Our Staff

Robert Perez is the President and Managing Funeral Director of Perez Family Funeral Home (PFFH) and Perez Family Cremations (PFC).  In 2002, when his grandmother passed away suddenly, Robert received a calling from God to enter the funeral home industry.  By faith and with his family by his side, he opened the first Perez Family Funeral Home in Camarillo, California in 2006. With a desire to come alongside and help families during their most difficult time, he has successfully served thousands of families dealing with the loss of a loved one.  Robert carefully selected a team of professionals who share his mission “our family putting your family first” while serving families. Today, Perez Family Funeral Home has six funeral homes and Perez Family Cremations has a crematory in Ventura County. 

Robert has an associate degree in Paralegal Studies. He is a licensed Funeral Director and holds his California Life and Health license which allows him to assist families with pre-planning their funeral. Robert plays an active role in the community and serves as a Board Member for Moorpark Unified School District as well as President of the Rudy Perez Memorial Foundation, a non-profit created to support youth sports and provide scholarships. He has been married to his wife, Pauline, 20+ years and they have four amazing children.  

Fun Fact: Robert’s favorite place to get away is Disneyland. 

Renee Zaragoza serves Perez Family Funeral Home as their Operations Manager and Family Counselor. She understands the importance of family and has been by her brother, Robert Perez’s side since the funeral home was established. Renee brings years of industry knowledge and expertise to the team. She assists with the day-to-day operations and ensures compliance at their multiple locations. Additionally, she brings strong leadership, support and training to the site and its staff. Renee’s ability to provide exceptional service, counsel and comfort while assisting grieving families with funeral planning is her strong suit and why the funeral home continues to see growth and success.  

Renee is an avid reader, loves to visit wineries, and enjoys listening to murder-mystery podcasts. Renee has been married to her husband, John, for over 30 years and has three successful children.  

Fun Fact: Renee’s favorite flower is the Silver Rose. 

Eric Ortega serves Perez Family Funeral Home as their Licensed, Funeral Director and Site Director at our Ventura location. Eric started working in the funeral industry over 30 years ago and his first employer was Ted Mayr Funeral Home in Ventura, California. He worked under the leadership of Mr. Charles Carroll and learned every aspect of the business. 

Eric is a licensed Funeral Director, Embalmer and holds his California Life and Health license which allows him to assist families with pre-planning their funeral. Eric is a dedicated professional and brings a wealth of industry knowledge and experience to our team. There is no job he cannot do! Just like Charles Carroll was once a mentor to him, Eric is now the teacher and mentor for our staff today. We are blessed and honored to have him as part of our family. 

Eric is a “do-it yourself” kind of guy and outside of work has successfully remodeled his home. He enjoys gardening, horticulture and staying active. Lastly and more importantly, he is a man of faith and believes in the power of prayer. 

Fun Fact: Eric enjoys raising his chickens. 

Michael Gutierrez III serves Perez Family Funeral Home as their Funeral Director and Crematory Manager.  He manages Perez Funeral Cremations located in Ventura and ensures family’s loved ones are honored throughout our process. He also meets with families to provide counsel and comfort while assisting them with funeral arrangements. 

He is a licensed Funeral Director, Crematory Manager, and Apprentice Embalmer. Michael is an avid learner and earned multiple associate degrees in the following areas: Business Administration, Business Management and Economics, and Social, Behavioral Science and Funeral Services. 

Personally, Michael has experienced the loss of loved ones and recalls the deep and varied emotions he felt while having to navigate through it all. It was a difficult time! Looking back on his experience, he believed there was a lack of professionals who were able to assist him or provide the guidance when he needed it most.  Those losses in his life are why he decided to pursue a career in the funeral industry. Michael is committed to helping families who are experiencing the loss of a loved one and why we are fortunate he is part of our family. 

Fun Fact: Michael enjoys working with cars and at one time believed he would do this as a full-time career. 

