Our Staff
Our staff's commitment to you
Our staff is committed to providing support, compassion, information, and direction as needed to all members of our community, their families, and friends who are dealing with loss and grief.
Jacob’s work in the funeral profession began at age 16, at a small-town funeral home in northwest Iowa, where he washed cars, cleaned, and did lawn care. One day, the owner (his mentor, Dan Ciha) took him to buy a suit, dress shirt and tie, so Jacob could help with visitations and services, putting him on the path to becoming a funeral director and funeral home owner. He can’t believe that was 30 years ago!
Jacob says, “From the moment of the first call, I am 100% focused on helping a family face the worst day of their life. As one of the owners, I love developing new ways to serve families, finding the careful balance between technology and the importance of personal service in our work. I also get to share my vision with an amazing team of professionals.”
He believes it’s crucial to gain an appreciation of what a family has been through in the days, months, or even years before the death occurred, to help them visualize what goodbye looks like for them while embracing their family traditions.
Jacob has lived in Iowa his entire life, and now with funeral homes in both urban and rural areas, he enjoys meeting those they care for and care about. Jacob serves the funeral profession as a district governor for the Iowa Funeral Directors Association. “It is a true privilege to represent funeral directors, working in collaboration with colleagues from around the state,” he says.
Jacob values doing his part to help with issues in the community, and his involvement with the Rotary Club of Linn County is one avenue for this. The club focuses on projects of food insecurity and homelessness.
Jacob is married, and lives in southeast Cedar Rapids, centrally located between the three Stewart Baxter locations. There you’ll find him tending to his houseplants, feeding the birds, and relaxing on the deck with his two dogs.
After losing his older brother as a teenager, Scott switched paths, from landscape architecture to funeral service. He became co-owner of Stewart Baxter in 2008, allowing him to use compassionate understanding with people while celebrating their loved one’s life.
A proud graduate of Bowling Green State University and the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, Scott serves as Community Care Director, guiding families with preplanning, bereavement resources, and grief care programs.
“My first experience with grief was when I was eight years old, when I lost my grandmother,” Scott recalls. “My first time being in a funeral home was exciting, but scary. I was very inquisitive about how and why everything worked the way it did.” Using his personal experiences, and those he observes, helps Scott better understand how the grief process is different for each person.
“Living here is amazing, because you get to live a small community life in a larger one. It’s great having access to nature and all the amenities one needs, plus the ability to travel to larger cities within a few hours,” Scott says.
Scott is a Rotarian, and a certified lay missioner through the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, previously serving churches in eastern Iowa. He loves to be on water, or working in his large floral and water garden, cooking, refinishing old furniture or repurposing things, and enjoys almost all genres of music. Along with spending time with family and friends, Scott likes to play with his dog, Frenchie.