One of the most rewarding parts of her day is making people feel at ease knowing they have their final wishes planned and financially taken care of.
In her spare time, Lisa enjoys spending time with her family and friends, volunteering, being outdoors, reading books, and doing puzzles.
Hannah Schultz
Office Manager - Winona/Goodview Office
Hannah (Schneekloth) Schultz grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is a 2010 graduate of Jefferson High School. She went on to obtain her English Education degree in 2014 from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. She started working at Hy-Vee, and it was there that she met her husband, Christopher Schultz. They began their retail career in Cedar Falls. In 2015, they moved to Rochester, Minnesota, working together at the new Hy-Vee store.
Hannah eventually decided to change careers in 2019 and pursued working in the office at a funeral home in Rochester. She quickly fell in love with her role as office administrator, helping families through their loss and grief. They moved to Winona, Minnesota in 2020, and Hannah joined the Hoff team in 2023.
Outside of work, Hannah enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, going to movies, and crafting with her Silhouette Cameo. In the warmer months, you can find her running around the lake in Winona. She has participated in multiple road races, including a half-marathon. Chris and Hannah are always looking for their next place to travel to and spending time with their three animals. Their dog, Luna, and two cats, Mally and BaQi'ra, were all named after Disney and Harry Potter characters.
Laura Rainey
Administrative Assistant - St. Charles Office
Laura was born and raised in St. Charles and graduated from St. Charles High School in 2005. She continued her education at Minnesota State College Southeast Technical in Winona, earning an Associate’s Degree in Massage Therapy.
Outside of work, Laura enjoys being outdoors gardening, golfing, fishing, hiking, and spending time with her family and friends. She’s also a proud dog mom to Jade and Rory, her four-legged best friends who are always by her side.
With deep roots in the community, Laura has built a career centered on giving back to the place that shaped her. Her small-town foundation shines through in everything she does, and she's always ready with a warm, friendly smile.
Tim Hoff
Retired
Tim is a graduate of St. Charles High School and a 1980 graduate of the University of MN, Department of Mortuary Science. He joined his father Lowell in 1983 in the family business. Tim and his wife, Jenny, reside in St. Charles and have four children - Ashley, Alyssa, Danielle, and Tyler. Tim is past president of the MN Funeral Directors Association and the Lewiston Lions Club. He and Jenny are involved in the Healing Hearts Connection, which provides weekend long grief camps to families in Minnesota.
In his spare time, he enjoys spending time at their cabin, attending Gopher football games and spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren - Brooks, Haddie, Tessa, Kate, and Will.
Jenny Hoff
Retired
Jenny wears a variety of hats for Hoff Funeral Homes. Some days, she’s behind the desk managing the offices of the St. Charles and Winona, MN locations. Other days, Jenny might be fulfilling her role as a certified funeral celebrant, where she assists helping families plan unique and memorable services for their loved ones.
Her goal is to always inspire the families Hoff Funeral Homes serves and to celebrate lives in meaningful ways. Jenny contributes to Hoff's mission by helping families understand that while the service is about the person who died, it is truly for the family who is left behind. As Jenny says, “Services help families start to heal and to begin to figure out how to live life without their loved one in it.”
Jenny grew up in New Prague, MN and today calls St. Charles home. Jenny and her husband Tim have four grown children and 4 grandchildren. Being a grandma is her favorite role.
Another hat she wears? Her Minnesota Vikings cap, much to the dismay of her Packer-loving family. Time spent golfing and enjoying their lake home are also at the top of her list. Jenny and Tim are active with the Children’s Grief Connection, a camp for families who have lost someone special.
Gary Hoff
Retired
Gary is a 1981 graduate of St. Charles High School in St. Charles, MN. He attended Winona State University in Winona, MN for two years and the University of MN Duluth for one year. He graduated from Worsham College of Mortuary Science in March of 1985. Gary served his year of internship at the Olson-Schwartz Funeral Home in Bemidji, MN. He then worked at Ranfranz Funeral Home in Rochester, MN until 1992, when he moved to Rushford, MN to join the family business, retiring in 2023.
