History & Staff

We have years of experience caring for families, from all walks of life. Each family comes to us because they know we are leaders in our profession, dedicated to excellence in service, and have the highest integrity.

Our History

About Us

We invite you

to review some of the ways we are unique.

Family Owned and Operated: In a time when many death care businesses are owned by huge chains and multi-national  conglomerates, we proudly remain independent. Funeraria Borinquen and our staff believe that we are accountable to you, not far-away stockholders. We believe that the most valuable thing we own is our reputation. The owners and staff of Funeraria Borinquen are your neighbors, and we are the ones who live and are active in your community. 

Personalized Services: Our staff is specially selected and trained to facilitate services that reflect your needs. Our goal is to listen, suggest, organize, and carry out ceremonies that will be comforting and full of meaning. 

Price and Value: We understand we have only one opportunity to serve you and your family sensitively and correctly, and we have always voluntarily adhered to high standards. We encourage families to carefully compare price and value when selecting a funeral provider. Other advertised prices may not reflect complete services, and many firms that advertise low prices do so by cutting corners with procedures, facilities, and staff. When comparing Funeraria Borinquen to other funeral homes in the area you will find we offer the best value and the best price.

One Location for All of Your Needs: Since Funeraria Borinquen owns and operates its own funeral home, crematory, and is associated  with Osceola Memory Gardens Cemetery and St. Cloud Florist, we can offer you “one-stop” service. This enables you to work with one firm, allowing all your funeral, cemetery, cremation and floral arrangements to be cared for in one convenient location.  Click here for more information regarding Osceola Memory Gardens Cemetery.

Why having our own Crematory is important to you: Funeraria Borinquen owns and operates its own Crematory. This gives us the ability to control and oversee every aspect of the cremation process. As a result, we can ensure families’ ultimate security and the most dignified handling of every cremation. You’ll take comfort knowing that your loved one never leaves the shelter of our expert care. Our highly trained and certified personnel perform all cremations following a strict and secure process with our state-of-the-art equipment.  Click here for more information. 

Returning Home to Your Country of Origin: Repatriation services is a process of helping families bring their loved one home after a death has occurred. We can help. With our multi-cultural community, it's important for a funeral home to be properly equipped to help families get their loved one home. The process of repatriation can be  difficult and complex. We have years of experience in helping families through this process. We  have relationships with consulates across the globe and can handle the entire process for you. 

Our Veterans: Funeraria Borinquen is honored to serve the veteran and military community and we offer a wide range of service plans and Veteran specific merchandise to the families we serve. 

Research has shown that many Veterans do not receive all the benefits that they are entitled to.  One call to Funeraria Borinquen and we handle all the details. Our licensed staff is trained to assist with every detail of making burial and cremation arrangements for Veterans. We will help you in obtaining all VA benefits available, social security benefits, life insurance and arrange for military honors and burial in a National Cemetery, Osceola Memory Gardens Cemetery or the cemetery  of your choice. It is important that you know that all Veterans, and possibly their spouses and children, are entitled to free cemetery spaces, grave opening/closing, grave liner and headstone   at any VA cemetery.

Our Guarantees to you: Our staff is courteous and understanding. Our services are handled with dignity and respect. If you are not  completely satisfied with any of our services we will  reduce or eliminate the charge.

Funeraria Borinquen would like to thank you for extending to us the privilege to serve you. Through our experience, we understand the importance of our role and are dedicated to providing you the best possible service in order to create a meaningful, appropriate, and affordable tribute. 

For more information, please feel free to contact us at (407) 653-8670 or by email at [email protected] or go to the "Contact Us" page. Thank you.

Our Valued Staff

  • Terry Roberts

    Terry Roberts, General Manager

    Terry moved to Kissimmee in 1960, a week after Hurricane Donna came through. He graduated from Osceola High School in 1965. He married Annette Gorski in 1966 who was the stepdaughter of Horace Phipps, founder of Osceola Memory Gardens in 1958. Terry graduated from the University of South Florida in 1970 with a Bachelors Degree in education and a minor in accounting. He has been employed with Osceola Memory Gardens since 1972 where he started in cemetery maintenance and was a grave digger. Terry was appointed General Manager in 1984 and became a partner in 1996. Terry served as past President of the Rotary Club of Kissimmee as well as past President of the Florida Cemetery Association.

