Mark Holdship

Owner and Director

Mark graduated from the Wayne State University in 1990. Before school, he started his funeral career off in Alma, Michigan in 1985 and then moved to the Detroit area to pursue his degree. While in school he worked for the Wm. R. Hamilton Company Funeral Home in Birmingham, Michigan. Upon graduation, Mark moved to Lakeview, Michigan, where he worked for the Youngman-McCullough Funeral Chapel for six years. Mark then made career dreams come true in 1998 when he purchased his first funeral home in Marion, Michigan, which is now the Fosnaught-Holdship Funeral Home. Since then he has expanded the Holdship family of Funeral Home Company to five locations in the surrounding area.

Mark and his wife Angie have four children, Holly, Michael, Dylan, and Emma. He is a member of the Saint Ann Catholic Church, Cadillac Lions Club, Knight's of Columbus, Masonic Lodge and Cadillac Country Club. He enjoys the outdoors and boating on the lake.

Adam M. Hilt

Manager / Director

Adam was raised in Grand Rapids and is a transplant from Albion to Northern Michigan in 2005. He attended Kellogg Community College and Central Michigan University, and served as Class President at the Pittsburgh Institute for Mortuary Science. He has also earned recognition as a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP) by The Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice. Adam joined Holdship Family of Funeral Homes as manager in 2013 after working several years with funeral homes in Albion and Traverse City. Adam currently serves the communities of Manton, Marion and Cadillac. He has three children, Declan, Jackson and Hadley. Adam enjoys spending time with his family, coaching hockey, and is a member of the Cadillac Rotary Club and the Elks.

Darlene M. Sensor

Manager / Director

Darlene has spent most of her life in the Prudenville area. She graduated from Houghton Lake High School in 1992. She attended Mid-Michigan Community College and Kirtland Community College before transferring to Wayne State University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Mortuary Science degree in 2000.  She has worked for Christler Funeral Home since 1999. In her spare time she enjoys golfing, spending time outdoors and with her family and friends.

She is a member of the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce, and the Michigan Funeral Director's Association. She serves on the Roscommon County Board of Commissioners. Darlene also sits on the Northern Michigan Regional Entity Substance Use Disorder Oversight Policy Board, she serves on the Central Michigan District Health Department Board, including the Personnel and Finance Committee, Houghton Lake Improvement Board, Michigan Works Region 7B Board of Directors, Lake Level Advisory Committee for Roscommon County's Lake Level Control Structures for Houghton Lake, Lake St. Helen and Higgins Lake and and sits on the Board of Trustees for the Michigan Counties Workers' Compensation Fund. 

Bob Budzynski

Manager / Director

Bob grew up in Fountain, Michigan and graduated from Mason County Eastern High School. He received a Bachelors of Science degree from Michigan State University and Mortuary Science degree from Wayne State University. Bob was a director for the Stephens Funeral Home in Scottville, MI before moving to Houghton Lake in 1992 to be a director with Christler Funeral Home.

Bob and his wife, Beverly, have six children and seven grandchildren that keep them active during any spare time they have. He is a member of the Michigan Funeral Directors Association, Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce, and 3rd degree Knights of Columbus member.

Chelsea Torres

Manager/Director

Chelsea graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mortuary Science. She attended both Mid-Michigan Community College in Harrison and Wayne State University achieving the Dean’s List for both schools. Chelsea joined the Holdship Family of Funeral Homes in 2014. She attends St. Ann Catholic Church and is a member of the Cadillac Area Young Professionals Club. She and her husband, Ashton enjoy spending time with family at Houghton Lake and going hunting and fishing with her friends.

Tim Dore

Funeral Assistant

Tim has been a resident of the Manton area for 40 years. Tim worked for Four Winns Boats for almost 30 years until his time of retirement. He joined the Holdship Family of Funeral Homes in 2013. He is married to Mona; together they have two children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He attends Rollins Christian Fellowship Church and enjoys going camping with his family.

