STAR SUPPORTER

For decades Bill and Susan Cutler have been integral parts of their communities in Council Bluffs (where they were both raised) and Omaha. Their record of service goes on for pages, and they would be the last people to list them.

“Few people know of their generosity. One of things they do is quietly provide gifts for people and nonprofits, but always with humility,” said Fr. Don Shane who has known Bill and Susan for more than 25 years, and worked with Bill preparing funeral services for local families.

Still, both Bill and Susan have been honored and noticed for their great contributions over the years. Bill is CEO and chairman of Heafey Hoffman Dworak and Cutler Mortuaries in Omaha, NE and Cutler O’Neill Meyer Woodring Funeral Home in Council Bluffs, IA, as well as the Walnut Hill, Cedar Lawn, Memorial Park and Ridgewood Cemeteries in Council Bluffs. He was inducted into the Omaha Business Hall of Fame in 2015.

Susan Cutler (formerly Susan Eakin) was born and raised in Council Bluffs. She is a 1966 graduate of Abraham Lincoln High School where she met Bill. Susan graduated in 1970 from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Following graduation, she taught 3rd grade at Hoover Elementary in Council Bluffs until her daughter Jeanie was born.

They have been married for 52 years and have three children and seven grandchildren. They made the big move from Council Bluffs to Omaha in 1987.

The children remember their parents as being hard workers throughout their lives.

“My dad was put on this earth to be a funeral director,” said Bill Cutler IV. “When he was growing up in Council Bluffs, his school was a block away from our funeral home. When he walked to and from school he wanted to stop there, but his father wouldn’t allow it.”

All of his children have helped out at the home over the years, making this a true family ministry of compassion. And while Bill was a role model at work, he said he hoped his children looked to their mother and followed her example.

“She is a great example of faithful giving, and a role model of doing the right thing,” Bill said. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Methodist Hospital Foundation, University of Nebraska Medical Center Healing Arts Advisory Committee, and the Archbishop’s Committee for Development. She is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem Northern Lieutenancy.

“I was always inspired by my dad’s understated optimism. Couple that with my mom’s faith and trust in God that you always are where you are meant to be. She taught us to walk by faith and not by sight,” said their daughter Jackie Conway.

“My parents have always been givers and do things for others,” said their daughter Jeanie Jones. “My father serves others every single day through his work and my mother serves the community through her volunteerism and philanthropic work. My parents are givers beyond measure and that has inspired me to serve my community as well.”

As many people who know them would say, Fr. Shane said it best, “My life is better having Bill and his family as friends.”