Our Staff

Meet

Our Staff

Our staff at Ryan Funeral Homes is comprised of dedicated and licensed professionals with the experience to answer all your questions regarding our services. Please feel free to contact any of our staff members at any time.

CONNIE C. RYAN

Former President

Connie is a lifelong Madison resident and the former owner of Ryan Funeral Homes. He graduated from Madison East High School in 1955. Following high school, Connie entered the U.S. Marine Corp, where he served from 1956 to 1959. He began his post-secondary education at Milton College and later received his Mortuary Science degree from Wisconsin Institute of Mortuary Science in 1964.

On December 16, 1966, Connie opened the Ryan Funeral Home at 2114 N. Sherman Avenue, Madison. Then in December 16, 1976, he relocated his current establishment at 2418 N. Sherman Avenue. Connie has 5 children, 2 of which are licensed Funeral Directors. He is an active member of Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association, past president for the term of 1989 to 1990, Ducks Unlimited, St. Peter Catholic Church, member of the TIP Club, past president for the Northeast Optimist Club, member of the Maple Bluff Country Club, and Madison Elks Club #410. Connie is currently serving on the Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing Funeral Directors Examining Board. He was appointed by Governor James Dolye and is serving his second four year term.

Roman Ryan

ROMAN RYAN

Owner/President

Roman is President of Ryan Funeral Homes, having received his funeral director’s license in 1992. Following his graduation from Milwaukee Area Technical College he began his career working alongside his father, Connie Ryan, at the Sherman Avenue Funeral Home location. He feels extremely fortunate to be the third generation of Ryan’s to carry on the Funeral Home legacy and was fundamental in the expansion of Ryan Funeral Home from a single location to four (4) area locations. Roman is a lifelong Madison resident, graduate from Madison East High School and has 2 children, Casey and Allison. Roman was a past president of South Central Funeral Directors Association, serving two terms. Roman has also served as a board member at the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association. He is a member of St. Peter Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, and Ducks Unlimited. When Roman isn’t working at the Funeral Home he enjoys many outdoor activities including golf, fishing and hunting.

Casey Ryan

CASEY RYAN

Operations Director

Casey is the fourth generation of the Ryan family to work in the funeral industry. He was born and raised on Madison’s North Side. He later graduated from Madison East High School in 2011. Casey also owned a small landscaping company, Ryan Landscaping from 2012 to 2021. As a child, he always wanted to work in the family funeral business and help others in the way his family has, in serving the community. Casey is a life-long member of St. Peter Catholic Church. He married his partner in crime, Abagail Foss on August 27, 2021. Together, they reside on the North Side of Madison, with their two beautiful Labradors. Outside of work, he enjoys working on cars, playing video games, and can be found at multiple Badger sporting events. Above all, he loves spending time with his family and friends. Casey is devoted to serving the community, just as the generations of Ryans before him.

DIANE RYAN-FRISKE

Funeral Director

A native of Madison Wisconsin, Diane is a twenty-five year veteran of the Ryan Funeral Homes.

She graduated from Madison East High School and attended the University of Wisconsin for two years before switching direction in career motivation. She graduated from the Milwaukee School of Mortuary Science and joined her father in the family business. She was instrumental in the progression of her younger brother Roman in joining the firm.

Diane was among the first female directors in the Madison area in funeral service. It was a natural fit for her because of her love of people. She embraces the opportunity to be of service to people in their most challenging moments.

Mother of three sons, Jonny, Ryan, and Nic, she is married to Jon Friske, owner and operator of Madison Bindery. They reside in the Waunakee area and are members of St. John’s Catholic Church where Diane enjoyed being a part of the religious education for younger children there.

A lover of nature, Diane can be found walking almost anywhere. Movies are a great entertainment for herself and her husband Jon. She also loves to travel when the opportunity presents itself.

