At Vertin-Munson Funeral Home, we are honored to have earned the trust and confidence placed in us by those that we serve. We pledge to offer respectful and dignified professional service, service that a family should expect, service that a family deserves. From the time the first phone call is received, throughout the service and beyond, each staff member at our funeral home contributes in an important way. We are very proud of our staff at Vertin-Munson Funeral Home.
Craig Caspers
Licensed Funeral Director/Owner
Craig grew up in Wahpeton, ND, where he graduated from Wahpeton High School and North Dakota State College of Science. He attended and graduated from Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD in 1975. Craig worked for First Bank Systems in Aberdeen until 1978. Due to his father’s illness, Craig returned to Wahpeton he and his two brothers managed the family business, Caspers Seven Levels of Home Furnishings. It was during his time as a buyer for the furniture store that he met several individuals in furniture industry that where also where licensed funeral directors. It was these gentlemen, in particular Eddie Larson of Redwood Falls, MN that encouraged Craig to consider the rewarding and meaningful life of a funeral director. In 1985 Craig entered the University of Minnesota in Mortuary Science and completed his degree in the summer of 1987, his father, Robert Caspers Sr. passed away, October of 1987. Craig has had the privilege of being mentored in the profession by Bernard “Bun” Munson who had managed the business for 27 years. Craig married Susan Berseth of Wahpeton and they have two children; a son, Christopher and his wife Jamie, and a daughter, Cassandra; and three grandchildren, Foster, Bauer and Halle.
Craig enjoyed his brief career in banking and his 10 years in the family furniture business but has found the work of being a funeral director the most rewarding and fulfilling. The fact he grew up in the Wahpeton area being familiar with many families has allowed Craig to develop a close personal feeling when serving families in the Wilkin-Richland area. Craig has discovered through his funeral director experience that life does not always follow our plans, but it is through caring for others and having compassion for those grieving that help all of us get through difficult times.
Susan "Sue" Caspers
Assistant Manager/Funeral Assistant
In 1992, the Caspers owned furniture store/funeral home split and Sue became associated with the funeral industry at that time. As any wife of a funeral director she held a variety of responsibilities; from the office management/accounting to visitations/funeral assisting. Sue has found the business to very rewarding in the funeral field of serving families at a great time of need. Never has she worked where the dedication of the staff is as strong as in this business. Her husband, Craig and herself are blessed with two wonderful children; Christopher, St. Louis, MO., who is employed with the Edward Jones Corporate Office and his wife Jamie; and Cassandra, who has just graduated from college. Sue and Craig also have three beautiful grandchildren; Foster, Bauer and Halle.
Doug Peterson
Licensed Funeral Director
Doug was born in Valley City, ND to Obert (Hub) and Olive (Anderson) Peterson. He graduated from Valley City High School and them from Valley City State University. He taught at Eckelson and Finley, ND for a total of 5 years. Doug was a member of the ND National Guard for a total of 12 years, being CO of HHQ Co 141 Eng BN at Valley City. He graduated from the Indiana School of Mortuary Science in September 1973. He worked at the Vertin-Munson Funeral Home being trained by Bun Munson for 4 years. He married Judith Ann Rudolph in 1974 at Bethel Lutheran Church, Wahpeton. The family moved to Morris, MN for 9 years where both of their sons were born. In 1986, they moved back to Wahpeton where Doug has been employed at the Vertin-Munson Funeral Home since. His wife Judy is employed at NDSCS in the Dental Hygiene Department.
Doug and Judy’s son, Mike is a teacher in Omaha, NE. Mike is engaged to Melissa Davis from North Platte, NE (she is in the same school system as Mike) and they will be married on June 28, 2008. Their son Tim and his wife Jessica (married on March 17, 2007) are residents of Moorhead, MN. Time joined the ND National Guard. In the fall of 2007 Tim will start his graduate studies at NDSU, Fargo as well as training in the ROTC program.
