David Barbola
David Barbola was born and raised in Berlin. He was a 1973 graduate of Berlin High School and graduated with Distinction from the University of Minnesota, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mortuary Science in 1977. In 1979, he opened Barbola Funeral Chapel and built the present facility in 1986. In 2021, he purchased and remodeled the former Hempel Funeral Home building in Poy Sippi. It now operates as Barbola-Hempel Funeral Chapel.
Dave is a licensed life insurance agent in Wisconsin, holds a Certificate of Pre-Need Training, and is a licensed agent for Burial Agreements by the WI Funeral Directors Examining Board. He has sold and set monuments since his high school days and has been an agent for Twin City Monument Co. since 1987.
He is the father of two daughters, Karissa (Mark) Bowen and Kylah Barbola (significant other, Andy) and a proud grandpa of Karalyn and Ripley Bowen. He is Lutheran by faith and enjoys singing in the choir. Dave is a Paul Harris Fellow, past president of Berlin Rotary Club and a member of Waushara Area Chamber of Commerce. He enjoys boating, hunting, cooking, watching football and NASCAR racing.
Lisa J. Lee
Lisa (Anderson) Lee was born in Berlin and raised in the Poy Sippi area. She graduated from Berlin High School in 1983 and received an Associate in Applied Science degree in Criminal Justice-Law Enforcement from Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) in Appleton in 2005. After working in the law enforcement field, she has been a funeral associate at Barbola Funeral Chapel since 2009, helping conduct visitations and funeral services.
Lisa is a licensed life insurance agent, holds a Certificate of Pre-Need Training, and is a licensed Agent for Burial Agreements by the WI Funeral Directors Examining Board. She assists individuals in making irrevocable funeral trusts and pre-planning arrangements for their “personalized” funeral, in additional to being a Notary Public in the state of Wisconsin.
She is a compassionate professional who works well with people and cares about the small details. Lisa is a mother of three adult children, Les (Kristen), Ken (Elizabeth) and Megan, plus a very proud grandmother of three adorable grandchildren, Josephine, Cameron and Jonathan. She is a member of Poy Sippi Community Betterment Foundation and Waushara Area Chamber of Commerce. Lisa is Lutheran by faith and enjoys singing in the choir. Lisa is a past member and secretary of Berlin Chamber of Commerce and FVTC Forensic Science Advisory Committee. Besides spending as much time as she can with her grandchildren, Lisa enjoys watching movies, NASCAR racing, being outdoors watching all the animals, hunting and soaking up the sun while boating.
David Hempel
David Hempel was born and raised in the Redgranite-Poy Sippi area, and is a 1988 graduate of Berlin High School. He was employed at Hahn-a-Lula Resort near Fremont for over 32 years before joining the staff at Barbola Funeral Chapel in October 2018, as a Licensed Funeral Director Apprentice. David completed the Apprenticeship training program at MATC in Milwaukee and will graduate from Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in Iowa in March 2022.
David is a licensed life insurance agent, holds a Certificate of Pre-Need Training, and is a licensed Agent for Burial Agreements by the WI Funeral Directors Examining Board. He will be taking the Funeral Director Board exam in the Spring of 2022.
He is the father of three sons, Jordan, Nathan, and Benjamin. David is a member of St. John Lutheran Church of East Bloomfield, and is a past member of their school board.
David’s grandparents, Ray and Louise Hempel, owned Hempel Funeral Homes in Redgranite and Poy Sippi for over 50 years. David hopes to carry on that tradition as another “hometown person” to serve the area. He enjoys attending his sons’ sporting events and hunting with them.
Sue Shemanski
Sue (Whitford) Shemanski graduated from Oshkosh West High School and received a degree in Social Work from UW-Oshkosh. She was a licensed Substance Abuse Counselor, retiring from Waushara County in March 2021.
Sue is a licensed life insurance agent, holds a certificate in Pre-Need Training, and is a licensed Agent for Burial Agreements by the WI Funeral Directors Examining Board. She is honored that Dave Barbola has asked her to assist individuals in making irrevocable funeral trusts and pre-planning arrangements for their funerals. Sue has a personal understanding of the importance of pre-planning due to the passing of her husband much earlier than one would have hoped.