About Us
The caring and experienced professionals at Divine Mercy Funeral Home are here to support you through this difficult time. We offer a range of personalized services to suit your family’s wishes and requirements. You can count on us to help you plan a personal, lasting tribute to your loved one, and we’ll carefully guide you through the many decisions that must be made during this challenging time. Contact us any time for immediate assistance.
Our Services
Our Staff
Casey Miller
Executive Director
Casey began his career in cemetery and funeral home management in 1982 and has been actively involved with cemetery and funeral management since that time. In addition to his responsibilities at Divine Mercy Funeral Home and Catholic Cemetery in Fort Wayne, Casey is the Executive Director of the Indiana Cemetery Association. Casey has also served as the Chairman of the Indiana State Board of Funeral and Cemetery Service in Indianapolis.
Casey and his wife Gloria have two children, Neal of Chicago and Lauren of Stevenson, WA.
Bill Hopkins
Managing Funeral Director
Bill has worked in the funeral industry for several years in various positions such as support staff/ office administration, crematory operator, pre-need sales, funeral director, and embalmer for several funeral homes in Fort Wayne and the surrounding area. Additionally, he has held management positions with companies outside of the funeral industry prior to entering mortuary school.
He is a graduate of Ivy Tech and Indiana Institute of Technology. Bill is a member of Grace Brethren Church in Fort Wayne.
Michael Johnston
Funeral Director
Michael is a Kendallville, Indiana native and a graduate of East Noble High School. He went on to attend the Mid-America College of Funeral Service in Jeffersonville, Indiana. During his time in Southern Indiana and Louisville, he was appointed by former Gov. Matt Bevin as an Honorable Kentucky Colonel (the highest honor the governor of Kentucky can bestow) for his contributions to the Louisville Community. Michael currently resides in Kendallville with his wife, Leanne, and their dogs, Smokey and Dixie. He is a member of Saint Michael the Archangel Parrish in Waterloo and Knights of Columbus Council 9186. Michael continues to give back to the Kendallville community with his involvement as the Tech Director of Theatre for East Noble High School and as the Tech Director for the Community Learning Center of Kendallville.
Jaclyn Kistler
Funeral Director
Jaclyn Kistler was born and raised in a small town in South Dakota where she grew up in the Catholic faith. She was a member of the South Dakota Army National Guard and served as an Army Medic. Jaclyn received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Dakota in 1996. After college, she was commissioned in the United States Army and served for five years as an officer in the Medical Service Corps. Jaclyn continues to honor her fellow veterans by serving on the Honor Guard at American Legion Post 241. She has over 7 years of experience in the funeral business and completed her degree in Mortuary Science in 2021. Providing dignity and respect for the departed and compassion for the living is her passion and she is committed to serving families in their time of need.
Jaclyn and her husband Robert have lived in Fort Wayne for over 15 years. They have two children, Kaylyn and Nathan.
Richard G. Koschnick
Funeral Director
Dick is an Indianapolis native, who attended Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Ball State University, and Mid-America College of Funeral Service. Receiving his funeral director’s license in 1983, Dick has spent a lifetime in funeral service. He served the Fort Wayne community as a funeral director from 1984 until 2007 and was a member of St. Jude Catholic Church. He then relocated to South Bend but accepted an offer to return to Fort Wayne in February 2023 to join the staff at Divine Mercy, and is proud to be a part of a very professional, compassionate staff and a beautiful facility, who are expanding to meet the growing needs of the families to which they are of service. Outside of the funeral home, Dick enjoys the time spent with family & friends at the lake.
Gary Ousler
Funeral Director
In 1975, Gary graduated from Indiana College of Mortuary Science in Indianapolis, Indiana, with an Associate’s Degree in mortuary science. He went on to receive his Indiana Funeral Directors and Embalmers License in May of 1980. Gary began his funeral career in Rockport, IN where he worked until enlisting in the US Navy. Gary served as an Operations Specialist aboard the aircraft carrier USS Independence CV-62 from 1976 to 1979. He was privileged to be among the elite few Operations Specialists to attend Air Intercept Controller School. Following his service in the Navy, Gary was the Coroner for Jennings County, Indiana.
Gary now lives with his family in Fort Wayne. He is a member of St. Vincent’s Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus, Father Solanus Casey Council # 11276. He enjoys serving the community by helping families at Divine Mercy.
Kent C. Miller
Funeral Director and Pre-Planning Advisor
Kent was born in Elkhart, IN, and moved to Fort Wayne in 1986 to start his career after graduating from Mid-America College of Funeral Service. He was thrilled to join Divine Mercy Funeral Home and Catholic Cemetery in January of 2023. Kent has worked with many funeral homes in the area over his career and feels that working for a not-for-profit funeral home that serves all faiths in the community affordably is the right fit for him. Along with being a licensed funeral director he is also a licensed funeral pre-panning specialist and brings this vast experience to the families he helps during difficult times. Kent has been married to his wife Carol since 1989 and they have 2 sons Kyle (Gabby) and Grant whom they raised in the Leo community. He is also the proud Papa of 4 grandchildren Easton, Halen, Fallon, and Boston. Kent enjoys traveling, poker and euchre nights with friends, and spending time with family. He looks forward to using his passion for serving others to help Divine Mercy Funeral Home.
John Pontius
Funeral Director
John grew up in Blackford County where he acquired over 30 years of experience in the funeral profession working the majority of his years with Glancy Funeral Homes and Genda Funeral Homes. He is a graduate of Mid-America College of Funeral Service in Jeffersonville.
John and his wife Amy have five children, Andrew and wife Allie, Mary, Lauren, Benjamin, and Jenna, two grandsons, Lincoln and Asher, and a granddaughter, Emma. They enjoy camping and spending time with family and friends.
Patrick Sefton
Funeral Director
Patrick E. Sefton has been a licensed funeral director for almost 40 years and has always viewed his profession as an honor to serve
rather than a job. Patrick graduated from Worsham College of Mortuary Science (Chicago, IL) in 1984. Patrick has worked most of his life helping families in Decatur, IN, and the surrounding area as a funeral director.
Patrick resides in Decatur with his wife Susan, and boys Luke, John, and Joshua, who went to his eternal rest at the age of 30 as well as his 3 grandchildren. Pat enjoys spending time with family and the outdoors, most especially fishing trips with his family and friends.
Mary Didier
Sara Hoeffel
Nate Hoeffel
Our Facility
Why Choose Divine Mercy?
Divine Mercy Funeral Home in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is owned and operated by the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese. As a nonprofit ministry of the Church, we perform one of the seven Corporal Works of Mercy: burying the dead and caring for the grieving. Just as Jesus’ body was carefully and reverently prepared for its final placement in the tomb, our Catholic funeral home and cemetery upholds this sacred act of mercy.
Our caring and professional staff will help guide your family in a way that honors the rich traditions and spiritual foundation of your Catholic faith. This includes the traditional Catholic funeral rites, which uphold our faith in the bodily resurrection and offers unique opportunities for remembrance, comfort and expressions of devotion.