Doug and Judy are members of Bethel Lutheran Church. Dough is a past member of the Board of Lay, and presently a member of the Global Mission Society both of Bethel. Doug is a member of the American Legion Post No. 20, Wahpeton Masonic Lodge No. 15 A. F. & A. M., Treasurer of the Arabian Knight’s Shrine Club, Fargo El Zagal Shrine Center, Wahpeton-Breckenridge Kiwanis Club, the Rough Rider Motorcycle Club, AmVets Club, American Legion Riders, Red River Sportsman Club, and the Wahpeton Eagles Club, Aerie No. 2749. He is a past member of the Wahpeton Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors.
Bernard "Bun" Munson
Licensed Funeral Director
Bun Munson started working in the funeral business in 1940 when he was in high school. He worked for his brother and sister-in-law, Russell and Bella Munson in Detroit Lakes, MN at the Englund Funeral Home.
When he graduated from high school, he went to the University of Minnesota for Mortuary Science. He then went on to be a medical hospital core man and mortician for the Navy during World War Two. He was stationed on a ship in the Pacific Ocean.
After the service, he went to work for Joseph Vertin & Sons in Breckenridge, MN. In 1951, he went to work for his brother, Russell and Bob Caspers, Sr., in Wahpeton, ND. Unfortunately, his brother and wife died in a plane crash in 1961, so Bun took over management of Vertin-Munson funeral home after his brother’s death.
He semi-retired in 1988 and currently he still works part-time at Vertin-Munson. He has three children: Scott, Kim, Carrie & step-son Brian Twohig; plus ten grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Paula Bakken
Licensed Preplanning Specialist
Paula was born and raised in Wahpeton. Prior to joining the staff at the funeral home, she worked for Community First Bank and for Manpower, a temporary staffing agency.
Paula assists funeral directors Craig Caspers, Bun Munson & Doug Peterson in helping individuals who wish to prearrange their funerals.
Although pre-arranging services with Vertin-Munson Funeral Homes is not a new concept, Caspers states that the decision to expand this service is largely due to the number of people requesting it. “Nationally, the number of pre-planned funerals has increased 1000% since 1960”, he says. “Locally, more and more individuals are choosing to pre-arrange their funerals.”
Paula’s husband, Brad, is a Financial Consultant for BancWest Investment Services. They have two children Neely & Brian, and also have three grandchildren, Sicily, Sawyer, Landen and London. In her spare time, Paula enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Elaine Schneider
Support/Grief Care
Elaine has been working with families at Vertin-Munson Funeral Home since 1999. A graduate of Hillsboro, ND, High School, Minnesota State University¬Moorhead, and North Dakota State University, Elaine retired in May, 2007, after 34 years of teaching. Elaine has been interested in counseling for most of her teaching career, having written grants to acquire training in the field for teachers to use in their own classrooms. She later went on to gain a master's degree in counseling in 1994 and was licensed as a counselor in North Dakota in 1995. Having experienced many losses in her own life, working in the funeral service industry was a natural progression for her.
What Elaine likes best about her duties with the funeral home is meeting so many wonderful families and sharing their grief as she gets to know them. She does much of her aftercare work by phone and written correspondence, but loves meeting with family members for coffee and making home visits, including visits to nursing homes, where a surviving spouse or parent may reside. "Families are so grateful for the smallest kindness at this very difficult time," says Elaine, "which makes my work very gratifying." She also provides literature on grief and loss in the form of "CareNotes" and other literature obtained in her past and ongoing counselor training. "I never want to intrude on a person's or family's privacy, I will provide only the level of support the family wishes, and that may be purely social or none at all”. She believes education in the grief process is also very important, as just knowing what's `normal' when grieving is such a reassurance to a surviving loved one.
Elaine has also worked part-time as an addiction counselor, and has been doing volunteer crisis counseling in the areas of domestic violence and sexual assault for Three Rivers Crisis Center since 1995. "All types of counseling involve a loss of some sort," she says.
Elaine and her husband Terry live in Wahpeton, where they are active members of St. John's Catholic Church. She enjoys yard work and gardening, walking outdoors, reading, continuing education, and traveling. She has been a member of several teaching and counseling organizations over the years. Elaine will also be providing the school counseling for children at St. John's Catholic School in Wahpeton beginning in the fall of 2007.