Our Staff
Our staff is comprised of dedicated and licensed professionals with the experience to answer all your questions regarding our services. Please feel free to contact any of our staff members at any time.
Dana Makepeace
Manager/Licensed Funeral Director
Dana was born and raised in the
small town of Cologne, MN. Since the young age of 7 it has been her dream to
serve families through funeral service. After high school she attended the
University of Minnesota. While attending school she worked for the Anatomy
Bequest Program until she graduated with her Bachelor degree in Mortuary
Science. Throughout the years she has gained invaluable experience in both
large firms and small family owned funeral homes. She also had the privilege of
working for LifeSource Organ & Tissue Donation where she led teams through
donation procurements.
Dana later relocated to Bend,
Oregon where she managed a Funeral Home, Cemetery and Crematory for several
years. After realizing how much she missed family, friends and the comforts of
home, she returned to Minnesota.
Dana has had a passion for
serving families since she was a young child and considers funeral service her
calling in life. She is excited to be working at Miller Funeral Home with a
wonderful team.
Dana resides in Plymouth with her husband, three children
and two dogs. In her free time she enjoys summers at the pool, competing in
triathlons, and spending time with her family and dear friends.
Steven Anderson
Licensed Funeral Director
Steven was raised in Brooklyn Park, and his first job was bagging groceries at Holiday Foods in Fridley. He worked at the Fridley Target until graduating from Park Center High School in 1980.
Steve attended the University of Minnesota in search of a medical degree. While going to college, he worked at Hennepin County Medical Center on an Oncology Unit. This experience helped him understand some of the pain and suffering that individuals endure and the loss that families encounter while struggling with the effects of cancer and death. Because of the life changing experiences he had with these individuals and their family members, Steve changed his educational direction and in 1985, registered for the Mortuary Science Program at the University of Minnesota. After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1987, Steve joined the Miller family and has been with them since that time.
Steve and his wife Monie were married in 1985 and they live on a small hobby farm just north of Anoka. Steve and Monie are very actively involved with their children and with their church.
Our team here works very hard and often times very long, with compassion, sincerity, and integrity, to meet the needs of those who chose to use our home in the disposition of their loved one’s remains.
Meaghan Johnson
Licensed Funeral Director
Meaghan began her career in funeral service with her Papa
during his nights on calls, and helping navigate families in the day at their
family funeral home. She attended
Southern Illinois University to gain her Bachelor’s Degree in Funeral Service
and Mortuary Science in Carbondale, Illinois.
Meaghan eloped with her husband, James in the summer of
2013. In 2013, they moved to Minnesota to
be closer with his family. Meaghan and
James have two children, Addison and Quentin and they live in Plymouth.
Meaghan joined the team at Miller Funeral Home to be a part
of their steadfast and honest efforts to provide heartfelt guidance and service
to their communities. Meaghan looks forward to growing with the Miller team,
while building a strong relationship with the families she aides.
Melanie Parrish
Licensed Funeral Director
Melanie was born in Houston,
Texas. At the age of 13, her family moved to St. Paul, Minnesota to get away
from the heat and be close to family. Melanie always had a strong desire to
help others. As a teenager, she worked for Midway Hospital in St. Paul as a
candy-striper. She also did volunteer work through her church families and
served meals at a local food shelf.
After high school, Melanie attended
the University of Minnesota and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Anthropology with a focus on archaeology and ancient Semitic languages. Melanie
spent a couple of summers working on archaeological digs in the Mediterranean.
Melanie spent the following
years assisting others as a customer service representative. She then went back
to the University of Minnesota and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in
Mortuary Science fulfilling a life-long dream of assisting others at their time
of need.
Melanie has worked for funeral
homes in both rural Minnesota and in the Twin Cities. She considers funeral
service to be her calling in life and sincerely enjoys the opportunity to help
families.
Melanie lives in Fridley with
her husband, Rich, their young son, Joe, and three obnoxious parakeets. She
enjoys reading, studying languages, vegan cooking, and spending time with
family and friends.
Mark Stohlberg
Licensed Funeral Director
Mark was born in Fresno, California to a pastor’s family, and he lived most of his life in the Twin Cities area. Mark attended Minnehaha Academy, North Park College and the University of Minnesota where graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mortuary Science.
Mark has one daughter Gretchen, and her husband Chris; two sons, Devin and Chris; and two grandsons, Aidan and Logan. Mark is an active member of Salem Covenant Church in New Brighton. He enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren, as well as church activities, including singing in the church choir.
Mark Waznik
Certified Crematory Operator
Mark has been a part of the team at Miller Funeral Home since 2007.
After working with Kim for some time, Mark soon found out that he enjoyed contributing to the experience of celebrating the life of people’s loved ones. Creating the “just right” atmosphere is quite rewarding to Mark, knowing that families appreciate the care and consideration they receive.
Mark is present at many of the services and visitations through Miller Funeral Home, and he also helps prepare many of the details beforehand.
Mark and his wife, Holly live in Coon Rapids.
Andrea Karels
Licensed Funeral Director/Pre-Planning Specialist
Andrea graduated from the University of
Minnesota with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mortuary Science in 1996, and she has
worked with grieving families in the Twin Cities since that time. She is
passionate about funeral service, and strives to provide the best of care to
the families she serves. While she is no longer working as a funeral
director serving families after a loss, Andrea is now able to provide
assistance to families looking to plan a meaningful service ahead of time.
Andrea and her family live in White Bear
Lake. She enjoys spending time with family & friends and getting to
Northern Wisconsin to the cabin as often as she can.
Please reach out to
Andrea if you have any questions or if you are looking to plan your funeral.
Holly Waznik
Office Manager
Holly joined the staff in May 2017 as Office Manager at Choice Cremation in Fridley.
Holly is a Registered Nurse, having received her degree at the University of Minnesota in 1983. She retired from a 33 year nursing career in December 2016 and is now enjoying a new work landscape and a change of pace, providing support for a wonderful, hard-working group of co-workers.
Holly and her husband, Mark have a son, a daughter, a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law. They also have two small dogs of their own and their two grand dogs round out their family nicely.
Robert Friis
Support Staff