About Brian Wikoff & History of JourneyOn

Brian A. Wikoff was born and raised in Cincinnati. He was a 1979 graduate of Colerain High School and received an Associate of Arts Degree in General Studies from the University of Cincinnati in 1981. Brian then earned an Associate of Applied Science Degree from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1982 and receiving the Homer D. Leffler Award.

He started his career serving an apprenticeship with Hanson-Neeley Funeral Homes in Ada and Alger,

Ohio. From 1984 to 1986, Brian was employed by the Anderson Funeral Homes, including Vitt & Stermer Funeral Homes and W. Mack Johnson Funeral Home, in Cincinnati. He then joined the Outlook Group as a preneed counselor before taking a position with E. C. Nurre Funeral Home as a preneed director. Brian was hired in 1993 with PreQuest as a regional manager serving Ohio, Indiana

and Kentucky funeral homes with preneed marketing and sales.

In 1997, Brian surrendered to full time Christian ministry and moved to Greenville, South Carolina to attend Bob Jones University where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Pastoral Studies in 2000.

He was ordained into the ministry after graduation. Brian was licensed and employed as a funeral director and embalmer at the Howze Mortuary in Travelers Rest, SC while attending school. Brian took a pastorate in Decatur, Indiana from June 2000 to June 2005, also serving part-time as a licensed funeral director and embalmer with Haggard & Sefton Funeral Home and Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home, both in Decatur, IN. 

From 2005 to 2009, Brian returned to the Cincinnati area to serve as an associate pastor working in adult ministry and outreach in Clermont County. He started his own company, JourneyOn, in the Fall of 2009 to handle aftercare for funeral homes. Brian was employed with the Evans Funeral Homes in Milford and Goshen, Ohio from 2010 to 2022. 

Brian also volunteers as chaplain with the Milford Police Department, Milford Community Fire Department, Miami Township Fire & EMS and Miami Township Police Department. He is a member of the Tri-State Peer Support Team and a member of OMORT (Ohio Mortuary Operational Response Team).

In January of 2023, Brian restructured JourneyOn to be a full-service company offering assistance with preneed, at need, aftercare and celebrant services. Brian is a funeral industry specialist with 40 years of funeral service experience, 22 years of pastoral care and chaplain duties, and a compassionate funeral speaker. He is licensed in the State of Ohio as a funeral director and embalmer and holds Courtesy Cards to participate in Kentucky and Indiana. Serving others has always been the driving factor in Brian’s life.

What others have said about my speaking services:

“We want to thank you for making the celebration of Nick’s life easy for all of us. All our family

commented on what a nice service you did.”

“We would like to thank you for all your kind words during this difficult time. The service was a

beautiful ‘Celebrate Life’. I would refer my friends to you!”

“I wanted to thank you for such a great funeral service you gave my mother. You spoke in a way

that touched our hearts. I liked how you incorporated scriptures that corresponded with how

Mom was. I received many, many compliments about you.”

“Thank you. This is the 3 rd time you’ve spoken at one of my loved one’s funeral service. It’s

greatly appreciated.”

“We can’t thank you enough for all the help you gave us during Rick’s death and we appreciated

the time you took to honor his memory by making his Celebration Service special. Your

encouragement, when we needed it the most, helped make a difficult time so much easier.”