EVA NEWSON

Funeral Director

Eva grew up in Madison and graduated from LaFollette High School in 1994. After graduating from Milwaukee Area Technical College with a degree in Funeral Service she began her career as a funeral director in Monroe, WI. The three years she spent in Monroe gave her valuable experience in all aspects of funeral service. In 2001 she returned to Madison and began working with the Ryan Funeral Homes.

Eva and her husband, Dre found their home in Madison’s Northside community in 2010. They and their children, DeAndre and Veda are enjoying being a part of the neighborhood.

In her free time she enjoys many different hobbies that give her a creative outlet. She is proud to be a part of the Ryan Funeral Home family and is pleased to serve families in Madison, Verona and DeForest.

NICK MILLER

Funeral Director

Nick grew up in Walworth, Wisconsin and graduated from Big Foot High School in 2002. He went on to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Nick received his Funeral Director’s license in 2011 after graduating from the Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Funeral Service Program. Nick married his high school sweetheart, Amy, in 2006, and they currently reside in Fitchburg along with their daughters Lydia, Ingrid and Emma.

He enjoys Badger and Packer sporting events and spending time with his friends and family. Nick is thrilled to serve the Madison area and the families of Ryan Funeral Homes.

ROSS VITALE

Funeral Director

Ross grew up in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Ross attended Milwaukee Area Technical College where he earned an Associate degree in early childhood education. He also earned an associate degree in funeral service from Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Funeral Service Program.

Ross previously worked for a funeral home in Milwaukee as a licensed funeral director. He enjoys drawing, photography, scary movies, and spending time with his friends and family. Ross is happy to be serving the Madison area and the families of Ryan Funeral Homes.

BRENDA EMERSON

Funeral Director

Originally from Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Brenda is a 2011 graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Wheeling, Illinois. She completed her apprenticeship and became a Licensed Funeral Director in 2012 in Chetek, Wisconsin.

In 2013, Brenda accompanied her husband, Kent, to Oklahoma, where he attended and graduated from the University of Tulsa. During that time, Brenda spent five years serving as a Licensed Funeral Director in Oklahoma before returning home to Wisconsin and joining the Ryan Funeral Home team in April 2018. She is excited to be a member of the Madison area community and honored to serve the families of Ryan Funeral Homes.

Brenda enjoys spending her time outside: hiking, camping, fishing, and gardening.

TIFFANY FOSTER

Funeral Director

Tiffany grew up all over Wisconsin, but considers Middleton to be her home. Tiffany attended Concorde Career College in Kansas City, MO where she earned her Medical Assistant Diploma. She moved back to Wisconsin in 1999 and started attending Madison Area Technical College part-time in the evenings, eventually receiving her Associate Degree in Liberal Arts. In 2009, Tiffany graduated from Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Funeral Service Program.

Tiffany enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends. She also loves all animals, traveling, spending time outside and is always up for new adventures.

Tiffany previously worked for funeral homes in Spring Green, Mount Horeb/Black Earth and Baraboo. She has worked hard to get back into the Madison area again and looks forward to settling down and serving the Ryan Funeral Home families.

SKYLER BARNETT

Funeral Director

Skyler grew up in Southern Illinois but then moved to Michigan for 4 years where she received her Mortuary Science degree at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. She then completed her apprenticeship in Michigan and then moved to the Madison area.

Skyler enjoys biking, kayaking, hiking, traveling, photography, playing golf, and spending time with her friends and family.

She is honored to serve the Madison area families and proud to be a part of the Ryan Funeral Home family.

BOB SHUNK

Apprentice Funeral Director

Bob grew up on the south side of Madison and moved to the Verona area in 1972. He attended Verona High School and graduated in 1975. Bob joined the USMC right out of high school and served until 1979. He boxed in the old red shed for the south side golden gloves.

Bob attended college, receiving a degree in Business from Beaufort Technical College, in Beaufort, SC. He taught food service at Beaufort Tech. for 2 years under a state grant for a job training course. Bob was CEO for Internal Retail Investigation, from 1983 to 1998, and invested in and managed many small businesses, daycares and lawn and cleaning businesses. Bob started with Ryan Funeral Home in 2000 with the purchase of Joyce Funeral Home. He enjoys serving the Verona, Madison, and Deforest areas and working with the great staff.

