Administrative Staff
C. John Linge
President & CEO, The Cedar Group
John leads the Cedar Group, which consists of Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery Association, Cedar Memorial Funeral Home Company and the Cremation Society of Eastern - Central - Western Iowa. The Cedar Group is the second largest death care provider in the state of Iowa. Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery manages the largest perpetual care fund in the state of Iowa.
John received valedictorian honors from the first graduating class in the Mortuary Science department at the College of Boca Raton in Boca Raton, Florida. He also received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Regis University in Denver, Colorado - graduating with Magna Cum Laude honors. He is an Iowa-licensed Funeral Director and Certified Preplanning Consultant.
He is a leader in the funeral industry and he speaks throughout the country on issues related to the funeral, cemetery and cremation industries. He is a past member of the Board of Trustees of the American Cemetery-Mortuary Council, past president of the Association of Iowa Cemeteries, current member of the Board of Directors of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association and a member of Preferred Funeral Directors International. John has also served on many community boards and committees including Hospice of Mercy, Board of Trustees of Waypoint and Mount Mercy College.
John loves skiing (snow and water), scuba diving, golf and being with family. John and his wife Dina have two boys - Andrew and Clayton.
Ron Kreassig
Chief Financial Officer
A native of Dubuque, Iowa, Ron joined the Cedar Memorial team in 1986. He received his accounting degree from Loras College in Dubuque and he manages the accounting, record keeping and technology systems at Cedar Memorial.
Ron is a member of Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Marion. In his spare time, Ron enjoys yard work, home projects and spending time with his wife Cindy and their four children.
Michelle Klostermann
Director of Business Operations
Michelle is responsible for overseeing all business service functions for the Cedar Group working with associates to manage the administrative duties related to the cemetery, funeral homes and cremation center. Additionally, Michelle manages sales and marketing. She develops marketing programs and materials that help to educate the public on the benefits of preplanning and the unique services offered by Cedar Memorial as well as its commitment to excellence.
Michelle, a native of Johnson County, received her MBA from the University of Iowa. She brings almost 20 years of business experience to the Cedar Memorial team.
After work, Michelle’s three daughters keep her busy with school related activities but she still finds time to enjoy traveling and reading.
RJ Fagle
Director of Funeral Operations
RJ is originally from northeast Iowa and has been with Cedar Memorial since 1997. He helps oversee the day to day funeral related functions at Cedar Memorial. He works closely with the funeral directors, business services, cemetery staff, family service counselors, and after care to ensure Cedar Memorial and the Cremation Society of Eastern-Central-Western Iowa provide the best possible service. He works to ensure the needs of our staff are met so their attention and care can be focused on our most important customer, you. He is a member of the Marine Corp League and enjoys fishing and scuba diving in his free time and spending time with his family.