Our Staff

Our staff is comprised of dedicated and licensed professionals with the experience to answer all your questions regarding our services. Please feel free to contact any of our staff members at any time.

L. Martin Sauls, III

Owner, Funeral Director & Embalmer, License #1316

Martin is the owner of Sauls Funeral Home of Ridgeland and Bluffton, SC and has served as the Jasper County Coroner for 40 years. He became the owner of Sauls Funeral Home in Ridgeland at the death his father in 1979. He had been working with his father since his graduation from Louisville, KY Mortuary School in 1971. He opened his second location in Bluffton, SC in 2000.

Martin is a US Navy veteran of Vietnam and a resident of Ridgeland, where he was born and raised. Martin has served on numerous committees in both Jasper County and Beaufort County. He was the first Chairman of the Palmetto Electric PET Board. He recently served as Chairman of the Coastal Carolina Medical Center. He is on the board of BJVIM. He is known for his saxophone playing since his high school days and continues to be his passion.

Diane P. Sauls

Co-Owner & Manager

Diane Punzel Sauls is a native of Hardeeville, SC (Levy Section) and one of three daughters of Lawrence F. and Jacqueline Punzel. She is a graduate of Hardeeville High School and Bolen-Draughton Business School of Savannah, GA. She has worked alongside her husband, L.Martin Sauls, III for 40 years.

Prior to co-owning the business, Diane worked as a hospitality professional for more than 14 years. In this role, she traveled throughout the United States coordinating the opening of properties for the Hilton Hotels Corporation.

Diane has served on several Jasper County Boards including the Jasper County Chamber of Commerce, Morris Center Foundation, and the Resource Foundation for Jasper County. She has a passion for serving her community, as demonstrated by her commitment to assisting families make arrangements for passed loved ones.

Rachael Dye-Arney

Funeral Director, License #4249

Rachael N. Dye-Arney, daughter of Deborah Johnson Dye and the late James “Jim” R. Dye, Jr., was born and raised in Trenton, Missouri. She is a graduate of Central Missouri State University (Warrensburg, Missouri; now University of Central Missouri). Rachael earned her Missouri Funeral Director license in 2007 and her South Carolina Funeral Director license in 2021. She and her husband (Scott) and their son (Mason) relocated to the beautiful low country to enjoy the southern lifestyle and ocean in 2020.

Alan Micheal Martin

Funeral Director & Embalmer, License #3711

Alan Micheal Martin has been a licensed funeral director and embalmer for 41 years, graduating from Gupton Jones College of Mortuary Science in 1979. He is a member of Masonic Lodge F&AM 452 of Savannah, GA, York Rite, Scottish Rite (9^th Degree Presentation Team), an Ailee Shriner, a member of the Royal Order of Jesters Court 134 of Savannah, and a member of the Ailee Dune Cats. Micheal resides in Savannah with his wife, Nancy.

Kathryn Crosby Stoner

Apprentice, Lincense #4254

Kathryn C. Stoner is a great-niece to Martin Sauls III and takes joy in being a member of the Sauls Funeral Home staff. She received her degree in Funeral Service in May of 2018, graduating with honors from Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro, GA. She is a Ridgeland native, a high school graduate of Thomas Heyward Academy, and a member of Ridgeland Baptist Church. She is married to Blake W. Stoner of Ridgeland. Kathryn enjoys traveling, spending time on the beach, and playing with her dogs, Sadie and Ranger!.

Scott Arney

Assistant

Scott Arney was born in Princeton, MO and raised near Mount Moriah, MO. He is a graduate of Central Missouri State University. Scott and his wife, Rachael, and their son, Mason, moved to the Lowcountry in the summer of 2020. In his spare time, he enjoys visiting the beach, bird-watching, and landscaping.

Ryan Speegle

Assistant

Ryan Speegle is originally from Marietta, Georgia and has lived in the Lowcountry since 1999. He has been working as a Funeral Assistant with Sauls Funeral Home since 2011. He and his wife Meagan currently live in Beaufort, SC with their two sons, Trey and Seth and daughter, Sara. Ryan enjoys boating and being on the water in his spare time.

Hannah C. O'Quinn

Apprentice

Hannah C. O’Quinn, daughter of Gerald and Christi O’Quinn, is a native of Ridgeland, SC and a graduate of Thomas Heyward Academy. She began working for Sauls Funeral Home in 2018 after graduating cum laude from Piedmont Technical College with an Associate’s Degree in Funeral Service. During her free time, Hannah enjoys drawing, spending time with her three dogs, and going out in the river.

William Shoemaker

Assistant

William Shoemaker, a U.S. Navy veteran, grew up in Switzerland, South Carolina. He arrived in Ridgeland, South Carolina at 27 years old as a police officer. He was the first bike officer. After spending some time in cemetery maintenance in the state of New Hampshire, William returned home to South Carolina. During his free time, he enjoys riding his Harley around the Lowcountry.

Brenda Thomas Reiser

Funeral Assistant

Brenda Thomas Reiser is a part time employee of Sauls Funeral Home. Brenda was born in Ridgeland and lived in Columbia, South Carolina for 25 years before retiring and moving back "home" to Ridgeland. Brenda is an avid gardener and travels to Texas and Louisiana every chance she gets to visit with her two grandsons. Brenda is a granddaughter of Martin Sauls I and is very proud and delighted to be a member of the staff at Sauls Funeral Home. As a child, Brenda fondly remembers hearing her Uncle Martin (Martin Sauls Jr.) tell stories of her family.

Rita Adams

Courier

Rita Adams serves as the courier for Sauls Funeral Home. Rita is originally from Danville, Kentucky but grew up in Richmond, Kentucky. She moved to South Carolina in 1989. Rita is a member of the Edgar Mole Chapter Order of the Eastern Star and the First Presbyterian Church of Hardeeville, South Carolina. She enjoys gardening, painting, and stock-car racing.

Macy Anne Sauls

Granddaughter

Macy Anne Sauls is the eldest granddaughter of L. Martin Sauls, III. She recently graduated from John Paul II and is attending Clemson University. Macy loves cheering on her Clemson Tigers, spending time on the Chechessee river, and traveling.

Emma Martin Sauls

Granddaughter

Emma Martin Sauls is the youngest granddaughter of L. Martin Sauls, III. Emma currently attends John Paul II Catholic School and plays volleyball. She enjoys hunting and spending her summers in the river.