  • Tom D. Hanneken

    Tom D. Hanneken, Operations Manager/Licensed Funeral Director

    Tom has been a licensed funeral director since 1987 and has been with Osceola Memory Gardens Cemetery and Funeral Home since 1997. Tom is devoted to helping families through a difficult time. He is married to his lovely wife, Julie and has four wonderful children. He is a member of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, Kissimmee Elks Lodge, and Knights of Columbus Tom enjoys golfing and spending time with his family.

  • Idannys  Bauzo

    Idannys Bauzo, Licensed Funeral Director

    Idannys was born is Puerto Rico and graduated from St. Petersburg College. Prior to that she graduated from Valencia College and went on to the University of Central Florida. Growing up Idannys was surrounded by the funeral service culture as her mother worked in a cemetery in Puerto Rico, in 2005 they relocated to Kissimmee, FL where her mother continued to work in a funeral industry. At the age of 17, right before graduating from Gateway High School, Idannys started working in a funeral home, since then this has been her passion. Idannys is our youngest funeral director but she is well experienced in the industry. She takes great pride in serving her families with compassion and empathy. She has a beautiful daughter named Katalina and a fur baby named Lexie who is a 5-pound Black Chihuahua. Idannys enjoys going to the movie theater, trying out new restaurants and traveling with her family on her free time.

  • Ludmila De Oliveira

    Ludmila De Oliveira, Licensed Funeral Director

    Ludmila De Oliveira was born in São Paulo, Brazil where she was raised through her teenage years. In 1996 she moved to Florida with her family and started working in the funeral industry at the age of 18.Besides working in a funeral home she was also a Monument Sales Agent for many years. In 2007 she decided to go back to school and study to become a Licensed Funeral Director, and in 2010 she graduated from the Mortuary Services Program at the Miami-Dade College and became licensed in 2011. With over 20 years in the industry, Ludmila has gained vast experience working with people from various cultural backgrounds and has developed good relationships with Consulates from many countries, becoming an International Shipping Specialist. She is also fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese and became part of our team in December 2017. Ludmila is a proud mother of her son Giovanni, and in her free time she enjoys spending time with family, traveling, reading and fishing.

  • Vernon Dorsey

    Vernon Dorsey, Licensed Funeral Director

    Vern was born in Brunswick, Maine and moved to Florida as a young boy. After many years working in the funeral industry, Vern attended Miami Dade Community College earning an Associate Degree in Funeral Service Education in 1991. He Worked for the Kraeer Funeral Homes until 1996 when he relocated his family to Ocala, FL. to work at the Page Theus Funeral Home. In 2002 he joined the staff of Osceola Memory Gardens Funeral Home and Funeraria Borinquen. Vern has participated in the Kissimmee Bay and Poinciana Rotary Clubs and The Poinciana area Chamber of Commerce. Vern and his wife Carol reside in St. Cloud.

  • C. Thompson Dorsey

    C. Thompson Dorsey, Licensed Funeral Director

    Born in Brunswick, Maine, Tom moved with his family to Pompano Beach, FL in 1969. Upon graduating high school, Tom went to work part time at R. Jay Kraeer Funeral Home in 1976 and spent 20 years learning how to care for families at this premier funeral home in South Florida. Tom graduated in 1992 from Miami Dade Community College with a degree in Funeral Service Education. In 1998 Tom moved to St. Cloud to work for Osceola Memory Gardens. Tom believes in the value of community service and is very involved in his community. He is a member of the Rotary Club of St. Cloud and served as President in 2001 and 2019. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Greater Osceola St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce in 2014. In addition, he served as the President of the Board of Directors for the Osceola County Council on Aging in 2014 and is still an active board member as well as the St. Cloud Main Street Program., where he currently serves on the Board of Directors. Tom expresses that, “It’s been the privilege of a lifetime to call Funeral Service my profession". Tom lives in St Cloud with his beautiful wife Kim and their fur babies, Hunter and Gracie.

