Innkeepers

Our innkeeping story started nearly 20 years ago, when we visited a lovely bed and breakfast in our hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. We fell in love with the historic inn, the quaintly decorated guest rooms, and perhaps most of all, the enchanting innkeeper and the lovely, personalized service that she provided to us. Over the years, traveling together became an important part of our own love story, and that extended to the incredible inns we’ve had the opportunity to experience, including several ‘favorites’ that we’ve returned to again and again.  We began to envision ourselves as proprietors of our own inn ‘someday…’

Ray earned a degree in Business Administration from Lakeland University and after a career in transportation management, was dedicating his time to raising our two young children, Milla & Flynn. Kelly, who earned a degree in Retail Merchandising from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, spent her entire career in the corporate world, working for a large retailer in product development and traveling the world frequently. 

Our path to The Rochester Inn was serendipitous… We had delightful memories of visiting The Rochester Inn before the arrival of our first child, Milla, and we loved the idea of our children growing up with a family business of our own.  We have been the proud owners and caretakers of this historic inn since 2016 and have loved every moment! Ray now works at the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation as a Business Counselor and also serves on the board of the Sheboygan Falls Chamber-Main Street. You’ll often find Ray in the kitchen, creating delicious new breakfast recipes for our guests, or working around the inn and the gardens, carefully maintaining our 171-year-old building. Kelly has left the corporate world to focus all of her energy on our inn and our family and loves welcoming our guests with true Wisconsin hospitality.  She is also passionate about ensuring that the inn, and each guest room, is thoughtfully decorated and appointed to ensure a cozy and luxurious stay. You may spot our entire family at the inn on the weekends, as we love to spend time here together.  The Rochester Inn is truly our dream come true!