Melody Eddings
Funeral Director #541 / Embalmer #7955 In 2016 we were fortunate to find Melody, a licensed funeral director and embalmer with over 30 years of experience in the funeral industry. She is a graduate of Cypress College of Mortuary Science in southern California. Melody meets with families at need to arrange funeral services and strongly...
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Ben Sivils
Funeral Director #2329 / Embalmer #8783 Born and raised in Turlock, Ben began his funeral service career at Allen Mortuary in 1994 and trained alongside our founder William Allen. He received his degree in mortuary science at Mt. Hood College in Gresham, OR and is a licensed funeral director and embalmer with over 25 years...
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Jacob Ward
Crematory Manager #830 Jacob started working for Allen Mortuary on a part-time, on-call schedule assisting with driving and services. After graduating from California State University, Stanislaus with a B.S. in Anthropology, he started working daily in the office, learning all aspects of the funeral industry. His calm demeanor and professional manner is always appreciated by...
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Laurie Walters
As a member of the Allen family and with extensive experience in her field, Laurie is a true asset to Allen Mortuary. She works behind the scenes in administration, accounting, HR/payroll, software and systems support. Her smile and friendly personality are always a welcome sight in the office. Laurie graduated from California State University, Sacramento...
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Sarah Reed
Embalmer #9762 Sarah received her A.S. degree in Mortuary Science from American River College in Sacramento and has a Funeral Arranger Certificate from the CFDA. After apprenticing with us for three years, she earned her CA Embalmer License in 2023. She also holds an Associate Degree in Social and Behavioral Science from Modesto Jr. College....
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Matthew Testo
Funeral Director #4695 Matthew was born and raised in Tracy, attended Modesto Jr. College, and has a B.S. from UC Santa Cruz. He initially started part-time working memorial services and doing removals for our families in 2019. Matthew transitioned to a full-time employee in 2021 and received his Funeral Director’s License in 2022.
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James Gehrke
Funeral Director #4696 James Gehrke is originally from Michigan and made California his home in 2006. He has a BS in Biblical Studies from Moody Bible College. James and his wife Erin have four kids who keep them on their toes daily. James has worked at Allen Mortuary for the past 10 years helping as...
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Holly Strickland-Barragan
Also employed by Precoa (The PreNeed Company of America), Holly represents Allen Mortuary and meets with families on- and off-site to arrange final expense life insurance and any preplanning needs. She has been representing us since 2013 and is entirely familiar with all operations and can answer any possible questions you might have.
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Morgan Fleming
In 2023, Morgan chose to work at Allen Mortuary because of our long history of personalized, family-oriented service to the community. She came to us with prior experience in crematory operations and security. Born in Modesto and raised in Turlock, Morgan is a twin and the oldest of four siblings. Married to her husband for...
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Nancy Ochoa
In May of 2024, we welcomed Nancy Ochoa, who has almost 10 years of experience working in the funeral home industry. She is our Bilingual Arrangement Counselor. Nancy is highly experienced in filing state and county paperwork as required by law. Most of all, her passion is helping, serving, and caring for those dealing with...
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