History & Staff

Michael graduated from Methuen High School and went on to obtain his mortuary services degree from New England Institute for Applied Arts and Sciences in 1972. He was awarded the prestigious David McCool Family Service Award from this institution at that time. Michael, who began his career working for his father in 1969, is a second-generation owner of the Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home. In 1992, he purchased the business and resolved to continue the legacy of service and dedication instilled in him by his dad. Michael’s philosophy is: “What’s good is never good enough – we can always do better.” He has tried to communicate this principle to all of his employees and co-workers and has encouraged them to perform better than expected. Michael is a member of Selected Independent Funeral Homes and served on their Resource Board of Directors for 6 years. He is also a member and former board member of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association. Michael is a charter member of the Methuen Exchange Club and belongs to the Methuen Historical Society. Michael has been married to his wife, Maureen, for 34 years and has one son, Chris. In his spare time, Michael enjoys boating, fishing and playing with his two grandchildren, Adam and Sean.

Rob Chase was born and raised in Methuen and has been a Merrimack Valley resident for most of his life. He is a 3rd generation Methuen resident. After graduating from Methuen High School, he graduated magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, where he majored in Business Administration and minored in Psychology and Economics. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree, Rob attended and graduated summa cum laude from Briarwood College in Southington, Connecticut with an associate’s degree in Funeral Service. He then graduated with a juris doctorate from the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover.

Rob has over 30 years of funeral-related experience and has been a funeral director in both Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. He is also a licensed, non-practicing attorney in Massachusetts.

In his free time, Rob and his wife, Sabrina, enjoy spending time with family and friends. Rob has a son, Dustin, and three step-children, Tiffaine, Nick, and Chris.

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A Methuen High School graduate, with family still in town, Yesenia Torres brings with her years of experience, an authentic, caring disposition, and a purpose for serving the community that has served her well.

Born into an Ecuadorian and Cuban family, Miami, FL was home before moving to Methuen in 1996 at the age of ten. After graduating high school, she pursued her interest in the funeral field by attending and graduating from The Funeral Institute of the Northeast in Norwood, MA in 2013. She excelled in her career as a licensed funeral director and embalmer on the south shore specifically for the Jewish community. Currently resides in Methuen, where she is raising her two beautiful young boys, Samuel and Daniel.

During the rare times she is off, she spends it with her family, immediate and extended. She is not one to stay home if there is an opportunity to travel; she has been fortunate to visit Cuba, Spain, Portugal, Ecuador, Mexico, Canada, and all of the Caribbean Islands. Being bi-lingual has certainly helped during her traveling as well as in her career. Yesenia serves on the Advisory Board for FINE Mortuary College in Norwood and is also on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association.

Yesi is proud to be serving her community with a family owned, community oriented funeral home.

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Drew, as he is known to family and friends, grew up in Lynnfield, MA, with his parents, two older brothers and younger sister. With his entire family living in the area, it has fostered the importance of family values.

After graduating from Lynnfield High School, in 1992, Drew experienced college at Western New England University in Springfield, MA. He was hoping that he would find his career path in sampling academia, but there wasn’t anything that seemed to spark a passion.

Drew returned to Lynnfield where he started to gain some life experience by trying various types of employment. Through his favorite job at a hospital, he came to realize the personal fulfillment he received from assisting people who needed help.

After a serendipitous suggestion from his family, Drew found his calling in Funeral Service. He is a graduate of The Funeral Institute of the North East Mortuary College in 2002, magna cum laude. He is a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer in Massachusetts as well as New Hampshire.

Residing in the Merrimack Valley area since 2015, Drew became a homeowner in Haverhill, MA in 2020.

When Drew is not helping those who are dealing with one of the most difficult times in their lives, he enjoys spending time with his ever-important family and friends, as well as his beautiful black cat, Cinderella. His other passions include golfing, helping pet adoption charities, enjoying the beauty of New England, and The Dave Matthews Band.

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Carrie Lynn Berube is a lifelong Methuen resident and graduate of Methuen High School, class of ’85. Carrie has her degree in Business Management and has spent decades at various levels of management in the retail industry. Carrie joined the funeral home staff in 2019. She brings a lifetime of experience serving others to her position at the Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home.

Carrie recently celebrated 34 years of marriage to her husband, Stephen. She and her husband have two children, Alexandra and Nicholas.

Carrie enjoys entertaining, traveling, gardening and most of all spending time with family and friends.

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Paul Marggraf was born in Methuen, MA. and currently resides in town.
Mr. Marggraf was fortunate enough to join the Pollard family in 1963 and is honored to serve families of the Merrimack Valley.
Empathy and compassion are two of Paul’s strongest qualities.
Paul is approaching 60 years in the profession. We are grateful to have him on our team.

Hanna Hazel Talmo is honored to be part of the Kenneth H. Pollard team. Hanna's current goal is to obtain her Funeral Directors license. She is presently registered in the Funeral Service program at Northshore Community College. Hanna is excited to be part of the celebration of life journey and hopes to own her own funeral home one day! She looks forward to serving her community in her hometown of Methuen.

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Richard Payeur was born in Manchester, NH. and currently resides in Lawrence, MA.
Mr. Payeur joined the Pollard family in 2004 and is honored to serve families of the Merrimack Valley.
Kindness and caring are two of Richards’s strongest qualities.
Richard is approaching 19 years in the profession. We are grateful to have him on our team.

Kevin Carney has been with us since June 2021. Born in Methuen, MA. and raised in Salem, NH.
A graduate of Central Catholic High School and the University of New Hampshire, where Mr. Carney received his BS in Business Administration. In college Kevin worked summers at St. Mary's Immaculate Conception Cemeteries.
Kevin has spent 32 years in banking and hi-tech finance. Retiring from IBM in 2020 after 26 years of service. In July 2020 Kevin returned, part time, to St. Mary's Immaculate Conception Cemeteries with a focus on burial and grounds care. This experience complements his role with us at KHP.
Kevin resides in Derry, NH with his wife of 42 years. They have two grown sons and one granddaughter.