our staff

Julie, Tory and Josh Krause

Owners

Julie Krause

Owner and Funeral Director

Julie was raised in Hobart and currently lives near downtown Valparaiso with her dog, Lily. She graduated from St. Bridget's grade school and Andrean High School. She continued her education at IU Bloomington and finished her degree in Sociology at IU Northwest. In 2007, she decided to attend Ivy Tech Mortuary School and join her family at Rees Funeral Home. Julie enjoys travel adventures, paddleboarding, and walking her dog nightly in downtown Valpo.

Joshua Krause

Owner and Funeral Director

Josh began with Rees Funeral Home, Hobart Chapel in 1988 washing cars, cleaning and mowing the lawn. He attended St Bridget grade school in Hobart and then Andrean High School, Class of 1993. In 1997 he graduated from Worsham Mortuary College and became a licensed funeral director in 1998. He earned a business degree from Indiana University Northwest in 1999. Josh has lived in Hobart most of his life and loves the community. In 1999 he married Tory Pavese, whom he met while working at the funeral home. Together they have two children, Kenzie and Kynan Krause.

Tory Krause

Embalmer, Cosmetologist, and Funeral Director

Tory landed a job with Rees in 1993, immediately started her internship, and became a licensed Funeral Director in 1994. She was raised in Hobart, the youngest of 5 children, and graduated in 1989. The impact of her father’s death (Jerry Pavese) is what influenced her decision to go to Mortuary School. She met her husband, Josh, while working together at the funeral home, and they have 2 children.

Chrissie Bonick

Manager Olson Chapel, and Funeral Director

I was born and raised in Porter County and I graduated from Portage High School. I have been with Rees since the beginning of my career as a Funeral Director. I started as a student in 2006, and became the manager of the Portage Rees Funeral Home, Olson Chapel in 2012. I'm married and I am a mother of three, I have two grandchildren, three goats, a German Sheppard and a cat.

Michael Peek

Manager Brady Chapel and Funeral Director

Michael “Mike” Peek has either lived in or worked for a Funeral Home since he was five days old. He graduated from Indiana University and the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. He began his career in Funeral Service working part-time in his family's Funeral Home in Wanatah, which he owned and operated for five years before joining the Rees Funeral Home Family in 1995.

Elizabeth Sangster

Funeral Director

Elizabeth Sangster graduated from Andrean High School in 1994. She went to Indiana University, Bloomington where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Germanic Studies with a minor in Dutch. In 2005, she decided to return to school for Mortuary Science to become a funeral director. Elizabeth lives in Hobart with her son Maxwell. They have two very spoiled house cats, Sabbath and Eddie. When she is not at work, you can usually find her at the beach.

Linda Tolliver

Pre-need Counselor

I am Linda Tolliver. I graduated from Hobart High School, have 3 children, and 2 Grandsons. I have been at Rees Funeral Home for 29 years as a Pre-Arrangement Counselor. In that time, I have enjoyed great satisfaction in helping many families relieve their families of the burden of making final funeral arrangements at a very difficult time.

Pamela Ferguson

Administrative Assistant Hobart Chapel

Pamela Ferguson graduated from Merrillville High School in 1982. Sometime after being out of high school, she attended Sawyer Business School to update herself in business skills and she obtained an Administrative Assistant degree and graduated in 1993. Soon after graduating from Sawyer, she interviewed and accepted a position at Rees Funeral Home and have been with Rees family for over 30 years. She lives in Merrillville, and has a son that lives in Southern California.

Jennifer Kavarie

Administrative Assistant

Jenn graduated from Hobart High School, where she met her husband. Together, they have raised two children. In her spare time, she likes to read, relax at home with her boxer dogs, and watch sunsets from her front porch. She started working for Rees in 2021 as an administrative assistant where she enjoys helping our families during their difficult time.

Belinda Metzger

Administrative Assistant Hobart Chapel

Belinda is a transplant from California and Arizona. In her spare time, she enjoys watching Chicago White Sox baseball, Detroit Lions football, baking, and grilling. She also enjoys volunteering at The Hobart Moose Lodge. She started at Rees Funeral Home in 2005 as an Administrative Assistant. She enjoys working with families and the community.

Evelyn LeCounte

Administrative Assistant Olson Chapel

Evelyn has lived in Hobart her whole life. She graduated from Hobart High School in 1982. In 1986, she married her husband, David. They like to travel when they can to the beach and to Disney World. She has four sisters and every year they try to do a sister trip, affectionately known as "Sister Fest"! In the summer you will find her on her deck reading and enjoying the warm weather.

Nikki Fattore

Administrative Assistant Olson Chapel

Hello, I am Nikki Fattore. I've lived in Hobart all my life, along with my husband Brian and two sons, Luke and Zack. I enjoy spending time with my family and taking nature walks.

Barbara Glutting

Administrative Assistant Brady Chapel

Barbara has lived in Hobart her whole life. She graduated from Hobart High School. She likes being outdoors and takes daily walks with her dog, Homer. She is an avid reader of mysteries. She has been an Administrative Assistant with Rees Funeral Home for approximately 27 years.

Dave Stutler

Staff Assistant

Dave likes to start his days early with strong cups of coffee, reading the paper, and doing a sudoku puzzle to get his mind going so he can retain a lot of useless information. Dave owned his own business for over 27 years. He started working part-time at Rees Funeral Homes in 2003. Dave has enjoyed playing vintage baseball with the Deep River Grinders since 1996. He enjoys working and keeping up with his 6 grandkids' activities.

Jason Wyatt

Staff Assistant

Driven by faith, Jason started working at Rees after moving to Hobart and marrying his wife, Ruth. Before, he spent nearly 30 years making vanilla wafers in his home state of Kentucky.

While Jason has never met a stranger and blames his southern roots for being chatty, his compassion for others shines through. He finds the most rewarding part of his job to be there for those who’ve lost a loved one.

In his spare time, Jason likes to travel with his wife, go to college football games, and try new restaurants and cuisines - like the time he ate horse in Iceland, which he says was delicious.