Meet Our Staff - Manteca, CA

Ken Summers

Managing Partner

Ken's great-grandfather and grandfather, P.L. Fry and Paul Fry, started the P.L. Fry & Son Funeral Home in Manteca in 1932. Ken became manager after his grandmother, Lucille O. Fry, retired. Ken is a Licensed Funeral Director, Licensed Crematory Manager and Licensed Cemetery Manager. He was raised in Manteca his entire life and is a 1977 graduate of East Union High School and also a graduate Delta Junior College. Ken is married to his wife, Lynne and has two adult children, Kara and Kenny, and two special grandsons, Grant and Owen.

“The goodwill and reputation of P.L. Fry & Son has always been regarded as second to none.”

"Our guiding principles are built on honesty, integrity and exceptional quality in all we do."

Charla Ortiz

Funeral Arranger

Charla, the great niece of Lucille O. Fry and has been a dedicated employee at P.L. Fry and Son since January 2001. Born and raised in Manteca, she proudly graduated from Manteca High School in the class of 1990. Charla shares a fulfilling life with her husband Rick, and they are blessed with one daughter and three sons, along with three lovely grandchildren named Lily, Raelynn, and Michael. Her busy schedule often takes her back and forth to Texas to visit her beloved grandchildren, Lily and Michael.

In addition to her family commitments, Charla actively supports various community organizations. She serves on the committee for the "Every 15 Minutes" drunk driving program, working closely with the Manteca Police Department and CHP. Beyond her professional and community engagements, Charla, her mother, and her daughter are passionate 20-year breeders of Shih Tzu puppies.

Charla finds great joy in planning unique special events, exploring new destinations through her travels, and cherishing precious moments with her loved ones. Her family holds a special place in her heart, and she strives to make the most of every opportunity to be with them.

Alma Ochoa

Funeral Arranger

Alma, a native of Manteca, California, proudly calls it her hometown. She completed her high school education at Manteca High School as part of the Class of 2001. Alma actively participates in the religious community as a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Lathrop. Since 2009, Alma has been an integral part of the PL Fry and Son Family for over 13 years, a dedicated group that serves families in various capacities. When she's not busy with her commitments, Alma cherishes moments spent with her sons and actively participates in community events.

 With over two decades of experience in the floral industry, Alma's passion for design and creativity shines through in her beautiful masterpieces. She continues to craft stunning floral arrangements for a wide range of occasions. One of the highlights of her days is receiving FaceTime calls from her son, who proudly serves in the United States Navy.

 Alma's life is a reflection of her dedication to family, faith, and her craft, and she looks forward to continuing her journey with enthusiasm and joy.

Cathy Sanders

Funeral Arranger/Notary Public

Cathy grew up in San Jose and met her husband, Chad, while in high school. She worked as a Paralegal at a Bay Area Law Firm before settling down to raise a family. In June, 2001, Chad and her moved from San Jose to Manteca. They have three amazing children who are all active in various sports, including cheer, swim, baseball, football, track and cross country. Cathy has been involved in all their activities, both in the classroom and outside the classroom,  including serving on the Boards of Northgate Little League and MYSA. Her best days are spent on the sidelines of her kids games cheering them on. In what free time she has, she loves watching football and reading. She is honored to be a part of the P.L. Fry & Son family. 

Sandra Fry Gilbeau

Bereavement Facilitator

Sandra is the daughter of Paul and Lucille Fry and mother of Ken Summers. Sandra also has two daughters, nine grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Sandra was born and raised in Manteca and is a graduate of Manteca High School. She earned her her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from California State University, Stanislaus. Sandra has been facilitating bereavement classes for P.L. Fry & Son since 1999 and works with Community Hospice of Modesto. Having been widowed twice and lost many loved ones over the years, she has the understanding and compassion for the people in each of her groups. Sandra is a member of St. Paul’s Methodist Church, the Manteca Historical Society, and the American Cancer Society.

Michelle Weiler

Administrative Assistant

Michelle was born in Redwood City and grew up in Lathrop, graduating from Lathrop High School in 2013. With her love of education, Michelle holds three Associates Degrees and recently received her B.A degree through Stanislaus State University, majoring in Sociology with a concentration in Human Services. Michelle has worked in the funeral industry since 2017 and has been with P.L. Fry Funeral Services since early 2019. She absolutely loves working with families and feels that the P.L .Fry staff is her second family. She aspires to one day obtain her Funeral Director’s License because with her kind spirit and passion of wanting to help others, Michelle feels her purpose in life lies in this profession by helping families while thoughtfully caring for their loved ones. She is hoping in the future that P.L. Fry will adopt an emotional support animal for the grieving families she tends to daily; she feels this would make a great addition to the staff and the surrounding communities. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her fiancé Jared, listening to podcasts, music, and cuddling with her fur babies.