Joab Martinez 

Joab Martinez serves Perez Family Funeral Home as their Consulate Manager/Family Counselor. He is an integral part of our day-to-day operations and regularly meets with families of the deceased and provides exceptional service, counsel and comfort while assisting them with funeral planning. Additionally, he oversees and manages all consulate related matters.

Joab is bilingual, fluent in both English and Spanish languages and has a rich customer service background. Prior to working at PFFH, he worked in the banking industry. Every time Robert went to the bank to make a deposit and was helped by Joab, he experienced outstanding service. Robert knew Joab would be an asset to his team and told him if he ever decided to leave banking to consider PFFH. We are glad he did as he is now part of our family and a major contributor to our growth and success. 

Outside of work, Joab enjoys being outdoors, golfing, and photography. 

Fun Fact: Last year, Joab hiked Angels Landing in Zion National Park which is considered one of the most dangerous hikes in the United States. 

Judy Johnson serves Perez Family Funeral Home as their Chief of Staff/Human Resources. Judy is a strategic and administrative partner that supports Robert with effective decision-making, project management, special projects and execution of strategic initiatives across all locations. Judy oversees Human Resources as well as the organizational and communication framework for employees and leadership team members to implement the President’s vision and achieve annual goals. 

Judy has a bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies and a strong human resources background with 20+ years of experience working in the following industries: Healthcare/Senior Living, Non-profit/Education/Childcare, Manufacturing and Federal Government/Department of Navy and Marine Corp. She is skilled in all areas of human resources such as staffing and recruiting, employee relations, investigations, work performance, workers’ compensation, safety, benefits and state and federal regulations. 

Judy is married and has two amazing children.  

Fun Fact: Judy is a professional organizer and owner of Label & Basket. 

Berenice Garibay serves Perez Family Funeral Home as their Funeral Assistant. She plays an important role in the day-to-day operations and is a versatile team member who can assist with administrative, funeral service, prep room/care center and removal tasks. She is our point person ensuring death certificates are completed and our resident expert using the California Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS). Additionally, Berenice is biligual, fluent in both English and Spanish languages. 

At a young age, Berenice was interested in Forensic Pathology. She decided to pursue work in the funeral industry as she believed it would provide insight and allow her to gain related experience towards Forensics. In 2019, Berenice joined the Perez Family as an Intern and has grown in her responsibilities, knowledge, skills and experience. Her patience and exceptional listening skills along with her desire to serve families who have lost loved ones is why she is an asset to our family. Berenice earned an associates arts degree in Social Behavioral Science. 

Fun fact: Berenice met Michael Gutierrez III in 2019 while attending Cypress College’s mortuary program. At the time, they were the only two students attending from Ventura County. 

Chris Irroboli serves Perez Family Funeral Home as their Funeral Assistant and Care Center Specialist and has been on staff since 2021. Chris is a dedicated and talented professional who received on-the-job training under the leadership of Eric Ortega. He has grown tremendously in his field and independently works in our care center.  

Chris understands the deep emotion a person or family feels when they lose a loved one as he too experienced great loss in his life and that is why he gives his all as he prepares each person for their service. His care and attention to detail when preparing a family’s loved one is exceptional. Recently, a grieving wife told the management team, “You brought my loved one back to life...he looks exactly like I remember”. In her final goodbye, she was provided with a wonderful memory and beautiful tribute. That is the quality job that Chris brings to our family. 

Outside of work Chris enjoys reading and playing video games. 

Fun Fact: He won’t say no to two, double cheeseburger without onions or pickles, French fries with extra salt and a large Coke with no ice from McDonalds. 

Rayline Perez serves Perez Family Funeral Home in an administrative capacity as she attends a California State University, Fullerton.  She is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on management. With this degree, work experience, and a passion for helping families in need, she plans to help Perez Family Funeral Home become the best it can be! Her father, Robert Perez states, “Rayline will be the next Robert Perez” overseeing the family business.  