  • Donald R Kraeer

    Donald R Kraeer, Licensed Funeral Director

    Don was born in McDonald, Pennsylvania and moved to Florida in 1988 to join Kraeer Funeral Homes in the Ft. Lauderdale area. He attended Miami-Dade Community College earning an Associate Degree in Funeral Service Education in 1990. In 2001, Don relocated to St. Cloud, Florida to work at Osceola Memory Gardens and Funeraria Borinquen as a Funeral Director. For the last 25 years, Don has dedicated himself to meeting with families and assisting them with the funeral arranging process during their most difficult time.

  • Anthony Crowder

    Anthony Crowder, Licensed Funeral Director

    Anthony started in the funeral industry in March 2003 working for local funeral homes while attending mortuary college at Mid-America College of Funeral Service in Jeffersonville, Indiana. After graduating in September 2004, he started working at Calvert-Belangee-Bruce Funeral Home located in Farmer City, Illinois. After 5 years Anthony relocated to Bradenton, Florida and started employment with a corporation as a Location Manager/Funeral Director. After the aftermath of hurricane Irma in September 2017, Anthony relocated to Central Florida and joined the Osceola Memory Gardens Team. His education was completed with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Mortuary Science and a bachelor’s degree in business management from Ottawa University. Anthony is a licensed funeral director and embalmer in Illinois, Florida, and Oklahoma. Anthony is an avid Muscle Car enthusiast and spends his spare time working on his cars and at a local racetrack.

  • Michael R. Latore

    Michael R. Latore, Licensed Funeral Director

    Michael was born and raised in Rochester, NY. He has been a licensed funeral director and embalmer in NY and Florida for over 25 years. Michael moved to Florida in the spring of 2022 and joined Osceola Memory Gardens June of 2022.

  • Julissa Melo

    Julissa Melo, Office Manager / Human Resources

    Julissa was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic, where she lived the first years of life. In 1983 she moved to New York City with her parents, where she grew up and attended elementary school, high school and University. In 2002 she moved to Connecticut where she lived with her husband and their two wonderful children for over 15 years. In 2015 they moved to Central Florida. Julissa has an Associate of Arts degree, a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Business Administration, and a Master's degree in Human Resources. In her spare time she enjoys outdoor activities, traveling, shopping, baseball games and spending time with family. Julissa is passionate about helping others. She joined the Borinquen Funeral Home family in 2019.

  • Susan Piña

    Susan Piña, Office Admonitor/Funeral Home Associate

    Susan was born and raised in New York City, NY where she studied Criminal Justice and Police Science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She worked as the personal Assistant and Administrator for The President of the Puerto Rican Bar Association in The Bronx, NY, and as an Administrative Assistant in the Emergency Department of Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens, NY. Susan relocated to Osceola County, FL in 2010 with her late husband of 28 years and their son. In 2014 Susan joined the Osceola Memory Gardens and Funeraria Borinquen Family as an Office Administrator. Susan is devoted to assisting families with care, empathy and support during their difficult time.

  • Greg Boudreau

    Greg Boudreau, Family Service Manager

    Greg joined Osceola Memory Gardens and Funeraria Borinquen in 2021. He has had similar roles in other funeral related business since 2007 and has worked and lived in Jacksonville and New Orleans prior to coming to Kissimmee. Greg was born in Washington DC and grew up in Maryland. He has three children, two of which are married.

  • AnaMaria Garcia

    AnaMaria Garcia, Licensed Family Service Advisor

    Anamaria was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. She worked at Banco de Reservas in Santo Domingo while pursuing a Marketing career at Eugenio Maria de Hostos University after which she moved to New Jersey in 1987. She started working at Pan American Airlines in the payroll department. After Pan American’s bankruptcy, she moved to Florida to explore new opportunities. Anamaria worked at Westgate Resort, Vistana Resort, Sunpass Operations and maintains a Florida Real Estate License. Anamaria joined Osceola Memory Gardens and Funeraria Borinquen in 2015 as a bi-lingual, licensed Family Service Advisor which gives her the opportunity to take care of families in times of need as well as allowing her to help families make the best informed decisions based on their needs.

