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Timothy A. Honquest
Founder/Owner/Funeral Director/Embalmer
Timothy A. Honquest started in the funeral profession over 30 years ago in Palatine, Illinois. After receiving his Bachelors Degree from Western Illinois University, Tim went to Worsham College of Mortuary Science, graduating in 1988. Coming to Rockford, Tim served his apprenticeship with a local funeral home, and liking Rockford, he then stayed on with that funeral home before starting his own in 1995 in Loves Park and opening a second location in Roscoe in 2007.
Tim has been through the loss and grieving process of his sister's untimely death and therefore made it his mission as a funeral home owner to take the time to listen and hear the needs of the families he serves.
Tim is the proud father of two children, Zach and Zoe. Outside of the business, Tim and his wife, Rachel, enjoy spending time and relaxing with family and friends. Tim presently serves on the Rockford Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
Telephone: 1-815-636-5100
Rachel L Honquest
Funeral Assistant
Rachel Honquest is the loving and caring wife of Tim Honquest. She is an active partner at the funeral home where her kind and compassionate personality is valued by our families.
Outside of work she enjoys CrossFit, spending quality time with family and friends and she has a passion for cooking.
Telephone: 1-815-636-5100
RaeAnn Locascio Dombrowski
Funeral Director/Embalmer
RaeAnn began her career as a Funeral Director and Embalmer in 2010 when she graduated from Worsham College of Mortuary Science. She also has her Cremation Certification. RaeAnn is also a graduate of Elmhurst College where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Music with an emphasis in Foreign Language and Diction.
RaeAnn loves to rescue animals in her spare time, and she sings in a local country band. She has also performed with Starlight Theatre. She is a parishioner of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Rockford where she also cantors. RaeAnn is happy to be serving the community where she grew up.
Telephone: 1-815-636-5100
Melissa Pezza
Funeral Director/Embalmer
Melissa joined our team in 2013, coming from Roanoke, Illinois. She is a graduate of Carl Sandburg College of Mortuary Science and also has her Cremation Certification. When she came to Honquest Family Funeral Home for her interview she was so impressed with the professionalism of the staff and the beautiful facilities that her mind was made up that day that she wanted to work here.
Melissa married Robbie Pezza (who is a Sales Consultant at Anderson Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram) at Kilbuck Creek in 2017. She enjoys reading, taking her Great Danes, Khloe and Naso, for walks, and spending time with her family and friends.
Telephone: 1-815-636-5100
Diane Timmersman
Director of Pre-Need Planning
Diane began her career in the funeral business in the 1980's at another local funeral home before joining Honquest Family Funeral Home in 2004. She takes pride in working with families at Honquest and being able to offer them top-quality service and surroundings for, in many cases, thousands less than at other funeral homes. |
Telephone: 1-815-636-5100
Lori Taylor
Location Manager - Roscoe
Lori is the location manager for our Roscoe funeral home. Lori has a solid background in business management with a strong emphasis on providing an exceptional customer experience to everyone who walks through our doors.
Having experienced loss herself, Lori has a great deal of empathy for the stress and pain that a family is going through and hopes to bring them comfort. She believes that each family deserves to be treated with honesty, compassion and personal attention.
Lori is married and has three children. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and visiting new places.
Tracey Hinck
Location Manager - Roscoe
Tracey Hinck is the former location manager for our Roscoe funeral home. She and her husband live in Roscoe but they will soon be moving to Surprise, Arizona to be near their children.
After her twelve years of dedicated service to our families and the community, we wish them well in their new home!
Shannon Sowl
Daily Operations/Administrative Assistant
Being an Administrative Assistant to Timothy Honquest, Shannon is the hub of the funeral home. Her responsibilities are varied and crucial to ensuring all the details of our families' arrangements are complete, personalized and handled with care in honor of the deceased and their loved ones.
Shannon is a friendly and helpful individual who enjoys traveling, hiking and kayaking and is a proud and loving mother of four girls and one granddaughter.
