Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Gilberg-Hartwig Funeral Home, Funeral service & cemetery, 225 W Monroe Street, New Bremen, OH.
Since 1929 the family of the Gilberg-Hartwig Funeral Home has been serving New Bremen and the surrounding area, with dignity, compassion and professionalism in our modern, yet home-like setting.
11/21/2025
New Bremen Village Council is looking to fill an open council seat.
Village Council is responsible for making the decisions necessary for the operation of their community on behalf of the citizens they represent. Decisions made on Village matters by Council members often consist of budgetary, human resources, allocation of resources, policy and procedures.
The appointed council member will serve a 2-year term from January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2027.
Village residents who are interested in filling this community leader role should drop off a letter of interest to the village office by end of day Monday, November 24, 2025.
11/21/2025
Join us for our Live Nativity at Do Good! Live Nativity will take place on Tuesday, December 9, Thursday, December 11, and Friday, December 12 from 6:00–8:00 pm each evening.
Do Good’s Live Nativity will be held in the Children’s Memorial Garden area located behind the restaurant along the walking path. We invite you to view the five different scenes depicting the evening of Jesus’s birth: “Joseph and Mary Traveling to Bethlehem,” “No Room at the Inn,” “Shepherds Looking At the Star of Bethlehem,” “Three Wise Men Traveling to Bethlehem,” and “The Birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” There will be cookies and hot chocolate for kids and adults to enjoy at the end of the five scenes.
This event is free and open to the public. Freewill offerings will be accepted at the entrance, which will be located in Do Good’s courtyard area. Come witness the true meaning of Christmas at this special event!
“And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7
11/21/2025
One of the biggest keys to safety is preparation. This Winter Safety Awareness Week, make sure you and your car are prepared for any inclement weather. Download OHGO so you can see real-time information about roadway conditions.
11/21/2025
As the holidays get closer, everything speeds up.
The schedules, the gatherings, the expectations…
and somehow we’re all just trying to keep breathing.
But if I’m honest, this time of year feels heavier than it looks from the outside.
Grief gets louder.
Memories hit harder.
And the empty space feels even bigger.
So this is your reminder....not to be strong, not to be positive, not to “get over it”...
but simply to check in with your heart.
How are you really feeling beneath all the noise?
Exhausted? Numb? Trying? Grateful and grieving at the same time?
Whatever the truth is,
it’s valid.
You’re allowed to feel more than one thing at once.
You’re allowed to be tired.
You’re allowed to step back and breathe.
Grief doesn’t disappear for the holidays.
It just takes up a different kind of space. 🖤
11/18/2025
Mark your calendars for this fun annual event!
The 2025 Tree Lighting ceremony hosted by the New Bremen/New Knoxville Rotary Club will be held on Monday, December 1st at 6:30 pm at Lock One Park.
11/11/2025
Today, we pause to honor and thank the brave men and women who have served our country with courage, dedication, and sacrifice. Your commitment to protecting our freedoms inspires us all.
To all veterans — past, present, and future — we are deeply grateful for your service.
11/10/2025
Jerry V. Koeper
JERRY V. KOEPER, age 79, of New Bremen, died on Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 2:15 A.M. at the Vancrest of St. Marys after a period of declining health. He was born on September 25, 1946 in Celina to the late Richard L. and Dorothy A.M. (Dicke) Koeper. On April 8, 1967, he married Barbara A. Forwerck at St. Peter's Church, and she survives in New Bremen. Also surviving are his children: Teresa Koeper-Moore of West Chester and Tim (Bridget)...
View Jerry V. Koeper's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.
10/28/2025
Join us as we pause to say THANK YOU to all those men and women who answer the call of service to their communities! Thank you for keeping our communities safe, and for helping in times of need!
New Bremen EMS
New Bremen-German Township Fire Department
New Bremen Police Department
New Knoxville Washington Township Fire Department
Van Buren Township Fire Department
Auglaize County Sheriff's Office
Shelby County Sheriff's Office - Ohio
10/21/2025
Dorothea May Fennick
Dorothea May Fennick, age 92, passed away surrounded in love on Saturday, October 18, 2025 at the Otterbein Senior Life Community in St. Marys, Ohio. Born on April 20, 1933 in New Castle, Pennsylvania, she devoted her life to faith, family, and serving others. “Dottie” was the daughter of the late Harold M. and Dorothea K. (Knobloch) Wright.She was a graduate of East Brook High School. On February 14, 1952, she married her childhood sweetheart, Benjamin J. Fennick who survives...
