Our Staff

Jason N. Haley

Managing Funeral Director

Jason is a 2003, University of Minnesota, Program of Mortuary Science graduate and has worked as a funeral director in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas since that time.

Jason grew up in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin before moving to Bemidji, Minnesota, where he graduated from high school and attended Bemidji State University for three years until transferring to the University of Minnesota.

Jason resides in the Saint Croix Valley area with his wife, Rachel their two children, Logan and Mackenzie, and King Charles Cavalier, Lambeau. In his spare time, Jason enjoys golfing, traveling when he can get away, and spending time with his family. Jason is a member of the Stillwater Lions Club and may be contacted by calling the funeral home.

Telephone: 1-651-439-7770

Email: 

John Locke

Funeral Director

John was born in Fort Bragg, California, 16 minutes after his identical twin brother, James. His family moved a lot, so as a child he lived in Kearsarge, Michigan; Brewster, Massachusetts and finally ended up in Horicon, Wisconsin. John graduated from Horicon High School in 2001 and went on to college at the University of Minnesota. There he was a member of the University of Minnesota Marching Band and various pep-bands playing the tuba.

John graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mortuary Science. Upon graduation he served an internship and started full time employment at Patton-Schad Funeral Homes, in Sauk Center and Melrose, Minnesota. After learning as much as he possibly could from some amazing teachers, in 2006 he accepted a position at Mueller Mortuaries, in St. Paul and White Bear Lake, Minnesota. In 2008 John moved his employment across St. Paul to Holcomb-Henry-Boom-Purcell Funeral Home, St. Paul-Midway and Shoreview, Minnesota. In 2014, John was invited to join the staff at O’Connell Family Funeral Homes and Cremation Services in Hudson, Wisconsin, where he worked until 2023 when he joined Simonet Funeral Home.

John and his wife Jennifer, have a son, Alex, a daughter, Lauren, and a pug named Oreo. When away from work, John enjoys spending time with his family, listening to all types of music, attempting home improvement projects and catching an occasional Gopher football game. His NFL allegiance aligns with his late father’s Detroit Lions. John continues to play the tuba whenever he can with the University of Minnesota Alumni Band and the St. Croix Central Alumni Band and Joyful Brass out of Hammond/Roberts, Wisconsin.

Telephone: 1-651-439-7770

Email: 

Anne (Gelhar) O'Brien

Administrative Assistant

Anne began working for Simonet Funeral Home in April, 2013. She was born and raised in Stillwater and attended St. Croix Catholic and School Stillwater High Schools. She graduated from UMD with a degree in Business Administration. She’s been married to her husband Jim for 30 years, and they reside in Stillwater. They have two children; Dan and Alli. Anne enjoys running, biking, boating, watching hockey and football, and spending time with family and friends. She is active with both St. Michael’s Church and Stillwater’s Relay For Life. Anne may be contacted by calling the funeral home.

Email: 

Dennis Belkey

Funeral Assistant

Dennis joined Simonet Funeral Home in September of 2014. Prior to that he worked for St. Croix Orthopaedics for 22 years as an Orthopaedic PA. He grew up in South Dakota. He attended University of South Dakota in Vermillion, SD and Mount Marty in Yankton, SD. He served in the United States Navy, and the United States Marine Corp, where he was with the Third Marine Division in Vietnam. Hobbies include golf, watching football, and playing with his grandchildren. He is a member of White Eagle Golf Club in Hudson. He is married to Kate (Gelhar), who recently retired from Lakeview Hospital as an RN. Together they have 3 children; Lisa, Jared (Angi), Jeremy and three grandsons; Logan, Easton and Haakon.

Brenda Schultz

Pre-Planning Consultant

I am Brenda Schultz, The Funeral Lady, and after losing my Mom to breast cancer at the young age of 66, I realized the importance of pre-planning. It made it much easier on my family dealing with our loss. We were able to focus our thoughts on her legacy. I learned a lot about my Mom the day of her funeral. We didn’t talk as a family about her arrangements before hand. She did the pre-arranging, knowing how difficult it would be to make those decisions in our grief. The ease of going through the process to celebrate and say our final goodbyes was made noticeable easier knowing her wishes. After that, I knew I wanted to help educate other families on pre-arranging ahead of time to ease their sadness. In helping families talk about and plan their wishes, I have seen reduced stress and grateful families preparing their goodbyes.

I am originally from Chatfield, Minnesota and I have five children and five grandchildren. I have been in the pre-planning field for 9 years. I retired from the Mayo Clinic in 2012 after 25 years of service

I am licensed in the state of Minnesota which allows me to set aside protected funds for your funeral if you wish.

I work with attorneys that understand the laws regarding medical assistance.

I work with many professionals including estate planning attorneys, medical assistance attorneys , financial advisers, county workers, veterans service officers, funeral directors, and cemetery personnel just to name a few.

It is my passion to help others through the planning process so that when it is needed, there is peace of mind for everyone.

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