Gary Gremel

Funeral Assistant

Gary has been a resident of the Manton area since 1971. He worked in Marion serving as the UPS driver for 30 years. He joined the Holdship Family of Funeral Homes and Dutchman Tree Farms both in 2006. Gary attends St. Ann Catholic Church and serves as Eucharistic Minister as well as a member of the Knights of Columbus.

He has been a volunteer for the Cedar Creek Fire Department since 1983 and currently holds the title of captain. Gary is married to Monica; together they have two children and four grandchildren. He loves spending time with his family boating on the lake in Lake City.

Sarah Blackledge

Funeral Assistant

Sarah has been a part of the Marion and Evart communities all of her life. She is actively involved in the Middle Branch Township Board Committee as a trustee. She is also involved in 20th Century Club of Marion and Jolly Workers of Marion. Sarah joined the Holdship Family of Funeral Homes in 1988. Sarah was married to the late Elton Blackledge; she has two children, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She enjoys spending time working on her flower garden.

David Johns

Funeral Assistant

David has been a resident in LeRoy since 1975 and been actively a part of the Marion community. He attends the Dighton Wesleyan Church and serves as a Sunday school teacher. David joined the Holdship Family of Funeral Homes in 2014. He is a board member for MOTA as well as a board member for the Sherman Township Road Committee. David is married to Shirley; together they have six children and nine grandchildren. He enjoys spending time with his family outdoors hunting and fishing.

Mike Holdship

Funeral Expo Coordinator

Mike has lived in Cadillac and worked for the Holdship funeral home since 2000. He was born and raised in Ubly, Michigan. Mike received three degrees from Central Michigan University- Bachelor , Masters, and Specialist in Education. For most of his career he was a High School Principal in Carson City at Crystal High School. Mike was a pre- need specialist for many years at the funeral home and now mainly works on special projects. Mike attends St. Ann Catholic Church and is a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Cadillac Lions club, which he is also a board member of. He holds golf memberships with Cadillac Country Club and Lakewood on the Green and also enjoys playing pickle ball at the YMCA. Mike and his wife Carolyn have two sons, Mark and Matt, and six grandchildren.

Dick Young

Director

Richard was raised and spent his formative years in the family owned funeral home in Lake City with his father, James L Young which was founded in 1936. After graduating from high school in 1958, Dick earned an Associate Degree from Northwestern Michigan College and then graduated from Wisconsin Institute of Mortuary Science in 1962. Presently, Dick serves as manager of the Young-Holdship Funeral Home in Lake City. Dick has been involved in many facets of the Lake City community and has dedicated twenty years in city government. He has also served on the board of the Michigan Funeral Directors Association. He and his wife, Susan have three married children and enjoy nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Dick enjoys fishing in Canada, working in his vegetable garden and sharing memories with family and friends.

Susan Dennis

Preneed Counselor

Susan was born and raised in Cadillac, Michigan and graduated from Cadillac High School.  Susan's passion for helping people guided her to become a pre-planning consultant. She brings families together to talk about the end-of-life process, and gives them peace of mind knowing through her guidance their families are taken care of.  Susan joined Holdship Family of Funeral Homes in January 2022. Susan is involved in many community organizations such as, Rotary, Power of the Purse and  Habitat for Humanity.  Susan attends Resurrection Life in Cadillac. She loves spending time with her family, camping, horseback riding, side by side trips and gardening.

Susan Young

Susan grew up in Lake City, graduated high school in 1963, and has actively worked alongside her husband Dick in the family owned funeral business since 1967. Presently, Susan serves as office manager for the Young-Holdship Funeral Home in Lake City. She assists families with the many details of arranging a meaningful service for their loved one. The Youngs have three married children along with nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren that call her Gram. Susan enjoys fishing in Canada, genealogy, family gatherings, and feels extremely attached to small town living at its best in Northern Michigan.

