John Hansen
It's not that he was a 'hard sell,' but it took three people to eventually bring John into the Knights of Columbus.  First to try was Ralph Schwartz, currently Grand Knight of Council 617, who suggested that John think about membership in the Knights.  Not too long after that there was another Knight whose name John can't remember who brought him a Form 100.  But he wasn't quite ready, thinking that his involvement in Allouez Kiwinis, Odd Fellows and Downtown Optimists might already place enough demands on his time.  Then he met Father Al Lis who was enthusiastic about the Knights and pointed out that despite the many activities of the Council, no one is involved in all of them and the expectation is that members take part in a couple of things a year.  John just completed First Degree at our January meeting.

 A native of Green Bay, he attended St. Philip School and Premontre High before going on to UWGB and earning a Degree in Business in 1992.  His dad was president of the Trust Department at M & I Bank, and John got a job at the bank way back in 1985, working through positions of Teller, Courier and Personal Banker to Loan Officer.  But, a series of strokes left his dad pretty ill.  He died in 1994, and that seems to be when God stepped in and suggested a career change.  While dealing with the matters surrounding the funeral, John thought he might like to do that for a living, so he got a part-time job at Schauer & Schumacher Funeral Home. When the time seemed right he enrolled at Worsham College of Mortuary Science, alma mater of fellow Council members John Walczyk and Joe Malcore.  While in training he lived and worked at Weinstein Funeral Home in Illinois, which primarily dealt with Jewish clients.  He worked briefly at Cotter Funeral Home in DePere before returning to Schauer & Schumacher, becoming manager in 1998. 

An average day for him could involve any number of things, from shoveling snow to embalming.  An added challenge is that the business is such that one never knows what's coming.  Though management has the usual headaches that come from dealing with personnel matters and paperwork, he enjoys most of the things he needs to do and especially appreciates meeting people and trying to help them through a very difficult time.  Many times families suffering a loss feel as if their whole world is falling apart and the Funeral Director may provide one stable influence that may help them set things right again.  John's felt a call to help people for quite some time.  An Eagle Scout when he was younger, he carried a desire to assist others into the organizations he's become involved with, and he sees the same opportunities in the Knights.  He feels that too many people in the world today don't seem to have a desire to help one another or give up their time to show that they really care about others.  That could give someone a cynical attitude, or it can lead one to embrace a life of service, and the latter seems to be what happened to John. 

He really enjoyed the outdoors when he was younger and enjoyed hunting and fishing, but somehow falling in love and getting married changed that.  John married his wife Cheryl in 1996 and the nature of the funeral business has made family time very precious, and family activities are a priority for him.  Much of the outdoor life these days is in the back yard with their daughters, MaKayla and Abigail, or tinkering in the garden.  He also like reading history, especially World War II history, an interest he shares with Father Al.  Cheryl operates Better Beginnings, a child care service, from their home.  We welcome John and Cheryl to our family and we look forward to matching his interest in service to some of the activities of the Council.

 February 2003