Spring Meadow of daisies

Our Team

Drew Johnson : Operations Manager

Drew Johnson

Operations Manager

djohnson@coastalcremations.com

Drew originates from a small community located in rural Southeastern Minnesota. He graduated from Worsham College of Mortuary Science in 2010. Following graduation, he served families in many capacities in the Greater Chicago land area. Drew had continued his meaningful path assisting families for 7 years before joining Coastal Cremations in 2019. He holds a Funeral Director and Embalmers License in both Florida and Minnesota. During his spare time, he enjoys frequenting local golf courses, attending sporting events, spending time with his family, and taking in the beautiful surroundings of the Bay area.

Sarah Simkins : Managing Director

Sarah Simkins

Managing Director

ssimkins@coastalcremations.com

Sarah grew up on a dairy farm in Indiana and graduated from Borden High School in 2001. She
graduated from Mid America College of Funeral Service with her Associates Degree in 2003. She decided
that funeral service was her calling after having the “life talk” with her dad one day as she worked for
him as an activity assistant while still in high school. She feels this profession chose her as she feels
fulfillment in easing the grieving and making the funeral arrangement process seamless. Sarah began
her funeral career at Michels & Lundquist Funeral Home in 2004 as an intern. After she served her 1
year, Roger Michels & Andy Lundquist hired her on full time, and she began serving the families of the
Pasco County area. She is active with and supportive of Veterans Affairs, has sponsored the Gold Star
Family luncheons in the past and is past secretary for Pasco Business Connections, and has also served
as Ambassador for the Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce. Now, Sarah has taken on a new role as
Funeral Director in Charge of Coastal Cremations and Funeral Care in Lutz. Serving families in this
community allows her to be closer to her home and family. Look for her out on the road and networking
in the Land O' Lakes/Lutz and Wesley Chapel areas, delivering that contagious smile and helping nature.

Sarah is married to Stephen, and they have 2 sons Chase & Christian. She is blessed to have her dad Fred
and Mom Patty close by and has 2 brothers Josh & Steve, and a sister Andrea, 2 blended siblings, Matt &
Zac and 5 nieces whom she adores. In her spare time Sarah enjoys spending time with her husband and
sons, boating, traveling, and just being with her family.

Yvette E. Klausch : Managing Director

Yvette E. Klausch

Managing Director

yklausch@coastalcremations.com

Yvette is a very proud third generation funeral director. She was raised in upstate New York at her grandfather’s funeral home which she considers one of her life’s blessings. She is married to her husband, Jim, who is also a funeral director. She has 2 beautiful daughters, 2 stepsons and grandchildren.

Yvette is an active member of St. James the Apostle Catholic Church where she serves as an Extraordinary Minister of the Holy Eucharist as well as a Lector. In her spare time, she enjoys bowling in Zephyrhills as well as in Spring Hill and spending time with her daughter and grand dogs.

Being a funeral director has been Yvette’s passion her entire life.

Norma Johnson : Managing Director

Norma Johnson

Managing Director

Norma J. Johnson is a Licensed Funeral Director providing compassionate care to families in the surrounding area.  A native Floridian, who graduated from St. Petersburg College in 2013, earning her degree in Funeral Services.

What she loves most about her profession is the opportunity to serve families during one of life's most challenging times, while helping to create unique tributes honoring the life of their loved one. When she is not serving families, she enjoys reading, baking, taking walks, and various DIY projects that tend to be ongoing.

Persel J. Woods : Funeral Director

Persel J. Woods

Funeral Director

pwoods@coastalcremations.com

Persel J. Woods, a native of Ocala, Florida, is a licensed funeral director and embalmer. A student athlete and graduate of North Marion High School, Mr. Woods dedicated his life to serving others in the United States Navy for twenty years. After retiring, He received his degree in Mortuary Science from Tidewater Community College. Mr. Woods joined the Altmeyer Family in 2010 where he serves families with dignity and personal understanding. His dedication and diligence to those families continues to enhance the professional excellence that families have come to expect.

Cheryl Gooldin : Founder/Funeral Director

Cheryl Gooldin

Founder/Funeral Director

cgooldin@coastalcremations.com

Cheryl Gooldin moved to Zephyrhills FL in 1977 from Ohio. As a young child, she told her parents she wanted to be an undertaker. Cheryl graduated from Zephyrhills High School before attend Miami-Dade Community College where she graduated with an A.S. in Mortuary Science. Cheryl has dedicated her career to serving families. Working as a licensed Funeral Director & Embalmer for almost 30 years, Cheryl has assisted thousands of families to honor their loved ones. She co-founded Coastal Cremations and Funeral Care with her husband John in 2009. Cheryl is the manager at Coastal Cremations and Funeral Care in New Port Richey. The Gooldin’s live in New Port Richey with 3 cats; Squirt, Coco and Casper. They attend Joining Hands Community Mission Church UMC. Cheryl loves the Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Bucs, and recently built a three foot model (from scratch) of the Buccaneers Pirate ship for a friend.

