PHOTO PROVIDED Dylan Wetzler, of Wetzler Funeral Service, right, and Curt Kader, former owner of the Kader-Neff Funeral Home, in Howard are shown outside the funeral home in Howard. Wetzler has purchased the Howard funeral home as a branch location and will continue to serve families of the area.

HOWARD — This year marks 130 years since the Wetzler family first opened the doors of Wetzler Funeral Service in Bellefonte. Now it will be expanding its services into the Howard area.

The funeral home offered the following information in a press release about the expansion:

For five generations — and now raising the sixth — our family has had the privilege of caring for our neighbors during life’s most difficult moments. Through every change and challenge, our mission has stayed the same: to serve families with compassion, dignity and respect.

When we learned that the Howard community might lose its own local funeral home — a place also built on five generations of service through the Neff and Kader families — we knew we couldn’t let that happen. The Kader family has been incredibly supportive throughout this transition, helping us carry forward their legacy of care.

With their blessing, we are proud to announce that as of Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, Wetzler Funeral Service Inc. & Victorian Crematory is officially open and fully operational in Howard at the former Kader-Neff Funeral Home property — our first-ever branch location.

Families can expect the same level of care and compassion that Wetzler Funeral Service has provided in Bellefonte for over 130 years, and that the Neff and Kader families have provided in Howard and surrounding communities for generations. All pre-need arrangements — whether traditional or cremation — will be fully honored and may be carried out at either of our two locations in Bellefonte or Howard.

While our Howard branch is open for services, we are also preparing for a major renovation inside and out. Over the past several weeks, our team has been busy cleaning, landscaping and removing debris — and we’re just getting started. If you see us out working on the property, please stop and say hello. We’d love to meet you, share our vision for the future and hear your stories about this building and the people it has served.

From our family to yours — thank you for welcoming us to Howard. We look forward to serving you for many generations to come.

Feel free to contact us at either of our branch locations or send us an email:

Bellefonte: 814-355-4261

Howard: 814-625-2552

Email: wetzlerfuneralhome@gmail.com