A La Porte County native and a true man of God, Dale Knouse serves as the owner of Cutler Funeral Home and Cremation Center. Knouse began working in funeral services in 1980, and he has been at the funeral home for 28 years now. Knouse has been operating as the owner for the last 10 years and is supported in ownership by his wife, Tonya.
Knouse’s career is more than just a job to him. Knouse views Cutler Funeral Home and the services it provides as a ministry and a way of life. Knouse’s job isn’t just a nine to five, it's 24-7, which can be very demanding. Despite the challenges and the constant grind, Knouse and his wife are always there to support families when they need them the most.
“It’s like anything else you do for your profession. Sometimes it becomes more than a profession. It becomes a way of life,” Knouse said. “Being in the care industry, or first responders, or anybody that does service to the community, you find a lot of times that takes precedence over everything else in your life. And so, you have to be uniquely wired for that and have an understanding spouse and family. Sometimes you don’t celebrate Christmas or birthdays on the exact date because you could have been called out in the middle of Christmas dinner to assist a family with a passing. We view it as a very sacred time when a family calls you to come into their home, a nursing facility, or a hospital. Anybody that’s my colleagues or in my mutual services would say the same thing. It’s just your way of life. It’s what you do.”
Although it is a demanding job with no set schedule, Knouse feels incredibly blessed to support and serve the community in such sacred times. Death is not an easy time or subject for families, but Knouse looks at the circumstances inversely. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects, Knouse uses his platform and expertise to create something unique and positive for families.
“It’s a blessing to be able to serve your fellow mankind. It means that you give back,” Knouse said. “You’re working with death but what you’re really working with is life because you’re working with the folks that are still on the journey and on this side of things. You’re celebrating a life that’s unique. There’s only one time a funeral is done and there are no do-overs. In 1980 when I got involved in the business, things were pretty cookie-cutter and there’s nothing cookie-cutter anymore. Fast forward to 2021 and it’s personalization all over the place which is just wonderful. That’s the way it should be.”
In addition to funeral services and supporting families individually, Knouse and the Cutler Funeral Home also give back to the community. Cutler Funeral Home has been participating in an annual coat drive for children every winter for the past 15 years and partnering with the Pax Center, a local food pantry in La Porte. More recently Knouse has been working on a veteran’s stocking drive and is involved with the La Porte County Symphony to give back to music students within school districts in the Region. Prior to his work with the symphony, Knouse was involved with the La Porte High School music program and assisted in raising funds for students, teachers, and directors involved in the program. One of the largest drivers for Knouse’s community support is the La Porte Missionary Church. Knouse and his family have been members of the church for 10 years.
“Our foundation is with our faith. We try to have everything we do go out from there,” Knouse said.
Knouse’s faith has been the center of everything he has done up to this point. Knouse’s father passed away suddenly when he was just 12 years old, but he believes that it is what shaped him into the man he is today.
“I just remember how the funeral director handled things and I saw a way, at a young age, to give back and to be able to help folks like our family,” Knouse said. “I truly believe God wired me for that and prepared the path for me to go into that profession. Looking back at it over the last 40 years, I just see God’s hand all throughout that whole process.”
Things aren’t always easy in Knouse’s industry, but there is one thing that he can lean on when times get tough: prayer.
“When things get tough, it’s prayer. Our staff will talk through the difficult situations we may be having personally or struggling with a particular type of death that somebody is going through and how we’re serving that family. That’s what keeps us going. There’s a larger force out there that you should get your strength from. When you have faith to fall onto, to give you guidance and direction and wisdom and strength, it doesn’t necessarily make it easier, but you don’t have to have fear at all,” Knouse said.
Outside of his faith and his profession, Knouse has two sons, both of whom he and his wife are very proud. David, Knouse’s oldest son, is a music educator and Matthew, his youngest, is currently a sophomore at Indiana Wesleyan University. In addition to faith and family, Knouse loves to collect autographs and memorabilia. Some of his favorite autographs include Ronald Reagan and Walt Disney, while his favorite pieces of memorabilia include original, 1977 Star Wars action figures.
Dale Knouse is a true family man and man of God. His service and dedication to the community continue to build La Porte into a loving community.