Tara Steininger

Managing Partner, Funeral Director

Tara began her apprenticeship in Milwaukee, WI in September of 2001. She has wanted to be a Funeral Director since she was 12 years old, and began her apprenticeship in September of 2001. She graduated from MATC as a Licensed Funeral Director in 2004. She is also a Certified Life Celebrant.

In her free time, she enjoys traveling, gardening, and spending time with her son, Myles.

She joined the Becker Ritter Funeral Home in 2020 as the Managing Partner, and is honored to be able to continue over 100 years of service to the community.

Michael Palmisano

Manager, Funeral Director

Michael began his career in the funeral industry in 2009. Having initially graduated from UW-Milwaukee, he obtained his Mortuary Science degree from MATC in 2012 and became a Licensed Funeral Director shortly thereafter. He is a native of Brookfield and graduated from Brookfield Central High School in 1998. He grew up with a solid sense of community and compassion, savoring weekly family dinners, and hanging out with friends.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be back home serving the families and the community I cherished growing up in.”

Cassandra Meeks

Funeral Director

Cassandra has been in the funeral industry since 2017 and joined the Becker Ritter team as a Funeral Director in 2019. She earned her degree in Mortuary Science from Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois.

She lives in Oconomowoc and currently serves as a board member for the Oconomowoc Junior Woman’s Club.

In her free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, painting and drawing.

“I feel truly honored to be trusted to serve a family in their time of need. It is incredibly rewarding to carry on Becker Ritter’s legacy of excellence in all that we do.”

Joanne Abbs

Preplan Advisor

Melissa Herman

Office Manager

Melissa joined the Becker Ritter team in September of 2017. She was a graduate of East Troy High School in 2014 who then studied abroad through a program at NSCAD University in Nova Scotia, Canada.

In her role as Office Manager, Melissa finds assisting the funeral directors in supporting and caring for families to be tremendously fulfilling and rewarding. 

Melissa is often the first person at Becker Ritter to speak with families.  Her calm, empathetic, and assuring personality is comforting, and families feel she is treating them as if she would her own family. Melissa plans to become an apprentice funeral director in 2020 and hopes this will allow her to make more of an impact in the lives of the grieving and broken hearted. 

In her free time, Melissa greatly enjoys kayaking and going on walks in nice weather. She also enjoys all things creative and crafty, and is a proud keeper of a 5-year-old leopard tortoise named Moby.  

Andy Arnold

Ambassador/Administrative Assistant

Gloria Voss

Ambassador

Lyn Enright

Ambassador

Karen VanTiem

Building Care