Staff at Cherokee Memorial
Park & Funeral Home
With hundreds of years of combined experience amongst our funeral and cemetery staff we are uniquely qualified to serve all of your funeral and cemetery needs, whether a death has occurred or you are planning for the future to ease the burdens from your family members, Cherokee Memorial staff is here to help.
CHEROKEE MEMORIAL : FUNERAL HOME DIRECTORS
Victoria "Tori" Monforte
Victoria "Tori" Monforte began her career in the funeral industry in 2003 and graduated from mortuary college in 2005. Tori has been a licensed funeral director since 2005 and an embalmer since 2007. Tori has been with Cherokee Memorial Funeral Home since 2005. She was promoted to general manager of Cherokee Memorial Funeral home in 2015.
Lisa Tran
Lisa Tran began her career in the funeral industry in 2013 and graduated from American River College in 2015. She holds a current funeral directors license since 2018 and earned her embalmers license in 2019. She has been with Cherokee Memorial Funeral Home since 2015.
Caroline Jimenez
Caroline Jimenez graduated from American River College in 2018 and is currently serving her embalmer’s apprenticeship. She has been with Cherokee Memorial for over 4 years and is working toward her preneed license test in order to better serve our families. Caroline earned her funeral director’s license in 2019.
Porfirio “Porfi” Cisneros
Porfi joined the Cherokee Memorial team in 2022. A licensed funeral director, Porfi grew up in the Lodi area and is proud to serve his community.
Scott E. Gatze
Scott E. Gatze is a fifth-generation Californian and a native of San Joaquin County. He attended San Joaquin Delta College and has worked in the funeral and cemetery profession since 2008. Throughout his career, Scott has served communities across the Central Valley, East Bay, and Marin County.
He holds both a Funeral Director license and a Crematory Manager’s license. Scott has had the honor of serving families of all faiths and cultures and is deeply knowledgeable about a wide range of funeral traditions and rites.
In September 2023, Scott joined Cherokee Memorial Park & Funeral Home. Scott is currently serving as the Secretary of the Valley Lode Funeral Directors Association.
Valerie Prieto
Valerie Prieto is excited to join the Cherokee Memorial team. She graduated with a Funeral Service Education degree from American River College in 2023, and started her apprenticeship at Cherokee Memorial that same year.
REV. Larry Edge
Cherokee Memorial’s Staff Chaplain. Larry has been a professional chaplain for over 29 years. Larry’s goal is to help people find peace and healing as they deal with loss and grief. He hosts the monthly grief and loss support group, Growing through Grief, at Cherokee Memorial.
Vida Ochoa
Vida graduated from American River College and is a licensed funeral director and embalmer. She has been serving families for several years. In her off time, Vida is an NHL Hockey fan, with a special love for the San Jose Sharks.
CHEROKEE MEMORIAL : FAMILY COUNSELORS
Ton Saechao
Ton grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and began his cemetery career in 2013 serving families with pre-need cemetery property in the East Bay. He has worked with multiple cemeteries in the East Bay where he held management positions and developed successful teams to serve the community. Ton eventually found his way to Sacramento, CA in 2017 where he was a Family Service Counselor for a local cemetery and funeral home. He took on the role as Director of Sales at Cherokee Memorial Park in December of 2022. Ton enjoys traveling and the outdoors. When he’s not helping his team serve the greater Lodi, Stockton and nearby communities, Ton enjoys spending time tending to his little farm on the outskirts of Sacramento.
DaMaris Brose-Helton
DaMaris Brose-Helton is a native of North Dakota. She attended local high schools as well as San Joaquin Delta College and Fresno City College. She has been a family service counselor with Cherokee Memorial Park since 1994.
Claude “Matt” Bryant
Claude "Matt" Bryant. Matt is a native of Stockton and attended local high school. He graduated college, receiving a bachelor's degree in business. Matt has worked in the funeral industry since 2001 and has been with Cherokee Memorial since December, 2014. Matt works as a trainer for pre-need and family service counselors for those new to the industry.
