Alumni Stories

by Dana Larkin Sauers ’74, P’99, P’03, P’03, P’09, HOH'26

Everybody loves a good story of lasting love, and this one is no exception. When Jackie (McMaster) ’79 and Kevin '90 Neiderer met, Jacki was 36, a single mom with two young kids, and Kevin was 25, a funeral director in the prime of his life. It would seem that a very odd string of coincidences put them together at the right place and time.

​According to Jacki, “We had a great time together, and he asked for my number. I was reluctant to give it to him, but he was amusingly persistent. I never thought he would call me back, but he did. My dad answered the phone (I lived with my parents at the time) and said there was a guy on the phone. I took the call, and he asked me to dinner and a movie.”

​“The night of our date, there was a blizzard,” Jacki continues. “I thought for sure that he wasn’t coming. It turns out he thought I gave him the wrong address, but I actually lived on a street that had an extension. Kevin finally arrived, and we just laughed that things had gone so wrong.”

​“That night, I discovered Kevin was an old soul, could laugh at himself, was self-confident, kind, generous, and genuine. We found out we had a lot in common, especially our family backgrounds, our faith—both of us had gone to St. Vincent de Paul and Delone.”

​Kevin never saw their age difference or the fact that Jacki had two children as obstacles. After two years, he asked her to marry him; she said “Yes!” and on Feb. 26, 2026, they will celebrate 26 years of marriage. The fruits of that relationship are “two amazing daughters, two awesome sons-in-law, and two very energetic and funny grandsons. We are grateful every day for our family.”
​“We are both lifelong Catholics, and our church is the beautiful Sacred Heart Basilica. We were blessed to be raised by parents (Kevin’s dad, Dick Neiderer ’63, HOH ’25, was a larger-than-life inductee of Delone Catholic’s Hall of Honor) and grandparents who put family first and believed in the power of faith, hope, and love. We are especially grateful for their sacrifices to give us a Catholic education. Our experiences as graduates from Delone and St. Vincent’s have given us a strong foundation to continue our faith journey as adults,” she said.  

Delone Catholic taught both Kevin and Jacki to be “disciplined, responsible, and accountable. These traits, instilled in us early, made us successful in our careers, as parents to our children, our marriage, and our faith,” Jacki said. “Receiving a Catholic education meant everything to both of us. It is the reason we sent both our daughters, Jessica (Fetrow) Rock ’03 and Laura (Fetrow) Prietz ’10, to Delone. Delone also taught us the importance of community and working as a team. Whether we learned the value of teamwork by participating in sports, being in a club, or playing in the band, the goal was always the same: Work together, listen to everyone’s ideas, and everyone on a team matters. Collaboration and planning build trust and respect. If you are open to sharing ideas, you will thrive as a team, community, and family,” she said.

​Kevin is a member of the Knights of Columbus and Notre Dame Club in Gettysburg. He has been an avid supporter of Toys for Tots for over 25 years, and Jacki volunteers at Bethany Village in Mechanicsburg, Pa., helping to set up special events for residents with dementia.  

​According to Kevin, “The ’89 basketball championship was among my favorite memories, along with playing basketball and baseball all four years.” Jacki was a member of the band, performing at football games. “It was great having so many friends spanning four different classes. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention hanging with friends at the Delone carnivals; they were the best! Being a part of the 1979 Delonian staff as student life editor was exciting, too. It was fun working as a team to create something that showed who we are as a class. I am still proud of it to this day!”

They both enjoy many hobbies. Jacki loves reading, going to movies, seeing live comedy shows, musicals, making floral arrangements, interior decorating, shopping, and spending time with family and friends. Kevin is a longtime Notre Dame super fan! He loves collecting all things ND. He also enjoys music trivia, yardwork, Notre Dame football, and his fantasy baseball league. He has done this with the same group of guys for over 30 years!

Each maintains strong relationships from earlier times. Kevin still sees a lot of his friends from Delone Catholic; Josh Sieg ’90 has been his friend from grade school through DCHS, and then as college roommates at East Stroudsburg. Dan Lawrence ’90 has also been a long-time friend.

​“I am lucky that I still get together with my friends from Delone,” Jacki says, “including Joan (McMaster) Wruble ’79, Karen (Smith) Smith ’79, Patty (Smith) Gustafson, and Vickie (Breighner) Collins ’79. We’ve shared everything over the years, struggles, losses, memories from high school, and the joy we feel as grandparents. We laugh that we are coming upon our 65th birthdays this year... how can that be?”

​Jacki retired from Marshalls in 2025, but she is a licensed cosmetologist and worked as a hair stylist for three years, then assumed a position in retail management, starting at JCPenney and Rue 21, and then spent years with The Bon-Ton.​

Kevin is a graduate of Catonsville Community College with an associate's degree in mortuary science. He has been at funeral director for Monahan Funeral Home for 26 years. Jackie adds, “As a funeral director, he assists families deal with the loss of their loved ones. He is kind and compassionate and shows up for people when it is hard for them to get through this difficult time.”

​“Early in our marriage, my husband and I decided to come up with a bucket list of 100 things we wanted to do and places we wanted to see. It is an exercise I highly recommend! Some of our favorite trips include: Disney World with our grandkids, Nashville, Gatlinburg, Chicago, Cancun, Key West, cruises with family, Clearwater, Atlanta to attend The Masters, New York to see 'Mamma Mia!', and Las Vegas to see 'The Phantom of the Opera.' We love going to South Bend to see Notre Dame and enjoy all the excitement on campus. Our best adventures involve meeting the locals and finding the hidden gems in their communities.”  

​Jacki says, “I have prayed to God for many things, but was not expecting what He had in store for me. Sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith and trust in what God has in store for you. I am so glad I did!”