Meet Doreen Lopez | Mortuary Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Doreen Lopez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Doreen, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I attribute my personal success and the success of the company to hard work, dedication and discipline and always remaining in FAITH.
When I first began this amazing journey in mortuary services in the late 90’s it was a male dominated industry, there were no female mortuary owners let alone a female Hispanic. The first five to seven years were extremely brutal, having to prove that I was cut out for the industry. I was the answering service, the pick up person, the funeral counselor, the obituary/media person, See when I started this company with my business partner I knew nothing, absolutely nothing about the funeral industry, but what I did know, was that failure was not an option. And I was not afraid of hard work. I read every compliance book that the state of California had, I visited many funeral homes pretending that I was a client in need, because I wanted to see how they treated people. This was heart wrenching for me, because they genuinely didn’t care and it showed. One of my most memorable time was when I had went into a funeral home pretending to make arrangements for my grandfather and the attendant couldn’t remember if I was there for my grandmother or grandfather. She must have asked me ten times what my name was, she wasn’t compassionate, she didn’t genuinely care. At the end of our meeting I asked a question: Are you hiring? Are you salary or commission based? They were commission based. I knew then, that I would not have my company be a commission based company, we would be hourly and offer incentives, but definitely not be commission based. . Later that day I went and talked to my dad and shared my days experience with him, and he gave me the best advise and it was simple: treat people honestly, with compassion and remember that the clients that come into your care are somebody’s loved one.. Success for me isn’t measured by the money, it’s measured by the level of care and love I put into each and every homegoing. I personally give each and every family 110%, I treat each loved one as though I knew them. I stay dedicated and committed to all the families ensuring that the services they have envisioned for their loved is the one that I have provided for them. Because the most important thing I have had to remember is that there are no do overs in death.

What should our readers know about your business?
Family Memorial Services Mortuary is completely different from any other funeral home that I’m familiar with because 99% of what we do is all in house. This simply means we only out source two of our services: cremations & embalming and this is simply because I do not have a crematory {not yet anyways}, and it’s not cost effective for me to employ a full time embalmer. Family Memorial Services Mortuary takes pride on having our own in house transportation team who by the way are amazing. A phenomenal team of funeral counselors, a notary and insurance writers all under one roof. Why stop there? I opened Islas FG&S which is a full service floral boutique because every funeral needs flowers. Islas FG&S also handles all of my printing for funeral programs and engraving memorial mementos, and now even the very popular memorial t-shirts amongst other things. I strongly believe that I’ve gotten to where I am by working hard, staying dedicated to my business, staying determined and never saying no when families would ask for nontraditional services, as long as it wasn’t illegal or immoral I would find a way to make it happen. I’m willing to do whatever a family request within reason of course, because this is their celebration for their loved one and I believe that it should be just as unique and special as each individual. Of course my journey hasn’t been easy, if it was everyone would have done it. My biggest test in the industry was when the Covid 19 pandemic hit, I remember sitting in front of the tv asking myself what does pandemic even mean? Then I was soon tested, in my area all the mortuaries closed, by this I mean they stopped answering their phones, they stopped picking up descendants. They STOPPED! Who does that? I went into prayer, I’m a woman of God so I asked for clarity and guidance, not toilet paper and water. {my humor}. What happened next was profound: I went to the hospital in our city to pick up a couple of clients and I heard one of the nurses saying “Our morgue is full and we’ve called all the mortuaries close by to see if they could hold for us off site.” I said “You didn’t call me or my mortuary” She replied “Who are you?” I said proudly “FAMILY MEMORIAL SERVICES MORTUARY, and you didn’t call us.” The nursing administrator asked me three questions: “Did I know how to write a contract? What are your prices? and, How soon could I get a contract to her?” I went home, wrote a contract, immediately sent it over to her and she informed me it would take a week or two before I would have an answer, no problem because I still had to figure out storage, remember pandemic. How many decedents were we talking about? I had no idea, but I was going to find out soon enough. My contract was approved within hours. Immediately I had to figure out storage for these decedents, so, I called a refrigeration company to bring me two cooling trailers. They were delivered the following day, my electrician came out immediately to hard wire them, we built the shelves in the pouring rain and instantly went from being able to comfortably house 25-35 descendants to housing up to 170. All this happened because I took a chance, I said I could do it without hesitation or even know how, I said YES and my team stepped up to the challenge and we made it happen. I did what the other mortuaries were not willing to do so that I could continue to serve families when they needed us the most, I attained my first contract and that was just the beginning, since then I have attained four contracts all for different services and I still have maintained the hospital contract. During that time on top of everything else going on in the world I discovered how many veterans were going unclaimed. This was because they either didn’t have any family or their family couldn’t afford the cost of