Hafemeister Funeral Home has been serving Watertown area families for years. We are honored to be a part of the rich history of this community and plan to be a part of it for many years to come.
Hafemeister Funeral Home was established in 1922 by Henry Hafemeister. In the beginning, and until 1999, the funeral home was run in conjunction with a furniture store. Raymond Dobbratz and Roland Harder purchased the business from the Hafemeister family. Roland passed away in 1974 leaving Ray as the sole owner. He sold the business to the Koepsell family in 1999. Richard Nienow, a funeral director with the firm for over 23 years, purchased the business with his wife Ann in 2003. 
In 2001, the building underwent a major renovation, including an addition. Prior to the renovation, portions of the funeral home were not accessible to many of our physically challenged clientele. Space for simultaneous visitations and casket display was not adequate, and the facility did not meet our standards for privacy and comfort. The original funeral home operated in approximately 6,100 sq. ft. The building was once used as a furniture store and funeral home but since the renovation, it is all used as funeral home. This now has been expanded to over 12,200 sq. ft. Some of the improvements include a second chapel, a new entrance to the funeral home, a business office, a 2+car garage, and a unisex, accessible restroom in addition to accessible separate men’s and ladies restrooms. We now offer a lounge area equipped with kitchen facilities to be used during visitations and a play area for children. A new elevator was added to gain access to a new casket selection room located on the second floor, along with a new preparation room that meets our needs and exceeds state regulations. The building also features a sound system to be used during visitations and funeral services. A second lounge located on the second floor adjacent to the selection room can be used for finalizing funeral arrangements. Our facility is totally handicapped accessible. We have a parking lot that will accommodate thirty vehicles plus two handicapped stalls, and a large amount of convenient street parking is available in the area.
Following the renovation, we received the Chamber of Commerce Professional/Service Business of the Year Award for 2001 in recognition of the valuable improvements and our dedication to the downtown business district.
In the fall of 2013 a state of the art crematory was added to our current building. We pride ourselves on better serving families that choose cremation by having an on-site crematory.
In 2021 Michael "Mike" and Mark Nienow, both licensed funeral directors, purchased the funeral home from their parents Richard and Ann Nienow.
Our expertise is not limited to at-need service. We pride ourselves in providing a pre-need program depending on individual preference. As funeral directors, we work closely with various clergy, cemeteries, fraternal organizations, military groups and the media. If an individual desires to plan every detail, we assist them in fulfilling those wishes. We also offer many ways of pre-financing a funeral for future need. As a funeral home, we do not hold anyone’s money for future needs. In working with each individual, we help him or her decide whether insurance funding or bank trust funding would be best suited for them. The service and merchandise selected can be pre-funded in full or payments can be made incrementally.
We have an established name in the community. The Hafemeister name is recognized as a funeral home offering outstanding professional service and merchandise. In the past as well as today, our staff is involved in numerous civic and social groups as well as religious membership and involvement. We are generous with contributions to local and area fundraising. New referrals to funeral homes are often a “word of mouth” recommendation. For example, we offer our professional services and facility at no charge to a family who has lost an infant.
