Our Heritage


The Steinke Chapel Heritage

Steinke Funeral Home Inc., Lake Geneva, Wisconsin was founded Saturday, July 1, 1944 by Arnold E. Steinke, when Arnold purchased the former Whiteman Funeral Home. The family tradition continued in 1972, when Arnold's son Gerald "Jerry" became a partner in the firm. 


Through the years, the funeral home has been continually updated and several major expansions were competed. Additional parking was provided and complete handicap accessibility was incorporated. Steinke Funeral Home Inc. would now be the largest funeral home in Walworth County.

Gerald Steinke was pleased to introduce to the Lake Geneva community Steven Lazarczyk, his wife Rebecca and children, Ethan, Amelia. He also proudly announced that he had entered into an agreement to transfer ownership of Steinke Funeral Home Inc. to Steven. With this succession plan in place, the new Steinke-Lazarczyk Family Funeral Home is positioned to ensure that the long practice of family service will continue far into the future. Steven Lazarczyk will continue the tradition of being a locally owned family funeral home. Steven immediately announced that Jerry is staying on as a Funeral Director and will continue, just as he has for the many previous years, to serve the families in all of the South Eastern Wisconsin area communities.

The Betzer Chapel Heritage


Sterling Emmett Betzer founded the Betzer Funeral Home in Harvard, Illinois in 1909 with horse drawn hearses and ambulances. 

Then, in the early 1930’s, Edward M. Schutt (S.E. Betzer’s son-in-law) and his partner, Z.F. “Dick” Cerny bought the business location. S. E. Betzer then moved to Delavan to start another location at 111 South 2nd Street, today it is known as the Delavan American Legion Post 24, across the street in competition with Lackey, Liddle and O’Brien Funeral Home. His son, Robert Sterling Betzer joined the family firm in 1936. 

In about 1940 Loreazo Lack and Robert Liddle retired; Robert S. Betzer, S.E. Betzer’s son, who was operating the Betzer Funeral Home at that time joined partnership with Thomas Henry O’Brien at the current location of 118 South 2nd Street and closed the location across the street. O’Brien and Betzer owned the only funeral home in Delavan until 1952. Thomas O’Brien retired in 1960 and Robert S. Betzer took sole ownership.

His son, Robert Gray Betzer entered the Betzer Funeral home in 1969 and joined hid father is the current owner and operator of Betzer Funeral Home.


Robert S. Betzer Retired in 1987.   

In 2021 Robert G. Betzer was pleased to introduce to the Delavan-Darien Community Steven Lazarczyk, the current owner of the Steinke-Lazarczyk Family Funeral Home in Lake Geneva. “I could not ask for a better person to go into business with, he is very compassionate and caring with the families that I have served for many years. He is what a true funeral director is of this generation, bringing new ideas to the Delavan-Darien Area.” With this succession plan in place, the new Betzer-Lazarczyk Family Funeral Home is positioned to ensure that the long practice of family service will continue far into the future. Steven Lazarczyk will continue the tradition of being a locally owned family funeral home. Steven immediately announced that Robert is staying on as a Funeral Director and will continue, just as he has for the many previous years, to serve the families in all of the South Eastern Wisconsin area communities.


We have always been family owned and operated and pride ourselves on individual attention to those we serve. Now offering two chapels, the now Betzer-Lazarczyk Family Funeral Home in Delavan and the Steinke-Lazarczyk Family Funeral Home in Lake Geneva, we can bring our care and compassion to more people. We earned our motto, "The People who care...MORE” by treating people the way we like being treated and we will continue to prove that and give our families “A Tradition of Trust and Compassion.”