Our Story
Learn our story, from the beginning and into the future.
In 1829, Philip Schoedinger emigrated to the U.S. from Dörrenbach, Germany. Philip was a craftsman by trade and in 1855 he opened a casket-making department. In 1865, Philip established the Schoedinger & Brown on West State Street in Columbus.
Philip's sons, George J. and J. Albert soon joined the family business. Shortly thereafter, the funeral home began to see such innovations as the addition of the first automobile hearse and a new chapel at 229 East State Street, which was the first chapel built expressly for the purpose of funeral service and one of the earliest in America of such magnitude. Today the belltower at this location stands as a city landmark. Other firsts, such as becoming one of the first companies to offer an air-conditioned building and the first to offer guaranteed advance funeral arrangements, soon followed.
In time, George J.'s sons, Fred and George R., also chose to join the family funeral home, known at that time as Schoedinger & Co. In 1933, George R.'s three sons, George Jr., Robert and John, all entered the family business.
As the funeral home grew, so did the Schoedinger family's desire to offer more services and greater convenience to the families of Central Ohio. In 1950, the Schoedingers opened their Hilltop Chapel on West Broad Street and 1961 saw the addition of the Northwest Chapel in Upper Arlington. Linden, Grove City and Reynoldsburg all followed.
Even over the last 20 years, the Schoedinger family funeral homes have continued to evolve. Additional facilities have been added and today fifth and sixth generation family members remain active in the funeral home.
Who We Are
Meet our staff. Members of the local community make everything that happens possible.
Together, we make this place amazing.

Randy joined Schoedinger & Co. full time in 1994. He has a BS in Business from The University of Colorado, an AAS in Mortuary Science from The Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, and a MBA from The Ohio State University. Born and raised in Columbus, he is married with three daughters. Randy states, "A funeral is a time of remembrance and ceremony. I believe it is our challenge to help a family create a ceremony or celebration that affords them the opportunity to remember their loved one the way they want to. We must understand that people are grieving and emotional at this time. They trust us with caring for the deceased as well as creating and organizing the ceremony. We cannot assume this trust lightly, but with great care." Randy is active with board duties for the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, Big Brothers/Sisters, The Capital Area Humane Society, and Green Lawn Cemetery.

Michael Schoedinger is President of Schoedinger Funeral and Cremation Service in Columbus, Ohio. He is a 6th generation owner of the firm, a licensed funeral director and embalmer, Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC), Certified Funeral Executive (CFuE), Certified Cremation Executive (CCrE), and Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP). He graduated from Upper Arlington High School and earned the rank of Eagle Scout; Miami University in Oxford, OH with a B.S. in Organizational Behavior and a B.S. in Personnel and Employee Relations; and the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science where he was class President. Michael currently is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, First Community Church, Columbus Rotary, and serves on the boards of the American Red Cross (Past Chair), Junior Achievement (Past Chair), Center Of Science and Industry, and the Family Business Center of Central Ohio. Michael is married to Laure and has a daughter, Katie, and a son, Jack.

Kevin Schoedinger is Executive Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer of Schoedinger Funeral and Cremation Services. Kevin received his Bachelors in Human Resource Management from the University of Colorado in 2007. He is a licensed funeral director in the state of Ohio.
Kevin is active in the community, serving on several boards and volunteering in other organizations. He is actively involved in non-profit organizations including the Ohio Funeral Directors Association, Selected Independent Funeral Homes, Back in His Arms Again Ministry, Green Lawn Cemetery and Cornerstone of Hope, as well as supporting the efforts of non-profits like Multiple Myeloma Opportunities for Research and Education (MMORE) and Nellie’s Catwalk for Kids. He has taken part in Selected Independent Funeral Homes Leadership Academy and the Conway Center for Family Business Next Generation Peer Group.
He is married with three children and grief therapy dog, Banks.

He is a licensed funeral director and embalmer. He graduated from The Columbus Academy, University of Colorado, and Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science (from which he received the Distinguished Alumni Award). He was selected as one of the finalists for Small Business Person of the Year, selected as one of the Ten Outstanding Citizens of the Year, and received an Honorary 33rd Degree in Masonry. He is currently Chairman of First Community Village Board and The Huntington Funds Board and a member of the Board of C.A.P.A. He is Past President of Selected Independent Funeral Homes, Ohio Funeral Directors Assn., World Presidents’ Organization, Hospice Advisory Board of Columbus, Community Health and Nursing Service, Columbus Academy Alumni Assn., Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite-Valley of Columbus, Burbank Parent Advisory Council, and the Indian Guides and Indian Princesses of Upper Arlington. He is Past Treasurer of the Young Presidents’ Organization and Past Vice-President of the Columbus Jaycees. He is married to wife: Jeanne, and they have three children: Michael, Kellie and Kevin, and seven grandchildren.

After graduating from The Columbus Academy and attending The Ohio State University and The Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, he joined Schoedinger Funeral Service as the fifth generation in 1963. Jay has been a member of the Kiwanis Club of Columbus for over forty years, and served as President in 1989, receiving The Distinguished Presidents award of the Ohio district of Kiwanis International. Jay is past Secretary/Treasurer of the Columbus Jaycees and was a driving force of the building committee. Jay and his wife Joyce have three children: Laurie Porter, of Littleton, Colorado; Randy, associated with the funeral home; and Scott, of Gahanna, Ohio. They have five grandchildren. Jay and his wife are avid antique toy collectors. The year 2002 was very special to Jay when the Kiwanis Club awarded him a Life Membership for his many years of dedicated service and he was invited to become a member of the “Antique Toy Collectors of America,” an invitation only organization of 250 members.

Amy Henthorn
Creative Director

Andrea Heiberger
Executive Administrative Assistant

Defenbaugh-Wise-Schoedinger

Bailey Byrd
Apprentice Funeral Director/Embalmer

Barry Griffith
Chief Operating Officer and Licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer

Brooke Battin
Apprentice Funeral Director/Embalmer

Schoedinger Worthington

Carley Childress
Human Resources Manager

Schoedinger Care Center

David Lanthorn
Advance Funeral Planner

Don Zender
Advance Funeral Planner

Emma Newsom
Apprentice Funeral Director/Embalmer

Schoedinger Grove City

Jennifer Badgett-Brown
Graphic Designer and Licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer

Jill Pugh
Schoedinger Care Center Manager

Julie Olds
Director of Community Relations and Education

Kelley Belman
Advance Funeral Planner

Laura Wiley
Apprentice Funeral Director

Lauren Buzzard
Apprentice Funeral Director/Embalmer

Mark Dettmer
Celebrant

Schoedinger Midtown

Nicholas Falcone
Apprentice Funeral Director/Embalmer

Robert Turner
Advance Funeral Planner

Robert Yanok
Advance Funeral Planner

Robyn Wells
Grove City Administrative Assitant

Ronda Jenkins
Pre-Need Coordinator

Russell Williamson
Maintenance Director

Ryan Zoellner
Controller

Stephanie Evans
Accounting Assistant

Todd Hurley
Apprentice Funeral Director

Venita Sword
Phone Operator

Whitney Rose
IT Director

Zach Throne
Advance Funeral Planner
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