Same name, different owner

Tyler Hoff may turn a few heads with his youthful look, but he’s not letting that stop him from conquering the challenge of owning a new business.
At only 29 years old, Hoff recently purchased the Worlein Funeral Home in Blooming Prairie and Austin. His arrival brings an end to 31 years of ownership at Blooming Prairie and 76 years at Austin for the Worlein family.
Hoff and the Worleins finalized the sale in early February.
While he may still be young, the funeral business isn’t new to Hoff. He has been around funerals since he was a young child as his family owns several funeral homes in St. Charles, Winona, Rushford, Houston and Lewiston. Hoff’s grandfather came from the Milwaukee area to start the funeral business in Minnesota in the late 1960s.
“I am young, but with that comes the energy to take on the new wave of challenges,” said Hoff. “It’s definitely a challenge and a new adventure.”
Hoff laughed at the notion that many people often think he is a grandson helping at funerals and not the funeral director.
Hoff took over the ownership of Worlein’s from Paul Worlein, who will remain on staff to ensure a smooth transition over the next year. “Paul is a great mentor,” Hoff said.
In addition to Worlein’s help, Hoff said he also relies on his father’s expertise. He said he talks to his father daily to make sure he’s doing everything correctly.
The name of the business will remain Worlein’s, according to Hoff. “There is no reason to pull their name off the wall,” Hoff said. “We don’t want to change something that doesn’t need to be changed. We want to pay homage to the previous owners as they worked their whole life.”
Hoff said there is “a lot of pressure” for him to live up to the Worlein family name.
There will be no major changes at Worlein’s, Hoff said. Besides Hoff and Worlein, there are three other funeral directors. Mary Kittelson will also remain as community services director and offer Wednesday afternoon office hours in Blooming Prairie.
Hoff’s father and uncle initially looked at purchasing Worlein’s, but in the end determined it wasn’t feasible for them. That’s when Hoff stepped up and decided that he would buy the funeral homes.
Hoff said the death of a high school girl in a car crash profoundly impacted him as a teenager and influenced his desire to follow in his family’s footsteps. He said he was impressed with how his family went to the school to ensure the community healed properly after the death.
“My passion is for serving people and helping them,” Hoff said.
Hoff described himself as “laid back and go with the flow.” He said he subscribes to the theory that laughter is the best to get through difficult life situations.
He graduated in 2014 with a mortuary science degree from the University of Minnesota. Hoff returned to the Winona area six years ago to help with the family business.
Hoff and his wife, Emily, have two small children, Haddie, 3, and Kate, 8 months old. They plan to move to Austin by the end of April.
“We will live in Austin, but we want to be a part of the Blooming Prairie community,” Hoff said.