Jim S. Ellenberger

Apprentice Funeral Director

Entrepreneur, veteran, EMT, safety inspector, teacher, husband, father, Deacon. Jim Ellenberger has quite the resume, hailing from Washington state and now a Wisconsin transplant. His many roles have uniquely equipped him for his latest role as an apprentice funeral director. Each of his careers comes with a set of stories and those stories lead to a key thread in his story: service to others. 

At Ascend as apprentice funeral director, Jim sees to the care of the crematory. He is also assisting with the first calls and meetings with families in the very beginnings of handling the loss of a loved one. His experience working in emergency medicine provides an understanding when he is working with families and other medical or safety personnel on the first call when he is a part of transferring a loved one into the care of the funeral home. That understanding translates into respect and deep compassion in all parts of the process.  Jim’s work in safety and in business management provides an expertise at Ascend that keeps all processes at top operating levels. While Jim provides a number of technical skills, it is his skill in communication and understanding that makes him an essential part of the Ascend team. Families will experience that when they work with him because of his values and the way he does things. 

“Ascend is one that puts the family and all of their needs first,” Jim says. “We focus on how we can take burden off families and take it on our shoulders. Make it a little easier transition for them during their loss, whether that is going above and beyond for the funeral service or calling on them afterwards to make sure they are doing ok.”

The opportunity to work at Ascend, Jim says, was a way he could extend his ministry. He enjoys working with people and serving his community. He is a deacon at his church, where he was already assisting with grief care. Now at Ascend he can be involved at additional points in that journey through grief. He operates on the values of communication, respect and compassion. In the work he does he strives to be open in his communication, providing families with all of the information about the process before he continues. He also allows space and respect that is essential in those very early moments when grief begins. 

When he is not in his service role for work and as a volunteer, Jim cares for his wife and family. He also is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying hunting and fishing as well as scuba diving and skiing.