Directors
Dr.Courtney Slonkosky M.D.
Gynecologist
Dr. Slonkosky completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Notre Dame. She is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and completed her residency at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Slonkosky completed a medical and surgical fellowship in NaPro Technology at the Saint Paul VI Institute in Omaha, Nebraska. She joined Wilson Health Medical Group (Sidney, OH)  in 2010, serving as a board-certified ObGyn for nine years. In addition to fertility and endocrinology, she has special interests in integrative medicine and bioethics. She is currently taking a hiatus from clinical practice to homeschool and care for her five young children.
Father Stephen Shoup
Priest
Fr. Shoup was born in Troy on May 26, 1955, the third of five children of Irwin and Anna Shoup (both deceased). He attended St. Patrick School and graduated from Troy High School in 1973. He graduated from St. Gregory College Seminary in 1980 and Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in 1984. Fr. Shoup was ordained to the priesthood on June 2, 1984. His first assignment was Associate Pastor, St. Raphael Church, and teacher at Catholic Central High School, Springfield. His next assignment was Associate Pastor, Our Lady of Victory, Cincinnati, followed by Associate Pastor, Assumption Church, and teacher, La Salle High School, Cincinnati. In 1996 Fr. Shoup was assigned as Associate Pastor, St. Henry Church, Dayton. He became Pastor, St. Michael Church, Ft. Loramie, in 1999 and took on his second parish as pastor, Ss. Peter & Paul Church, Newport, in 2005. Fr. Shoup currently resides at St.Patricks in Troy, Ohio.
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I felt called to the priesthood by God from very early on and was encouraged to become a priest by my family and my parish, especially my late grandmother and the parish priests. The reason I remain a priest is that God continues to call me to his service in the church and the call keeps coming from others in their encouragement to serve God as a priest. Although the pastoral ministry of priests and pastors is going through some changes and hardships at this time as the number of priests decreases, God continues to sustain me and my brother priests with his loving and abiding graces and the support of the people we serve. I am very thankful for my vocation.
Brian A. Sowers
Funeral Director
Brian A. Sowers has been a Piqua native since the age of one. He graduated from Lehman High School in 1995. Brian graduated from Edison State Community College with an associate degree in Business Administration in 1997. He furthered his studies in mortuary science and graduated in 1998 from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science and received his bachelor's degree in Mortuary Science.
Brian is an active member of the Family of Grace Methodist Church. In the church, he serves on the worship team as the drummer, is chairman of the chair-set-up, plays for the softball team, and he is very active in the children's program. He is a member of the Piqua Kiwanis Club in which he has been a board member for two years and now serves as president of the club. Also in Kiwanis, he serves as co-chair of youth services for the Builders Club (Jr. High) and Key Club (High School). Brian is also a member of the Ohio Embalmers Association and the Ohio Funeral Directors Association.
On May 4, 1996, Brian married Laura A. (Freisthler). They have four beautiful daughters and one handsome son, Alexis, Ashley, Katrina, Chiai, and Jarin Sowers; and a beautiful granddaughter: Marcy
Mollie Verdier
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Mollie and Nathan Verdier founded Morgan's Place Cemetery after the loss of their two babies Morgan and Marion. Through the support of their community, the Verdier's will be able to minister to bereaved families and provide free burials for their babies. The Verdier's have nine living children and two in heaven.
Larry Elsner
CPA Monnier and Co.
Larry is a Shareholder and Director of Monnier & Co. and oversees the firm’s accounting and auditing practice. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a degree in business administration with a major in accounting. Larry is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants, University of Cincinnati Alumni Association, University of Cincinnati Athletic Teams Scholarship Club, and the Rotary Club. In addition to Morgan’s Place, he currently serves as treasurer of the Lehman Foundation and was a past treasurer of the Lehman Catholic High School Athletic Boosters and past treasurer and co-chairman of the Mayfest Soccer Tournament Committee of Shelby County Youth Soccer. In the past, he was a member of the board of directors of the Sidney/Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, where he served on the Executive Committee as treasurer and was a past chairman. He also served as a member of the board of directors of the West Ohio Development Council and as treasurer of the Wilson Memorial Hospital board of trustees where he served on the finance, medical staff, and Wilson Care, Inc. committees. He served on the Ohio CPA Journal Task Force and the Publications Committee for the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Five-year Plan Committee for the Upper Valley JVS. Larry has also served as a United Way volunteer.
Will Harrelson
Attorney at Harrelson and Harrelson
Will represents clients with a wide range of legal needs: from young couples drafting their first will or buying their first home, to local businesses involved in contract disputes and complicated litigation. No matter the issue, Will works through each matter with a pragmatic approach that leverages the latest in technology and best practices to reduce costs, time, and uncertainty.
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In his spare time, Will volunteers as a trustee on the board of The Overfield School, a Reggio Emilia-inspired early childhood program in Troy; the Lehman High School Foundation; and The Hundred Club of Miami County. He has previously served on other non-profit boards in and around Miami County.
Bonnie Berry
Joining the board in 2023, Bonnie brings a vast amount of knowledge in both business and community service. In addition to being a retired small business owner, she has over fifteen years of banking experience, as well as served as
Marketing Director for the Monfort Vohees McDonald’s Restaurants.
She lives in Wapakoneta with her husband Jack. They have two children and four grandchildren. She has been involved with several service clubs and community activities in the Auglaize and Mercer County areas. Helping others and living life to its fullest is truly her passion.
Gwen Stevenson
Gwen Stevenson, has been a registered nurse for forty-three years. Over the course of her career, she has worked in various clinical work settings. The majority of her career, however, was spent in nursing education. She was employed at Edison Community College for thirteen years, as both nursing faculty and Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences. Following those roles, she served as Director of Nursing at Clark State College in Springfield for four years and retired from that position in 2020. She has also taught nursing programs at Wright State University and Walden University. Mrs. Stevenson graduated from Wright State University with her BSN and MS degrees and in 2015 returned to Wright State University to pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. She graduated with that degree in 2018. Gwen has remained active in the nursing profession through consulting work.
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Gwen resides in Sidney with her husband Jim and is the mother of two sons. As a lifelong resident of Sidney and Botkins, Ohio, she has been involved in many community organizations and activities over the years.
Greg Wilt
Greg is a lifelong resident of Shelby County. His main career was as an educator having taught in both the Sidney City and Fairlawn school districts. He also served as Executive Director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Darke and Shelby Counties. He has been active in volunteer and service efforts in the Anna, Botkins and Sidney communities.
He joins his wife as being honored to now serve on the board of Morgan’s Place Cemetery.
Priscilla Wilt
Priscilla retired from Chase Bank with over thirty-four years in the banking industry working with both commercial and consumer clients. She has been involved in community and non-profit activities since childhood growing up with parents who believed in being of service to others. She has served on
various boards and committees such as the Sidney-Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, the Community Foundation of Shelby County, and the Botkins Board of Education.
She and her husband met while serving on the United Way annual campaign and have two children and nine grandchildren. She resides in Sidney, Ohio