View Dorothea May Fennick's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.
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2019 marked 90 years in business for the Funeral Home located at 225 W. Monroe Street in New Bremen. The name of the business may have changed over the years from Gilberg & Hegemier to Gilberg Funeral Home, to its present name, Gilberg-Hartwig Funeral Home, but one thing has not changed – the care and dedication that is given to every family that we serve.
The funeral home had its beginnings back in the early 1920’s when Paul F. Gilberg was working with A.H. Albert Funeral Service of New Bremen during his high school years. In 1924 Mr. Albert helped to finance Paul’s education at the Cincinnati College of Embalming. After Paul had graduated from embalming school, Mr. Albert did not have a position open for him, so Paul found employment with Mr. Irwin Speckman, a local undertaker and merchant also of New Bremen.
In June of 1926, Paul and his friend Earl W. Hegemier joined together, and borrowed $250 from Earl’s father, Fred Hegemier. They drove a Model T Ford to Toledo, and purchased several radios, and brought them home to sell in New Bremen. This was the beginning of the People’s Radio and Gift Shop. For three years, Paul & Earl operated their business out of a rented a space in the old John Blase building on S. Washington Street (the current location of the Marathon Gas Station). In 1929, Paul and Earl bought the funeral business of A.H. Albert and moved their business to 5-7 N. Main Street, and renamed their business Gilberg & Hegemier. From this location they operated their retail store, as well as managed the funeral and undertaking business. They sold lamps, chairs, radios, refrigerators, wringer washing machines, as well as several caskets, which were stocked in a separate area of the store. The store did not function as a funeral home, because in those days, funerals were conducted in the homes of the deceased – including embalming and visitation of the deceased.
In 1937, Gilberg & Hegemier moved the funeral portion of their business to 225 W. Monroe Street (the present location of the Funeral Home). This was Paul’s home, and originally the home of his parents, Fred and Margaret (Rattler) Gilberg. Here the pair operated the funeral business as well as an ambulance service for the New Bremen area for many years. In 1961, after 35 years of business together, Earl Hegemier sold his share of the businesses. This lead to the names of the two businesses to be changed to Gilberg Furniture and Gilberg Funeral Home.
📷John Gilberg, a son of Paul Gilberg, grew up working with his father in both the funeral home and furniture store. He became more involved in the business after he graduated from high school, and in 1963 graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. Together Paul and John operated the furniture store and the funeral home until 1965 when Paul retired. John and his wife Joyce then purchased the businesses and moved their family to live above the funeral home in 1968. John and Joyce operated the two businesses up until the year 2000 when they both retired. At that time two of John and Joyce’s children, Jill (Gilberg) and Joe Borkowski along with James and Diane (Bushman) Gilberg, assumed ownership of Gilberg Furniture. Steven and Diana Hartwig, nephew of John and Joyce, became owners of the funeral home, which is now known as Gilberg-Hartwig Funeral Home.
James Gilberg (a grandson of Paul Gilberg and son of John and Joyce Gilberg) also grew up working with his father at the funeral home and furniture store. He, too, became more involved with both businesses after graduating from high school, and eventually went on to graduate from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. Today he is co-owner of Gilberg Furniture, and also owns and opperates Gongoozlers Brewry.
Steven Hartwig (a grandson of Paul Gilberg, and nephew of John & Joyce Gilberg) began working at the furniture store and funeral home in 1972 during high school. He became interested in the funeral side of the business, and went on to further his education at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, graduating in 1984. He then joined his grandfather and uncle at the funeral home. Upon John’s retirement in 2000, Steve and his wife Diana moved their family to live above the funeral home in 2001, and their children became the sixth generation of the Gilberg family to live at this location.
In 2008, Keith May joined the family of Gilberg-Hartwig Funeral Home working part-time. After graduating in June of 2013 from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, he became part of the full-time staff. Keith became a licensed funeral director and embalmer in February of 2015, and is looking forward to helping families in our area for years to come.
📷Today, the family of the Gilberg-Hartwig Funeral Home continues the tradition in New Bremen and the surrounding area, and are proud to be able to serve families with our modern, yet home-like setting. Our goal is to arrange the type of service to meet the individual needs of each family that we serve. From pre-arrangement of funeral services, to cremation and memorial services, to full-service traditional funerals, our family is here to assist your family through the loss of a loved one, now and for many years to come with the dignity, respect, professionalism, and commitment that you deserve.