Katie Vera-Cruz

Prearrangement Counselor

Katie is the great-great-niece of the late Lucille O. Fry. She was born and raised in Manteca and is a 2011 graduate of Manteca High School. Katie married Francisco in October, 2020 and welcomed their first daughter Raelynn in August 2021. She has been employed by P.L. Fry & Son Funeral Services since 2018 and previously with the Catholic Diocese, managing St. John’s Catholic Cemetery, Escalon, Ca. She has over 8 years of experience understanding both the cemetery side and the funeral side of the industry. Katie has found a new appreciation serving families, prearranging their final wishes with both cremation and burial. She has been volunteering with the local E-15 programs for the past 15 years advocating against drunk driving. She enjoys community events, meeting new people, planning family events, traveling and wine tasting with friends.   

Kenny Summers

Funeral Attendant

Kenny is a 5^th generation Great-Grandson of Pearson L. Fry and Great-Grandson of Lucille O. Fry. He was born and raised in Manteca and recently bought his first house in Escalon. He graduated from Manteca High School in 2010 and went on to receive his bachelor's degree in Business from California State University Stanislaus in 2015. Kenny has officially been an employee since 2014 , working part-time and recently went full time in 2020. It is an honor for him to be a part of the rich tradition that P.L. Fry and Son stands for and loves being able to help those in need. Kenny enjoys spending time with his girlfriend and family. He also loves the Sacramento Kings, live music, the beach, and pizza.

Ramon Gonzales

Funeral Attendant

Ramon Gonzales was born and raised in Manteca, attending Manteca High School and graduating in 1981. He received his degree in Business Management in 1984. He is married to Sherry, and together they have eight grandchildren who they adore. At the young age of 16, Ramon started his first job at New Deal Market in Manteca, where he grew to love the grocery business; twenty years later, Ramon retired as a Grocery Manager working at various super markets. He is musically inclined; playing the saxophone, drums and the congas. Ramon’s passions include taking road trips on his Harley, camping and  boating with his wife and friends, and he absolutely loves his English Bulldog, Chubbs.

Greg Clowes

Funeral Attendant

Greg was born and raised in Manteca; he attended local elementary schools and graduated from Sierra High Class of 2007. While at Sierra, he enjoyed being involved with JROTC Flags Over Manteca and the community blood drives. Greg has been in the funeral industry since 2011 and is honored to now serve his own community. Greg is a self-proclaimed “nerd” who loves Anime and playing video games.   He has two children, Haylee and Atticus, and is proud to be raising them in his hometown of Manteca with his soulmate, Vanessa.

Veronica Murillo

Funeral Attendant

Affectionately known as "Roni," Veronica grew up in Lathrop and attended Sierra High School and graduated from BeTech High School in 2018. Roni is currently on a spiritual journey of becoming a Catholic and is attending catechism classes at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Manteca. Outside of work and school, Roni enjoys trying new restaurants, singing, listening to "oldies," and spending time with her family. She hopes to pursue a career as an embalmer or funeral director.

Norma Orozco

Certified Funeral Celebrant

Norma was raised in Manteca, attended local elementary schools and graduated from Manteca High.  In 2017 after 30 years of public service, she retired as a Deputy Purchasing Agent with the County of San Joaquin.  After retirement she wanted to continue in a service related role, which she is blessed and honored to have found as a member of the PL Fry & Son Funeral Home family.  In 2018, she was certified by the InSight Institute as a Funeral Celebrant. Norma is married to Steve Orozco and she has two awesome adult step-children, Kelcy and Alex.  Norma and Steve both enjoy running, camping, traveling, spending quality time with family and friends, and spoiling their dogs.  Norma is a life long parishioner at Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church where she is actively involved as a Music Minister, Lector and Eucharistic Minister to the sick and homebound.

Rev. Bill Barnett

Funeral Attendant

Bill retired from active Pastoral ministry after 42 years. He still enjoys serving families in many capacities and especially in times of loss.  Bill is blessed with a wife and family and his three granddaughters are a source of great joy.