Embattled funeral home in Howard reopens under new ownership. ‘Excited to move forward’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A funeral home in Howard reopened after misconduct closed prior operator.
- A $200,000 renovation and staff expansion plan aims to restore public trust.
- Former owner Garrett A. Singer pleaded guilty to corpse abuse; sentencing set for Oct. 20.
A longtime funeral home reopened last week in Howard under new ownership, months after it was shut down over allegations of criminal mismanagement.
Wetzler Funeral Service and Victorian Crematory opened its first branch location Aug. 13 at 135 W. Main St. in Howard, the former home of Singer-Kader-Neff Funeral Home and Cremation Services.
With the agreement finalized and a major renovation planned, fifth-generation owner Dylan Wetzler told the Centre Daily Times he hopes his Bellefonte-based business will be able to regain trust in the tight-knit community.
“I was really, really worried going into this because it’s a huge risk for us,” Wetzler said. “It’s just a lot to take on — we’re taking over a business now that does not have a very good reputation.”
With former owner Garrett A. Singer pleading guilty this month to abuse of a corpse, Wetzler appears clear-eyed about the challenges in front of him. After some families went elsewhere once the allegations of mishandling corpses were made public, he acknowledged his newest funeral home likely won’t be self-sustaining for the first three to five years.
On top of that, the property and its infrastructure were in such poor condition that Wetzler said he was “shocked.” The first step was hauling away dozens of dump truck loads of brush and debris.
Next is what Wetzler described as an about $200,000, top-to-bottom interior renovation to “bring it back to a condition that we would be comfortable with operating and opening to the public.” That includes raised ceilings, larger bathrooms, new exterior siding, windows, flooring and more.
“We’re super happy that people are supportive of us because a lot of times when you go into a place and you start to change things that have been the same for 100 years, they get upset,” Wetzler said. “But people have stood behind us in this and we’re really excited to move forward with it.”
All pre-need arrangements — which typically involve planning and paying for at least some funeral or memorial services — from the Singer-Kader-Neff funeral home will be “fully honored” at either Wetzler location.
Once the business gets its legs under it, Wetzler said he plans to hire another funeral director and a full-time secretary.
“We’re just trying to bring it back to current date and make sure it’s a place that people are proud to come to and that we’re proud to own,” Wetzler said.
What led to the closure of the funeral home?
The curtain on the Singer-Kader-Neff funeral home was first pulled back in March when the daughter of a 92-year-old woman filed a lawsuit alleging her mother’s body was allowed to decompose there for nearly six weeks instead of being cremated.
The suit alleged the funeral home’s conduct was “extreme and outrageous and went beyond all possible bounds of decency.” Her attorneys said the corpse was found unembalmed, unrefrigerated and in an advanced state of decomposition.
Singer, who took over the funeral home in 2023, has not yet filed a response.
“Families trust funeral homes to treat their loved ones with dignity and respect,” Sherry Cramer’s attorney Joe Sauder told the CDT in a statement. “The allegations in this case are deeply troubling, and our client is seeking accountability for the extreme distress and suffering caused by the defendants’ actions.”
One day later, Centre County prosecutors said they planned to charge Singer — which they did in March. Singer, 34, pleaded guilty this month to a misdemeanor count of abuse of Joan E. Donley’s corpse.
Under the agreement, Singer would be sentenced to 30 days to 23 1/2 months of house arrest if he’s eligible. Otherwise, Singer would serve that time at the Centre County Correctional Facility.
He would also be required to give up his funeral director license, which would prohibit him from working in any capacity within the mortuary field. Restitution and a mental health evaluation would also be ordered.
The plea agreement also calls for Singer to write an apology letter to the Cramer family. Centre County Assistant District Attorney Matt Metzger said Sherry Cramer supported the deal. He’s scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 20 by Centre County Judge Brian Marshall.
The state board of funeral directors — the agency responsible for licensing and regulating funeral directors — temporarily suspended Singer and his business’ licenses in March. The board said the allegations, if true, made Singer and his funeral home an “immediate and clear danger to public health and safety.”
Singer’s attorney Jim Kutz previously told the CDT they “respectfully disagree.”
The document filed by state regulators included allegations Singer mishandled a handful of corpses beyond Donley’s. Investigators said they found an unembalmed, unrefrigerated corpse of a person from Bellefonte on the floor of a vehicle outside the facility.
Singer was also accused of cremating five people — four who died in Clinton County and one who died in Centre County — without receiving authorization from the appropriate coroner’s office. An unsanitary preparation room, bloody towels and used body bags were also found, regulators said.
New hope for longtime owner
Curt Kader operated the funeral home from 1996 until he sold the business to Singer in 2023. He and his wife, Sondra, planned to retire and spend their golden years in Florida.
Instead, Kader said it was the “worst two years of my life.” Looking for help anywhere they could find it, Kader said family after family called him to express disappointment and frustration. He in turn tried — unsuccessfully — to contact Singer.
And when asked Monday if Singer had reached out in the months since, Kader initially responded with one word: “No.”
“Extreme disappointment,” Kader said in response to another CDT question. “I just think that he had such a great opportunity before him. All he had to do was show up and do his job and he’d have been very successful. The business was built for him. He didn’t have to be great. He could have just done a decent job, just showing up for people. It’s just really disappointing.
“I do feel bad for the kid because he had a great opportunity before him and he squandered it away, but then after hearing from families after families after families, then I get kind of angry and my compassion for him tends to wane a little bit because I think, ‘Wow, you made your bed. You had so many opportunities and you just didn’t do your job.’ It’s as simple as that.”
Singer declined comment, his attorney told the CDT.
Kader said he had no hesitation in turning the business over to Wetzel, who he believes will be embraced by the Howard community. With a son, daughter-in-law and three grandkids in Penns Valley, the Kaders aren’t saying goodbye to Centre County for good.
They’re just hoping to enjoy their retirement more this time around.
“I can’t say how much I appreciate the support that we got,” Kader said. “... I have gotten zero negativity toward me and my family. People had a right to be upset, but nobody took it out on us and I really appreciate that. I worked half my life trying to build this business and I don’t want my reputation and everything else to be ruined by this kid in such a short time and for no reason.
“It really says a lot about the folks in this area, what kind of people they are.”
This story was originally published August 19, 2025 at 1:41 PM.