Mike Ritchie : Funeral Director

Mike Ritchie

Funeral Director

mritchie@coastalcremations.com

Mike was born in Elizabethton, Tennessee and moved to Florida in 1956. After completing high school in Clermont, Florida, Mike graduated from Kentucky School of Mortuary Science. Mike has been licensed as a funeral director and embalmer in Florida for over 50 years. He has served as President of Zephyrhills Kiwanis Club and on the Board of Directors. He has also served the community as Exalted Ruler of The Zephyrhills BPOE and Board of Directors and many other positions. Presently, Mike is also on The Board of Directors of The Florida Elks Youth Camp.
Mike was married to his beautiful wife Carolyn for 50 years and has 2 wonderful children, Clay and Ashley. He enjoys golfing and traveling in his spare time.

Patricia Rodriguez : Advanced Planning Director

Patricia Rodriguez

Advanced Planning Director

prodriguez@coastalcremations.com

Patricia is the Sales Manager as well as a licensed Pre-Need Counselor at Coastal Cremations and Funeral Care since 2019. She was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, moving to Hudson Florida with her husband in 2002. In 2016 she decided to change her career path and become a licensed Pre-Arrangement Counselor in funeral services and has never looked back.

In Patricia's spare time, she enjoys cooking, boating, cruising and shelling. Be sure to share your favorite recipe when you meet with her. She loves to collect client favorites.

Sandy Kenady : Pre-Need Counselor

Sandy Kenady

Pre-Need Counselor

skenady@coastalcremations.com

Having been raised in Belleair since the age of three, Sandy is a semi-native to the Tampa Bay area.

She has spent over ten years helping families protect their loved ones from the inevitable at time of passing by pre-arranging their cremations.

She loves to spend her spare time with her grandchildren, socializing with family and friends and traveling.

Magdalena Jimenez : Pre-Need Counselor

Magdalena Jimenez

Pre-Need Counselor

Originally from Staten Island, N.Y. Magdalena Jimenez has lived in the Tampa Bay Area since 1984. Her bi-cultural background and focus on community outreach has led her to a number of volunteer opportunities and community leadership roles.

With over 15 years of Finance, Sales and Public Relation experience, along with her capacity for compassion; she decided to shift direction and focus on assisting and educating families regarding their advanced planning arrangements.

Her Business model is built on communication, dedication, and transparency. This recipe has helped her establish trust with the countless families she continues to serve throughout the Tampa Bay Area.

In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband Jim and spending quality time with her sons Marcus, Aaron, their wives and 3 grandchildren.

Sherif “Nick” Levent : Pre-Need Counselor

Sherif “Nick” Levent

Pre-Need Counselor

slevent@coastalcremations.com

Sherif “Nick” Levent hails from Freehold, NJ. He also lived in Dayton, OH for some time. Sherif attended Brookdale Community College and Rutgers university in NJ. He has traveled in Europe, Caribbean, Canada, Mexico and many states in the US. Nick has two daughters and one son who are spread out between Long Island, NY, Charlotte, NC and New Port Richey, FL. In his free time, Nick enjoys photography and collecting wine.

Nick sees the importance of prearranging as the gift it is to those we leave behind. His passion for helping others is what has led him to this profession.

Anne Swartz : Pre-Need Counselor

Anne Swartz

Pre-Need Counselor

aswartz@coastalcremations.com

Anne grew up in the quaint suburb of Cleveland, Ohio called Chagrin Falls and has a BFA from Ohio University. She moved to Sarasota where she met her husband of 25 years and are raising their son.

Anne enjoyed 20 years working in Home Care and Assisted Living where she guided families through that transition. Seeing the need for people to be better-prepared for end-of-life, she made the choice to redirect her efforts to that industry. Anne received her Pre-need license in 2015 and has been happy with her decision ever since.

Anne is very active in her community. She is a founding member of Partners for Positive Aging, past vice president of Mission Senior International, and a charter founding member of Women on the Move. Currently, Anne is a member of BNI and Senior Resources of the Suncoast, and is an advisor for Auxilias Leo Club, sponsored by Sarasota Lions Club.

Frank Farley : Pre-Need Counselor

Frank Farley

Pre-Need Counselor

Frank was born and raised in Orlando, FL. He wanted to travel the world as well as get an education. So in May 2001 he joined the United States Air Force and was blessed to get his first assignment in Germany. While there he earned his degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University all while fulfilling his dream of traveling abroad. He retired from the Air Force with over twenty years of service. As fate would have it he ended his journey in Tampa, FL and since retiring he knows his passion is people and giving back to the community.

Frank has three kids in college and one who keeps him and his wife Jessica busy at the house. He loves going to sporting events and playing organized softball for his community league.

Lou McDermott : Pre-Need Counselor

Lou McDermott

Pre-Need Counselor

lmcdermott@coastalcremations.com

Soon after earning my degree at St. Petersburg College, I moved to Seattle Washington where I began my career in the Funeral industry. Working for the largest Funeral Home, Cemetery and Crematory in Washington State, I was trained with industry leaders to learn all aspects of pre-planning and end of life decisions.

I moved back to my hometown of St. Petersburg to care for my aging mother and have lived in the tri-county area ever since. With me, I brought the skills I learned to help others deal with their Cremation and Burial pre-arrangement plans.

While some things have changed over the years, my guiding principle and motto remains in tack: be honest, caring, considerate and show respect to all. It has served me well in life and especially in this business.

My wife and I live in Trinity, FL with our daughter who will be out of school soon and off into the real world. We also have two sons who have graduated college and are indeed in the real world. . . home during holidays and when money is in short supply.

Call Now Button