Meet Our Staff - Metairie, LA

John B. Appel Jr., Esq.

Managing Partner/Funeral Director

John has been helping families since 2005, having joined the industry thirty days before hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana.  He attended Jesuit High School, Loyola University and Loyola Law School, is married to Jean Newman and is the father of John III and Patrick and step-father to Scot, a student at Jesuit High School.  He changed careers after the unexpected death of his father.  Going through that experience revealed to him the need for preplanning and the importance of educating families that their burial property and funerals can be handled before the loss of a loved one.

Carrie Kippers Bruno

Funeral Director

Carrie has been serving families since 2008, joining the industry after losing her great-grandmother and having to assist with making her funeral arrangements.  She is married to Brad and is the mother of Cameron and Dagan, both students at John Curtis Christian School.  She is a lifelong resident of River Ridge, Louisiana.  Carrie's first role in the funeral and cemetery industry was as a Family Service Counselor at Garden of Memories, assisting families with making cemetery property selections, both pre-need and at-need.  The more experience she gained the more she knew she wanted to focus on helping families at their time of loss, so she became a Funeral Director.  Carrie enjoys serving her community by helping families have a meaningful funeral and celebration of life for their loved ones.  

Toni Palestina

Funeral Director

Lola Garcia

Funeral Director Intern

Marc Gelpi

Manager - Family Services

Stephanie Manos

Family Service Counselor

Raquel Duarte

Family Service Counselor

Ernesto Aguilar

Family Service Counselor

Patrick Oxley

Family Service Counselor

Catherine Alesich

Manager - Advanced Planning

Gail Calderone

Advanced Planning Counselor

Gail has been serving families since 2012.  While she has previously worked in the travel industry and furniture and design industry, nothing comes close to her current position here at the Garden of Memories.  Gail finds the most rewarding aspect of her job the ability to help her families with some of the most important decisions of their lives, to offer them direction and to guide them in what will be in their best interest.  She knows making decisions on the day you have lost a loved one can be very difficult and having someone there to assist you is crucial.