NIckcole Northcraft
Nickcole Northcraft is a 20 year resident of Lodi California, graduating from San Joaquin Delta College in 2020, and currently studying at American River college majoring in Funeral Services. Nickcole Is committed to educating her community about pre-planning. New to the industry Nickcole is very passionate about helping families in their times of need.
Michelle Sanchez
Michelle Sanchez became native to the Lodi/Stockton Community in 2007. After her career in the hospitality industry of bringing joy to families, she began her career at Cherokee Memorial in early 2023 in hopes to use her life experiences to help serve families. She is active in outreach from San Joaquin County to the Bay Area and is proud to serve her community. She enjoys traveling, spending time with her son and experiencing new restaurants.
Lora Rolland
Lora Rolland grew up in Michigan and joined the United States Marine Corps at 18. She served her country for 12 years. Her professional experience includes twenty years in real estate and fifteen years of construction management. In 2020 Lora moved to California and started her career path in the funeral industry . She is excited to join the Cherokee team as she is very passionate about helping families plan ahead as well as guiding them at their time of need.
Fatima Ochoa
Hablo Español
Fatima Ochoa is a native to French Camp. Was raised in the Galt. Attended Galt high School. Then continue her studies in Business Administration and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising. Then transitioned to the Insurance industry has been licensed since 2014. Started with Cherokee Memorial Park in 2023.
Adam Lopez
Adam has been a resident of Lodi for 20+ years. He enjoys helping the community that raised him and is excited to take on a new opportunity here at Cherokee. With an extensive background in customer service he looks forward to helping as many people as he can in an industry he has found passion in.
Karla Jimenez
Se Habla Español
Born in Durango, Mexico, I moved to Stockton in 1989, which has been my home ever since . I began my career as a furniture sales rep in 1998 and transitioned to an Insurance Broker in 2021, serving families throughout San joaquin county.
In 2025, I joined Cherokee Memorial as a counselor, helping families plan ahead for their funeral arrangements with care and compassion.
Married for 26 years wonderful years, my spouse and I are blessed with 4 children. Outside of work, I have a passion for traveling, exploring new places, and embracing diverse cultures.I look forward to assisting you and your family in planning for the future with understanding and respect.
René Alcaraz
Rene' began her career ifor the Cemetery industry in 2020, with a background in Home Care & Finance. Passionate about animals, and is a Member Volunteering with the Assistance League of Stockton a non-profit philanthropic organization for Children and Adults.
Stephanie Perry
Stephanie Perry grew up in the California Bay Area and Washington, DC, and has called Stockton home since 2018. Her diverse professional background includes owning an award-winning BBQ restaurant and catering company, as well as a successful career in the technology field. These experiences shaped her strong communication skills, empathy, and dedication to serving others.
Most recently, Stephanie worked as a life insurance agent, where she helped families protect their loved ones and plan for the future. In her role as a Family Service Counselor, she is deeply committed to supporting individuals and families during life’s most difficult moments. Stephanie takes pride in listening carefully, understanding each family’s unique needs, and providing guidance that brings clarity, comfort, and peace of mind—ensuring that final wishes are honored with care, dignity, and respect. She loves spending time with her family, cooking, and hiking. She enjoys traveling and experiencing new and diverse cultures.
Frankee Juarez
Frankee Juarez has been a lifetime resident of the Central Valley. After building a career in the government sector, Frankee transitioned into a role at Cherokee Memorial in 2026. Drawing from personal life experiences, Frankee is deeply committed to supporting families with empathy, respect, and compassion. Frankee is passionate about helping families plan ahead and providing guidance and care during their time of need.
CHEROKEE MEMORIAL : EXECUTIVE TEAM
John Silvestri
John Silvestri, president, grew up in Southern California and attended Pacific Union College in the Napa Valley, graduating with a bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis in management. John began his work in the non-profit sector in 2008 and, in 2015, he joined the Cherokee Memorial Park and Funeral Home team.
Marc Gabrys
Marc Gabrys, vice president of operations, began at Cherokee Memorial Park & Funeral Home in 1995 after graduating from UC Davis with a degree in landscape architecture. Marc's specialty is space planning and design and he has developed all gardens and features at the park since joining the management team. In addition to landscape architecture, Marc received a degree in business administration.