New manager takes helm at Ramona Cemetery District, looks to the future

Patty Estrada wants people to see cemeteries not as scary places full of ghosts and sadness, but as settings filled with love and dignity for family and friends who have passed. 

Estrada took over interim manager duties at the Ramona Cemetery District when John Vargas resigned June 2 after working for the district since 2004. She was promoted to the permanent position on Sept. 9.  

Estrada had gotten to know Vargas through the years, after he handled the final arrangements for several of her family members at Nuevo Memory Gardens in Ramona, which the cemetery district oversees.

She also had observed her daughter, Alix, who is a mortician in Virginia.

“It was beautiful to watch my daughter’s care and respect for someone as she prepared them for their final services — it was the last, loving gesture someone was able to do for their family member. It prompted me to talk to John,” she said.

Her philosophy is that cemeteries, and the burial ceremonies, interments and even the grounds themselves are all about service to the public, she said.

“Meeting with families in need as they come in, handling the services — it’s an honor to be able to support them through one of the hardest things people can go through in their lives,” she said.

Estrada, 54, grew up in Ramona, graduating from Ramona High School in 1989. She and her husband, Hector, moved out of town 20 years ago, but came back in 2020 after becoming empty nesters. In addition to Alix, their adult children include another daughter, Jordan, and son, Wyatt.

Prior to the cemetery position, Estrada has been an office manager for most of her adult life, most recently for Sorensen Greenhouses in Ramona.

The 9-acre Nuevo Memory Gardens are overseen by the cemetery district, a special district with four full-time employees. The district was formed by San Diego County in 1959.

While assisting with burial services, Estrada has also organized and upgraded the aging office, upgraded software for use by both the public and staff, modernized the website and added security measures around the grounds.

“Patty was unexpectedly thrown into the job, but she never complained and really stepped up when we lost our last manager, who did an excellent job as well. She’s really risen to the occasion,” said Casey Lynch, president of the cemetery district board. 

Along with the board, Estrada helped negotiated a lower price for employee uniforms, higher wages for the staff and brought an on-site night security guard on board. 

“The employee handbook, by-laws and other cemetery policies and procedures are in the process of being updated,” she said. 

Estrada and the new board, Lynch, Pete Smith and Joe Stupar, came in about two years after it was disclosed that former trustees Daniel Vengler Sr. and Wiliams Biggs had voted in 2011 to give themselves health benefits, which eventually totaled $402,123, according to a district official.

Vengler gave the district a check for $303,659 as a refund but declined to resign.

Smith said none of the current trustees will be accepting health benefits, which is consistent with all other cemetery districts in San Diego County.

Lynch was appointed in December 2024 after being selected by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. Smith and Stupar were appointed to the board in January 2025 by Supervisor Joel Anderson.

Some of the biggest challenges facing the cemetery district include a lawsuit that has only been discussed in closed sessions. District officials have declined to comment on pending litigation.

“We are still overcoming some of the past things that happened that were not in our control, but which still land solely on us to navigate through, while remaining transparent to the public,” Lynch said.

To raise the public’s perception of the cemetery, Estrada developed the idea of a logo contest to help give the cemetery a presence in terms of its special district designation. Several people have already sent in their designs. The contest remains open until Nov. 1.

She also invited residents and others with family buried at Nuevo Memory Gardens to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, held Nov. 1 and 2, by decorating their family area. Decorations will be allowed from Nov. 1 to 8, with the gates open until dusk.

With limited space remaining at the cemetery, officials are working on a master plan for the grounds, including locations for cremains, as national trends are focusing on cremations, Estrada said.   

There are 53 burial plots available in the newest section of the grounds, as well as 42 cremation plots in the Rose Garden area. A few other plots are available “here and there,” she said.

She also has helped bring the board’s attention to the potential need for changes to the current cemetery policy of only allowing burials for Ramona residents. In some cases, others can be buried after paying a non-resident fee. 

Vickie Stalker, daughter of Darwyn and Ruth Lepper of Ramona, approached board members in August after speaking with Estrada. Stalker’s father passed in 2009 and is buried in Nuevo Memory Gardens. A plot had been purchased for her mother at that time, but the family was faced with a hefty non-resident fee when she died Aug. 10 in Arizona.

Ruth Lepper was well-known in Ramona as an award-winning reporter for a number of publications, including the Ramona Sentinel, for more than 40 years, Stalker said. The Leppers had five children, eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Stalker asked the board if the fee could be waived. Her mother loved Ramona and would have remained in the town if she had been able, she said.

“My mom lived in Ramona since 1976 and our family grew up here. She never wanted to leave Ramona, but near the end of her life had to for health reasons — there are very limited options here for those who need assisted living, like my mom,” Stalker told the board.

After hearing about the situation, as well as the multiple fees that would have to be paid, the board members voted to cover the nearly $600 non-resident fee for Lepper’s services out of their own pockets.

Stalker said the family is appreciative to the board and Estrada.

“I felt like Patty really cared for our family and listened to our concerns and where we were coming from,” she said. “She’s very, very professional and caring.”

Lepper was laid to rest on Aug. 27, next to her husband. 

Lynch praised Estrada’s respect for people facing burial decisions for their loved ones.

“Patty’s number one strength is compassion for the job. She’s meeting people at the worst time in their life and I can’t think of a better person to help them through that process,” Lynch said.

For Estrada, it all goes back to serving others.

“I appreciate being able to serve my community in this capacity,” she said. “Sometimes people just need to share stories about their loved one. I’m not a counselor, but have a great ear for listening.”

Nuevo Memory Gardens is at 532 Ash St. The grounds are open Monday through Friday form 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 760-789-0136 or visit: www.ramonacemeterydistrict.

Board meetings take place the second Tuesday of each month at noon at the Ramona Woman’s Club, 524 Main St. Check the website for any changes.