Santa Clarita, California, USA
For most of my life, I’ve worked with people.
I began my career in law enforcement in the early 1970s, eventually working in the Robbery-Homicide division and serving as president of my Police League. Those years taught me how to listen, communicate, remain calm when things get difficult, and—perhaps most importantly—understand people.
After law enforcement, my wife and I built several businesses together, including video stores, a credit-card services business, and a scuba-diving business. As a P.A.D.I. Certified Scuba Instructor, I trained and certified hundreds of people. I also became a charity auctioneer and emcee, spending years speaking to audiences and learning how to read a room.
But it was officiating Celebrations of Life for friends and family that showed me where all those experiences were leading.
I discovered that I love helping people tell the story of someone they love.
The funny stories. The touching stories. The little things that made that person who they were. Sometimes the stories bring tears. Sometimes they bring laughter. And sometimes they do both.
My approach is simple:
Tell me about them.
I want to listen, ask questions, and discover the person behind the dates, accomplishments, and obituary. My goal is to create a Celebration of Life that doesn’t feel like a ceremony written for anyone.
It should feel like them.
I recently completed my training with Life Celebrants International and am honored to begin this next chapter as a Life Celebrant.
My hope is that when the ceremony is over, the family won’t remember me standing at the front of the room.
They’ll remember the person they loved.
My wife has been my partner and greatest supporter throughout nearly every chapter of my life, and I couldn’t have taken these journeys without her. Together, we’ve learned that the best part of life has always been the people we meet and the stories they leave with us.
The Stories. The Laughter. The Life.