Ashley Mooney Apprentice Funeral Director

Ashley Mooney

Apprentice Funeral Director

Ashley grew up in Racine, WI. She graduated from Walden III high school in 2019 and joined the Marine Corps. Unfortunately no long after joining, she was injured which brought her enlistment to an end. She moved to California to recover and discover new passions like tattooing and energy healing. While in California, Ashley got certified as a Reiki II practitioner. In 2020, she married her partner Ricardo in Oceanside, CA where they lived until they moved to the east side of Madison in December of 2022.

Ashley got certified and licensed as an apprentice, and started her apprenticeship at Ryan Funeral Home in the beginning of 2023. She is currently on her journey through mortuary school to become a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer.  

She’s proud to be a member of the Ryan Funeral Home staff and feels the honor and privilege to serve families in the Madison area.

Ashley enjoys dancing, playing video games, doing art and spending time with her two cats Malcolm and Oakley.

Ashley Mooney<br />
Apprentice Funeral Director

Dean Gardner

Apprentice Funeral Director

SANDI SPERANZA

Advance Planning Specialist

Born and raised on the East Side of Madison, and Graduate of Madison East High School, Sandi moved to Milwaukee for college.  Sandi completed her associate degree in Merchandising and then continued her education changing her major to Mass Communications.  She worked as a strategic sales, marketing, and business consultant for more than 30 years prior to returning to the Madison area where she worked as an independent strategic business consultant.

After completing her Insurance Licensing and Pre-need certifications in October 2019, Sandi joined Ryan Funeral Homes in January 2020 as our Advance Planning Specialist.  Outside the funeral home, Sandi enjoys the spending time with her three children Brandon, Justin, and Tori.  She also enjoys the outdoors, preferably when it includes water, sand, and sun, and occasionally includes, fishing, boating, snowmobiling, skiing, walking a beach, or watching a sunset.

Sandi takes great joy in her role with Ryan Funeral Home.  “I love that I get to provide the people I work with peace of mind knowing their final wishes are being honored and that their family members will have less decisions to make at the time of loss.”

Email: ryanfuneralhomepreplanning@gmail.com

Chris Benetti

Chapel Attendant

Chris grew up in Indiana and graduated with a Masters in Education from DePauw University. This began a 38-year journey as a teacher/coach that spanned working in Illinois, Texas, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

Retiring from teaching in 2017 from the Verona Area School District, Chris began working with the Ryans as a Chaplain Attendant in the Spring of 2018. In his spare time, Chris is a devout Packer, Bucks, and Badger fan and also loves to read, travel, hike, and play golf.

Dennis Hill

Dennis Hill

In Memoriam

what our families say

Tiffany Foster went out of her way to fulfill all my requests, talked me through problems I was facing, and tried to make me feel as comfortable as possible when I was a wreck, totally crushed, and I thank her with all of my heart for that.

James S. | July 2020

The professional manner of the staff made a difficult time a little easier.

Lynda R. | July 2020

Services provided for both parents were perfect, on time, and no issues. Brenda is awesome and strong!

Michael M. | July 2020

Skyler was absolutely amazing. She was so caring and helpful through this whole process. She even went above and beyond to meet with us in DeForest and even to make a stop at our home to drop off or pick up anything needed. While it was a small gesture, it was so helpful and greatly appreciated.

Brooke S. | Dec. 2020

Madison North East

2418 N. Sherman Avenue
Madison, WI 53704
Tel: 608-249-8257

Madison West

5701 Odana Road
Madison, WI 53719
Tel: 608-274-1000

Verona

220 S. Enterprise Drive
Verona, WI 53593
Tel: 608-845-6625

DeForest / Windsor

6924 Lake Road
DeForest, WI 53532
Tel: 608-846-4250