a basic funeral or even a basic cremation. So what was going to happen to them? They were going to be sent indigent to county cremation, no honors, not buried at a national cemetery just cremated and scattered with other indigents. I couldn’t let this happen so I started doing my homework on what could be done, because these men and women signed their names on a line for whatever branch of service so that we could live the life we do here in the United states. I felt passionate about embarking upon a solution for this because my father was an Army Veteran of the Korean war. I didn’t know what could be done but I did know something had to be done. So, I began to research the process and found out that the county public administrator was who I needed to get in contact with, so I did. In the beginning they charged me for filings, no problem I’ll pay for these men and women to come into my care. Then the long hours of calls began in trying to find out how I could obtain their DD214 began, a DD214 is a veterans discharge paper. This DD214 is critical in that it tells me what branch of service they served in, were they honorably discharged, are they entitled to burial in a national cemetery? I took on this mission solely at first, I developed a system, it wasn’t the best but it worked for me. In the beginning the funeral service was just me and maybe one or two others in attendance, I paid for everything, casket or cremation whatever needed to be done, I did without hesitation. I prayed for them and thanked them for their service. Now fast forward, my office staff went through a lot of changes for a lot of different reasons but what God blessed me with was an accounts payable/ funeral counselor who is a Marine Corp veteran, an office manager/funeral counselor who is the wife of a Navy veteran and an entire staff who are all just as passionate in giving these men and women the homegoing they so rightfully deserve. I now speak publicly about what started off as my mission and has now become the mission of my entire staff, we now have a couple Veteran organizations that have recently teamed up with us and have blessed us with monetary donations. If there’s a need in our community and we can help, we do. We are average people who God has brought together to be able to do extraordinary things. These are just a couple of my most challenging yet proudest moments, I took a chance and God took care of everything else. I would want the world to know that FAMILY MEMORIAL SERVICES MORTUARY stands proudly in Providing Professional Services at Affordable Price.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Day one, I would begin day with breakfast at the Way Station Coffee Shop in Newhall, its a cute little all American kind of diner. After enjoying a great cup of coffee and of course a healthy breakfast we would stroll through the streets of old town Newhall. Since 1981, The Walk of Western Stars has honored the legends of Western film, television and radio who have contributed to America’s heritage. Inductees are honored with bronze stars and terrazzo tiles stamped into Main Street in Old Town Newhall, which is rich in history being that it’s Santa Clarita’s oldest neighborhood. Similar in style to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Walk of Western Stars honors actors, directors and film professionals for their contributions to Western heritage in America. Previous honorees have included Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, John Wayne, Sam Elliott, Richard Farnsworth and Bruce Dern, among others. After that we would head on over to the Newhall lounge, it’s an adorable where we could sit and catchup on life. For dinner we would defiantly do the Newhall Refinery for a few craft beers and of course their refinery fries which are topped with beer braised short rib, mornay and chives. It’s Santa Clarita first Gastropub, for those unfamiliar with the term gastropub its a restaurant that has an extensive menu that includes top quality food and drinks, whereas pubs typically only serve pub food and alcohol.
Day two would be a light breakfast poolside at my home, pack a light lunch before heading out to one of my favorite hiking places, Devils Punchbowl. This particular place is known for its beautiful scenery, spectacular rock formations formed from the large amount of water run off from the San Gabriel Mountains, the beautiful Joshua trees that are all around. This is a 7.5 hike that’s picturesque. We would enjoy a picnic lunch before heading back. Once finished we would head back home freshen up and then off to The Raven nest for dinner alfresco. The Raven’s Nest Restaurant and lounge Is a gourmet gothic restaurant serving modern artistic European dishes with Italian and Greek flare. Always a hit is their medieval charcuterie board
platter of chef’s choice of imported cheeses, cured meats, fruit, nuts, & artisan crackers. My absolute favorite is their lamb chops, with honey glazed carrots and roasted potatoes, but honestly everything there is phenomenal.
Day three, lets make it a beach day. Off to one of my favorite beaches Ventura, the drive up is beautiful in it self passing through the town of Fillmore with it’s fruit trees and quaint little fruit stands and lush green hills. Now we have arrived at our destination, Ventura Beach. It’s not only one of the most beautiful beaches, it also has California’s longest pier. So we would enjoy a stroll to the end of the pier and look out over the ocean and enjoy the clashing of the waves. Time for a quick lunch and nothing is better than fish tacos at the Beach House Taco spot with a nice cold beer, Once done with lunch lets head out for a bike ride along the boardwalk, stopping periodically to enjoy the beauty of the California coast. Once done, let grab a drink and an appetizer at the Ritz Carlton that sits right on the boardwalk. Once rested off to Downtown, which is only a five-minute walk to enjoy all the different little shops, and perhaps even indulge in some sort of sinful desert. For dinner w would head over to Finney’s Crafthouse, feeling like I need something sharable we would order a cobb salad, coconut shrimp and mini lobster rolls to share with a couple of nice IPA’s to wash it all down with. Once done we would walk back towards the beach admiring its beauty one last time before the drive back home.