Monica Gremmel

Monica was raised and attended school in Bridgeport, Michigan. She spent her professional career in the medical field. Initially, Monica served as a registered medical assistant for more than 40 years, as well as an EMT-B for more than 15 years. Retirement has awarded her the opportunity to be more available to family and friends as the needs arise. Monica volunteers as a member of St Ann Catholic Church, serving as a Eucharist Minister, choir member, and a cantor. She has been married to Gary for over 48 years, together they have two daughters and four grandchildren. She enjoys life on Lake Missaukee and sharing it with friends and family, as well as a good game of golf.

Ken Stahl

Ken was born and raised in McBain and was a graduate from McBain Public School and Ferris State University with a BA Degree in Accountancy. Ken worked in the accounting and finance field in various capacities for 47 years before “retiring” in 2017 and joining the Holdship Family of Funeral Homes in 2019. Ken has served on the Board of Directors for various volunteer organizations including; WorkPlace Ministries of Northern Michigan, Friends Ministry, City of McBain Charter Commission, McBain City Council, and McBain Public School Board of Education. He and his wife currently volunteer on the Board of Directors for Friendship Family Home, a Christian non-profit home for ladies with developmental disabilities and attend McBain Baptist Church. Ken has been married to his wife, Gail, for 49 years with four beautiful children, four great in-laws and ten spectacular grandchildren. For pleasure, Ken likes to travel, camp, garden, and collect Coca-Cola memorabilia.

Rev. Ken Koning

Ken has been a resident of McBain since 1996 and has been serving as pastor of the Calvin Christian Reformed Church during that time. Ken and his wife, Laurie, have five sons, one daughter-in-law, and one granddaughter. Ken joined the Holdship Family of Funeral Homes in March of 2019 and enjoys reading, watching movies, and playing board games.

Roy VanAntwerp

Roy was originally from Northern Michigan and the Pine River area before moving to Marshall, Michigan to complete high school. Roy made his way back north, spending his time in Traverse City and Fife Lake before returning to Tustin. He volunteers his time with the Pine River Historical Society in Tustin and is a member of Dighton Wesleyan Church. Roy has been married to his wife, Dawn, for over 48 years, having four kids, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Dawn and Roy adopted their great-granddaughter, Kimi, and are currently raising her to love the Lord. He enjoys yard work and tinkering in the garage.

Walt Tank

A retired System Engineer, Walt moved to Prudenville from Pleasant Ridge in 2016, with his wife Elaine. He worked with the major phone companies, providing his customers with voice and data services. A college football fan, he travels often following his favorite teams. Fishing, model building, and a “hack” at golf, round out his hobbies. His wife was the Administrator for the Royal Oak United Methodist Church for over 30 years. She is still working for ParishSoft, a company providing software services to churches of all faiths. His daughter, Samantha, is married and living in Ann Arbor.

Douglas Stockwell

Doug graduated from Grand Rapids Baptist college in 1987, with his Bachelor of Religious Education. He has served in three churches, totaling over 32 years of pastoral ministry. Doug and his beautiful wife Beth have been married for 30 years and have two grown and married children. Deborah and Andrew. He is patiently awaiting grandchildren. Doug enjoys spending time with his family and friends, as well as woodworking.

Bill Nees

Bill has been around funeral service for a few years. Originally began with Young Funeral Home in Lake City and now is a valued part of the Holdship Family of Funeral Homes. He was raised in both Bay City and Lansing, attending Lansing Community College, and earned his Bachelor’s from Northwood Institute. Bill volunteers his time with the Lake City Chamber of Commerce, the Greatest Fourth in the North, Wreaths for Veterans, and has an active part in his church communities in both Lake City and Florida. Bill is blessed to be married to his friend, Susan, who is always encouraging and they enjoy traveling. Together they have three children, a son and two daughters, as well as their beloved and very active grandsons. He has a passion for sports, currently enjoying bowling and golfing, and likes to spend time, boating, gardening, and reading.

Jody Navorich

Jody has been with the company since 2011. He was born and raised in the Manton area and graduated from Manton High School in 1985. Jody has attended Rollins Christian Fellowship Church since 1994. He has been married to his wife Amanda since 2017 and they have three children and 11 grandchildren. He enjoys being outside, gardening and helping others.