Our Staff

Brad Yazel - Managing Funeral Director

Brad Yazel joined the staff of the former McLauchlin-Clark Funeral Home as the managing funeral director in June of 2006, and became the owner/manager of the Yazel – Clark Funeral Chapel in 2009. Brad and his children reside at the funeral home in Dowagiac. He is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Sister Lakes and a member of the parish council. Brad is the President of the Dowagiac Fine Arts Festival, Inc., serves on the Ethics Committee for Borgess Lee Memorial Hospital and on the Dowagiac Airport Advisory Board. He is a member of the Sister Lakes Lions, Dowagiac Rotary Club, Peninsular Lodge #10 of Free and Accepted Masons, Dowagiac’s Experimental Aircraft Association, and the Dowagiac Knights of Columbus.

Brad served as a team leader for the disaster recovery teams dispatched to New Orleans, following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He is a private pilot and a member of the Tail Draggers Flying Club. Brad enjoys attending his children’s sporting events and loves to create gourmet meals in his kitchen. He looks forward to watching his family grow in Dowagiac for many years to come.

Donna Adkins - Family Service Counselor

Donna attended Purdue University and graduated from Worsham College of Mortuary Science in 1993. Donna is a member of the Moose Lodge #599 of Elkhart and the St. Joseph County Homemakers Association-Penn Neighbors. She is the secretary-treasurer of Northern Indiana Funeral Directors Association and has volunteered her time to the National Clean up Disasters. She and her family are members of Queen of Peace Church in Mishawaka. She is licensed funeral director in both Illinois and Indiana.

Renee (Waldschmidt) Crandall-Bowen-Office Manager

Renee (Waldschmidt) Crandall- Bowen joined the staff of Yazel-Clark Chapel in June 2006 as the office manager. She is a lifelong Dowagiac resident. She graduated from Dowagiac Union High School and attended Southern Michigan College. Prior to joining us, she was associated with Whirlpool Financial/Transamerica for thirteen years. She is a past member of Cass County Civitan. Renee enjoys spending time with her son and attending his school activities. Her hobbies include scrap booking, painting, and crossword puzzles, and she is also a NASCAR fan. Renee's knowledge of the community and long time affiliations make her a valuable asset when serving the needs of the area.