  • Sandra  Rijo

    Sandra Rijo, Licensed Family Service Advisor

    Sandra was born and raised in Dominican Republic. She graduated from Eugenio Maria de Hostos University in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic with a degree in Business Administration. She is bilingual. While living in the Dominican Republic, she worked at City Bank for more than six years.During the years 2000-2005 she developed her own business importing tires from United States. She moved to Orlando, Florida with her family and started working at Starwood Vacation Ownership for almost four years. She obtained her License as Family Service Advisor in 2013 and she has been working at Funeraria Borinquen since its opening where she applies her customer service experience of over twenty five years by offering careful orientations with warm support and advice.

  • Oscar  Hernandez

    Oscar Hernandez, Family Service Advisor

  • Roxann Torres

    Roxann Torres, Administrator/Funeral Director Assistant

    Roxann was born in Puerto Rico and his been a resident of Osceola County since 1997. She is a wife and a mother to 2 boys and 2 step-children. She has been with our company since January 1999. Roxann is extremely knowledgeable about the funeral industry and uses her expertise and compassion to help the families we serve.

  • Tina Williams

    Tina Williams, Compliance Director

    Tina is an Orlando native and has been working in the deathcare industry since 1986. She worked for a family operated Cemetery/Funeral Home from 1986 to the 1990's. After the firm was acquired by SCI she became part of their compliance team. In 2002 she left SCI to work for the State of Florida as a Financial Specialist. In 2017 Tina joined the Funeraria Borinquen family as our Compliance Director. In her spare time Tina loves to read and spend time with her family especially her grandchildren.

  • Renee Roberts

    Renee Roberts, Accounting Manager

    Renee is a native, born and raised in Osceola County. She is a graduate of Osceola High School and holds an Associate degree in Business Management. She is the granddaughter of Horace Phipps, founder of Osceola Memory Gardens in 1958 and daughter of Terry Roberts General Manager and partner. She spent the past 25 years working for PepsiCo at the Kissimmee Gatorade plant where she held various logistics positions in the Distribution Center. Renee has been with Osceola Memory Gardens and Funeraria Borinquen for a year in her current Accounting Manager position after decideding that she wanted to get back to her roots and spend time with her dad learning the Funeral/Cemetery business so she could be part of her family’s legacy. She has three children and when not working enjoys spending time with family and friends and being outdoors.

  • Amy Holoubek

    Amy Holoubek, Administrator and Accounting

    Amy joined the Osceola Memory Gardens and Funeraria Borinquen family in 2018. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she relocated to Florida in 2005 with her husband and three children. Amy serves dual roles with the company working in both the Administrative and Accounting departments at Osceola Memory Gardens. She is always looking to learn more about the funeral industry, in order to be the best possible resource for the families we service.

  • Vanessa  Román

    Vanessa Román, Community Relations Director

    Vanessa was born in New York City and earned her BA from Fordham University in Media Studies.In 2003 she moved to Central Florida to work for Cox Media Group’s WPYO/WCFB as Marketing Director. After 7 years in broadcast marketing, she went on to work for the City of Kissimmee, where she was the Supervisor of Public Events & Venues overseeing the city’s largest events.Vanessa has served as Community Relations Director for Osceola Memory Gardens, Porta Coeli, Fisk Funeral Home and Funeraria Borinquen for over 7 years. She is responsible for building community presence, distributing sponsorship dollars, donation programs and event organizing. Her current position allows her to be active while still finding innovative ways to fill the needs of her community.

  • Christine A. Magrino

    Christine A. Magrino, Detail Office Coordinator

    “Chrissie" began her career with Osceola Memory Gardens Funeral Home, St. Cloud Chapel, in January of 2005 after moving to Florida. Born and raised in Meadville, Pennsylvania she graduated from Hixson’s School of Floral Design and worked as a florist from 1978 until 1996. She graduated in 1996 with honors from Thiel College Greenville, PA with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. In the field of social work, she worked as a counselor in a domestic violence shelter and then in another agency counseling individuals and families who were homeless or near homeless. Chrissie was also a licensed Assisted Living Facility Administrator. Combining her background in customer service, counseling, and administration, Chrissie strives to provide grieving families with warm and compassionate service as well as an empathetic listening ear. Ms. Magrino loves living in St. Cloud, and enjoys spending time with her children, grandchildren and friends. She also enjoys reading, listening to music, playing guitar and singing.