Rayline is an Honor Graduate of Moorpark High School, and formerly crowned Miss Moorpark, 2022 and currently Miss Simi Valley 2023. She is passionate about giving back to her community and volunteering as well as focused and dedicated to her commitments and family. Although she has a full school load most of the year, she enjoys dedicating time to her family’s non-profit organization, The Rudy Perez Jr. Memorial Foundation. Often times you will see her alongside her father representing the funeral home or the Rudy Perez Jr. Memorial Foundation at many events in Ventura County.   

Outside of work, Rayline enjoys dancing, choreographing, spending time with friends and family, and going to Disneyland.  

Fun Fact: When Rayline was 10 years old, she and her dad, Robert Perez appeared in a TV Show where she and her dad switched roles for the day.  “Parents Just Don’t Understand”, Season 1 Episode 9, 2017

Pauline Perez serves alongside her husband, Robert at Perez Family Funeral Home as an Administrator. In addition to assisting the family business, she manages their home operations and the daily schedules of her active children and husband.  

Outside of work, Pauline enjoys hanging out poolside with her family and watching her kids compete at games and competitions. 

Fun Fact: Pauline’s always wanted to work as a Preschool Teacher and did so for one year prior to marriage, kids and funeral home. 

Robert Perez Jr is also known by our team as Robby or Bob serves Perez Family Funeral Home as a Funeral Assistant. He has a strong interest in being part of the family business in the future and is learning every aspect of operations when school is not in session. Robby is a quick learner, hardworking and always eager to work on various projects. He is tech savvy, and he is able to take on computer or video related projects with ease.   

Outside of work, Robby enjoys hanging out with his friends and playing video games. He also enjoys listening to all kinds of music genres. 

Fun Fact: Robby won’t turn down a plate of BBQ ribs. 

Christine Almaguer is known by our team as Chrissy and serves Perez Family Funeral Home as their Office Clerk and Funeral Attendant.  Chrissy has been part of our family since 2016.  

Fun Fact: Chrissy loves to decorate, especially during the holiday season. She also loves to bake and can make a memorable Texas Sheet Cake. 

Donna Trella serves Perez Family Funeral Home as their Funeral Attendant. She has been part of our family since 2021. 

Fun Fact: Donna was lead singer in a cover band named, “One Last Dance”. 

Salvador Villalobos is also known by our team as Sal serves Perez Family Funeral Home as their Funeral Attendant and has been part of our family since 2020. He is our resident expert providing guidance to our team with ship outs, ensures documents are completed and accurate as well as interfaces with Consulate offices. Sal is bilingual, fluent in both English and Spanish languages.  

Fun Fact: Sal enjoys his teaching Spanish. 

Robert Nava serves Perez Family Funeral Home as their Funeral Attendant and has been part of our family since 2019. 

Fun Fact: Robert enjoys spening his free time with his family!

Roxana Lievanos serves Perez Family Funeral Home as their Funeral Attendant. She has been part of our family since 2021. Roxana is bilingual, fluent in both English and Spanish languages. 

Fun Fact: One of her favorite concerts she attended was AC/DC at Dodger Stadium.

Joseph Guerra 

Joseph Guerra serves as a Removal Technician and Funeral Attendant for Perez Family Funeral Home. Joseph joined our family in October 2023 and brings his previous funeral industry knowledge and experience to the team. Joseph is married and has three awesome children. 

Fun Fact: Back in his youth, Joseph could bench press 2xs his weight and curl 60 lbs with one arm.  

Elias Murrillo 

Dr. Elias Murrillo serves Perez Family Funeral Home as their Removal Technician. He has been part of our family since 2020. In addition to serving with us part time in the evenings, he is a successful Chiropractor practicing within Ventura County. Elias is bilingual, fluent in both English and Spanish languages. He enjoys traveling and doing outdoor activities such as cycling and walking as well as spending time with his husband and two dogs, Charlie and Mowgli. 

Fun Fact: Elias loves going to theme parks. 

Rudy helped his brother open Perez Family Funeral Home and served with his family for 15 years. Rudy definitely left his mark on all the families he served. Rudy's legacy will live on forever.