Day four would start with a simple brunch at Salt Creek Grille in Valencia, they offer a variety of dishes and the food is amazing, everything from an omelet bar, to crepes to prime rib they never disappoint. Once done we would enjoy afternoon at the Valencia town center shopping and perhaps go to the Placerita Canyon Nature Center to see the live animal exabits which include birds, snakes and even taxidermy. Then off to the College of the Canyons Preforming art center, the best part about this is if there are no shows scheduled their lobby doubles as an art gallery. Once done with yet another amazing day we would head over to Kabuki Japanese Restaurant for some delicious sushi and premium sake to end yet another amazing day.
Day five our last and final day together, lets head on over to Scamblez for a hearty and delicious breakfast, my personal favorite is their french toast with a cup of coffee it’s like a little bit of heaven. Now off to the Prime Desert woodland Preserve for a bit of an after breakfast nature walk, it’s tree miles of beautiful florals is ever so peaceful. Once we’re done there let’s head out for a drive to two of our musical roads: the first one done as a TV ad stunt for Honda, a road was grooved to play the William Tell Overture when driven on at 50 mph. The “musical road” is now preserved as an attraction by the city of Lancaster. The second musical road was
for R. Lee Ermey Avenue as the new site for a musical road playing the Marine’s Hymn, taking place on the 247th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps – November 10, 2022. R. Lee “Gunny” Ermey was not only a decorated Marine, but he was also a tireless humanitarian. An actor, patriot, humanitarian, and most importantly, a family man, Gunny prodly and honorably serve in the United States Mariine Corps from 1961 through 1972. On April 12, 2018, he died, but he spent his last days diligently scheduling events and appearances to support and giving back to his belovd country and marines. Gunny is the ONLY MARINE to have been brought out of retirement and promoted. In 2002, Marine Corps Commandant James L. Jones advanced Ermey to E-7, Gunnery Sergeant, the rank he had become well-known for. Now off to Apollo Park, this park has three beautiful man made lakes and is surround the beautiful trails, it was named after the Apollo 11 Astronauts. After a day of being out and about time to head home get ready for dinner at the Broken Bit. This restaurants has a classic American cowboy ambiance feel. Lets start off with some hillbilly brussels sprouts served with bacon aioli. Now lets order that ribeye with lobster mac & cheese and poblano grits, and yes I’m having one of their signature drinks “Paniolo” Island Cowboy. Oh, and for desert how abought a chocolate chip cookie dough brownie. Now some of the most interesting people I would make sure they met would be Juan Blanco from Coffee for Vets, he an his beautiful wife have this amazing organization that brings together over 100 veterans twice a week to fellowship and keep them informed of what services are available for them. I would definitely make sure that my guest met the Marine Corp Commandant Alfredo Paniagua for AV Detachment 930, this man is incredible in networking and helping Veterans and their families. Without a doubt they would have to meet Pastor & Mrs. Hollis, this is a power couple doing truly amazing things in our community. Then there’s this beyond amazing woman by the name of Jodi Kyman, who moves mountains for veterans. She is a doer, she makes things happen. She passionate about what she does and she does it with such conviction.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the love and support of my late father Jesus Molina, he was my greatest cheerleader. His daily words of encouragement, reminding me that hard work pays off and to never give up on your hopes and dreams. It’s because of him I am the woman I am today. To my two adult children Angelina & Vincent for understanding my journey and the sacrifices that have gone along with it, always remembering that it wasn’t easy but it was defiantly worth it. My two beautiful granddaughters Trinity & Felicity for always being there with smiles and hugs. Angel, Vincent, Trinity, Felicity you four are my drive, to show you anything is possible if you stay focused, dedicated, determined and positive. To every Pastor that has ever prayed for me and with me when I needed it. thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you to my business partner who has been a part of this journey for over 20 years, it hasn’t been easy but to see where we began and where we are today it was worthy it. To my amazing staff, who sees the best in me even when I don’t, thank you for being apart of this journey. They say it takes a village, and let me say this THANK YOU to my village, to the many people over the years who have helped me in the slightest way I have not forgotten the part each of you has played big or small. To the many people who said I couldn’t make it in a this once male dominated industry, you all are the reason I kept going, to show you not only could I be successful in the industry but open doors and encourage others. Lastly and most importantly, from the bottom of my heart I would like to THANK each and every family that has ever entrusted their loved one into my care, without YOU I would not be here today. Let’s not forget that through GOD all things are possible, so thank you GOD for this amazing journey you have chosen for me.

Website: https://fmsmortuary.com

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