Brian Hufendiek said it has been a longtime dream of his to own and operate a funeral home. This year that dream was fulfilled when Hufendiek and wife Stephanie opened Windmill Ridge Funeral Service, located at 600 Pinto Lane. He started in the funeral business in 1995 after taking an interest as a youth.
"I grew up and did not know how to go about going into the business," Hufendiek said. "I just decided to walk into a funeral home and see what would happen. The owners decided I was worth taking a chance on and we worked it out and I learned and later went on in my career from there."
Hufendiek said he likes working with the families. Arranging and directing funeral and memorial services are something he sees as an honor and trust from the family to him. Helping the family navigate through those difficult times while working with them to create a story of their loved ones' life story to try and preserve the memories for future generations is the goal for Hufendiek.
For more of this story check out the Dec. 14 issue of the California Democrat.