  • Sheila M Ceballos

    Sheila M Ceballos, Detail Office

    Sheila was born and raised in Puerto Rico and she got a degree in Computer Technology which then led her to get a degree in Graphic Design which she started to exert right away. Sheila has worked over 15 years in the Customer Service area and over 7 years as an administrator. She moved in 2022 to Saint Cloud, Florida and then started working for Porta Coeli as a Details Office Assistant. She has a daughter named Irialys and a son named Eilan. She has a passion for arts and on her free time she likes to paint.

  • Jennifer Archibald

    Jennifer Archibald, Detail Office

    Jennifer has lived in St. Cloud for 35 years. She met her husband of 26 years while they were in high school and they have 2 daughters who are currently in college. She has been with Osceola Memory Gardens and Funeraria Borinquen for almost 4 years.. Jennifer's role is that of an Administrator in the Details Office. She takes pride in the work that she does in her role in the Details office alongside her co-workers. Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family watching soccer, going to the beach and just being together. In her spare time she loves to cook and work with her husband in the yard. She is looking forward to retiring in North Florida or Georgia with her husband.

  • Andy Walker

    Andy Walker, Funeral Home Associate

    Andy was born in Blackshear, GA. After high school Andy briefly worked for Seaboard Coastline Railroad. He started working for Southern Bell in Atlanta, GA in 1973. He moved to Orlando in 1976 and retired from AT&T in 2012. He started working as support staff with our company since 2013. Andy is married to Dolores and has 2 grown children. He currently lives in St. Cloud.

  • Glenn Denshaw

    Glenn Denshaw, Funeral Home Associate

    Started working for Osceola Memory Gardens as a Funeral Home Associate in 2018. Originally from New Jersey, lived in Pennsylvania but have called Kissimmee home for more than 30 years.

  • Mayra I Collazo

    Mayra I Collazo, Funeral Home Associate

    Mayra attended the University of Puerto Rico and hold a Master's Degree in education. She is 64 years old and enjoys literature from different authors and traveling the world. She has 3 wonderful children and has been blissfully married for 40 years. In her current role as a funeral home associate she is passionate about assisting others.

  • Reina Santos

    Reina Santos, Funeral Home Associate

    Reina was born in El Salvador. She lived in New York City before relocating to Florida and joining the Funeraria Borinquen family. She has been married for 18 years and has 3 kids. Reina is a teamplayer who is committed to infusing compassion into her work.

  • Karen L Foos

    Karen L Foos, Funeral Home Associate/Crematory Operator

    Karen joined the Funeraria Borinquen family in 2022. Born in Cleveland Ohio, Karen relocated with her family to Central Florida in 2003. Karen is a certified Crematory operator as well as serving families as part of our support staff.

  • William Bouret

    William Bouret, Funeral Home Associate

    William Bouret grew up in Queens, New York. William joined the staff of Osceola Memory Gardens in 2019 as a Funeral Service Assistant on the transfer team. William is currently a Funeral Director intern as well as a student at St Petersburg Community College where he is pursuing a Certificate in Funeral Services Director. He has also an A.S. Degree from Valencia College in Paralegal Studies. William is devoted to serve the families of our community and enjoys spending time with his family.

  • Ariany Calderon

    Ariany Calderon, Office Administrator

  • Gladys L Beltran

    Gladys L Beltran, Office Administrator

  • William N Dieli

    William N Dieli, Funeral Home Associate

  • Jeffrey T Coates

    Jeffrey T Coates, Funeral Home Associate

    Jeffrey is from Long Beach, CA. He graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts from Arizona State University in 2017. He now lives in Central Florida and works as a Funeral Home Associate.

  • Juana López-Núñez

    Juana López-Núñez, Funeral Home Associate