Ryan Ball
Funeral Assistant
Ryan was born and raised in Rockford with previous experience as a funeral assistant. Ryan is a graduate of Auburn High School and holds a B.A. in English from Carthage College. Ryan was a reporter for a construction publication in the late 1990’s and has recently been the supervisor of customer service for a national insurance company.
In his free time, Ryan enjoys playing guitar, gardening, spending time with his dog, Jack, as well as his family and friends. He plans to further his education in the near future with hopes of attending Worsham College of Mortuary Science with the ultimate goal of becoming a licensed funeral director.
Harold Danger
Funeral Assistant
Harold is a retired Police Sergeant and Security Professional. He is very involved in his local church where he serves on the Worship Design Team, is a Lay Speaker and Worship Facilitator and fills in, when needed, as pulpit supply.
Harold and his wife, Janet, are avid fishing and camping enthusiasts living in Roscoe. They enjoy spending time with their two grown children, family and numerous friends.
Locally, he is a 1st Lieutenant in the Air Force Auxiliary (Civil Air Patrol) and is a Chaplain with the Harlem Roscoe Fire Department. He has an Art and Photography Business and continues to be very active in the community.
Joe Wisniewski
Funeral Assistant
Joe began his career in the funeral business as a very young man 45 years ago in Chicago. He knows the importance of service and compassion when caring for loved ones during the funeral process.
Joe lives with his wife and dogs on a small farm. He is passionate about animal rescue and spay/neuter programs. Joe is active in supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Special Olympics and he is a participating life member of H.O.G. and NRA.
Dennis Abbott
Funeral Assistant
Dennis is a retired minister and most recently served as a Chaplain in a local retirement community center. He continues to do pulpit supply and is very involved in his local church.
He earned his B.A. from North Central University, Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1964. He and his wife, Ruth, have served congregations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Virginia, Indiana and Illinois.
Locally, he has served as Board Member and President of the Rockford Area Pregnancy Care Center, and also was a clergy presenter with the Rockford A/G Marriage Encounter for over twenty years.
Having a heart for people, Dennis continues to serve the families of the Rockford area whenever possible.
Verlis D. Henert
Funeral Director/Embalmer
Verlis's introduction to the funeral business was while he was attending Arizona State University where he worked part-time in a funeral home. This piqued his interest enough to return to Chicago to attend and graduate from Worsham College of Mortuary Science in 1955.
On June 27, 2006, Verlis was recognized and honored by the Illinois Funeral Directors Association for his dedication of 50 years of service as a licensed funeral director.
A very active member of our community, Verlis has been a former member of the Rockford Jaycees, on the board of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the service board of the Genesis House Community Center and a volunteer Eye Enucleation Technician for the Illinois Eye Bank.
Verlis currently serves on the Golden K Kiwanis Board of Directors, the Golden Agers Center Board of Directors and the Arlington Memorial Park Cemetery Board of Directors.
Verlis is also remembered by the thousands of families he's assisted over the years as a caring, compassionate and dedicated individual.
Lee McClanathan
Funeral Assistant
Lee and his wife, Loralee, recently returned to our area from living in Arkansas. He had been in the lead-pastor ministry for forty years, serving congregations in Arizona, Illinois, California and Arkansas. He retired from being full-time after suffering a massive stroke and heart attack in 2005, but remains involved in interim ministries and ministering to people dealing with unexpected journeys such as health, relationship and financial issues. Lee has authored the book My Unexpected Journey (Beating The Odds To Become A Walking Miracle), and his desire is to continue to write.
He and Loralee met while attending Pacific Christian College and have three grown married children and eight adorable grandchildren. Lee's hobbies include singing, traveling, golfing and also mentoring pastors and church leaders to expand their vision for Christ and his church.
Oakley
Comfort Dog
Oakley is proud to be Honquest's Comfort Dog.
He is a loving English Cream Retriever who loves long walks, chasing balls, going with his family on boat rides and playing in the lake. On Wednesdays he enjoys attending his Good Citizenship and Therapy classes and is also learning to swim.
Oakley is available to help meet your family's needs.
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