Ann Roller & Caroline Roller

This month we have two individuals to highlight, Ann Roller and her daughter Caroline Roller who both serve the Antigo community at Strasser-Roller Funeral Home. Both women were exposed to funeral service at a young age and eventually became involved themselves. 

Ann is a second-generation funeral director following in the legacy of her father. As a result of her family owning a funeral home while she was growing up, Ann had funeral service in the back of her mind. After her freshman year of college at UW Madison, and apprenticing with her father, this role felt like a calling to her. She made the transfer to University of Minnesota to pursue her mortuary science degree. Funeral service also coincided with some of her interests such as science and caregiving. She has been a part of WFDA going on 30 years and loves the valuable resources that are applicable in day-to-day business as well as sharing information and networking among colleagues. In Ann's spare time, she enjoys cooking, taking part in outdoor activities such as biking, kayaking, and downhill skilling, plus traveling with her family.

Similarly, Caroline, a third-generation funeral director, also attended the University of Minnesota. Initially she was unsure what to major in. However, after working at her family-owned funeral home for a summer, she realized this career covers many things she enjoys and completed her mortuary science education. Her favorite part of being a funeral director includes getting to meet and know families. She strives to make sure the family can honor their loved ones and works to create a unique service that fits their individual needs. As far as WFDA goes, Caroline finds the resources on the website a large benefit as well as getting to share information and experiences with other funeral directors nearby in district meetings. When she is not at work, Caroline can be found spending time with her friends, family, including her dog and husband, and baking.

Overall, both Ann and Caroline continue to work at their family-owned funeral home in Antigo because they enjoy getting to serve people in their community as well as honor the individuals who came before them. They are grateful and honored to be a part of funeral service together.