Juan Pedraza makes it his job to comfort heavy hearts

Clovis Cemetery's Juan Pedraza, left, greets Keith Butterfield, father of Anthony Butterfield, a soldier killed in Iraq who is buried at the cemetery. Pedraza's official job title is operations manager, but people say it's the little things that he does that make a difference.

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Sorrow, grief and tears are often fixtures at funerals, but at the Clovis Cemetery one man goes out of his way every day to help ease the pain.

Juan Pedraza, 49, has worked at the Clovis Cemetery for a little more than 12 years, putting in five and sometimes six days a week.

His official job title is operations manager, but it's the little things that he does that make a difference, say the people who work with him during funerals.

"During the cold months, Juan is the one that is always out there with blankets," said Lyndel James, manager of Boice Funeral Home. "In the five years we have known him, Juan has always been accommodating for our home and extremely conscientious of the families and what they are going through."

Blankets, tissues, hot coffee -- you name it, Pedraza delivers.

"Whatever they need, if it's in my ability to provide it, I do," Pedraza said

Pedraza is in charge of everything from burials to landscaping, but it's his attitude that people appreciate.

"Juan is a such a positive outlook for the Clovis Cemetery. He really complements it," James said.

Originally from Mexico City, Pedraza and his wife, Yolanda Pedraza, moved to America in 1985 and settled in the Los Angeles area.

"I first started landscaping in Los Angeles, and irrigation and planting became more second nature," Pedraza said.

The good impressions he made after his arrival in the U.S. paved the way for his move to Clovis.

"Juan and I met in Los Angeles at a landscaping company over 20 years ago," said Anna Herrera, district manager of the Clovis Cemetery. "When I started as district manager for the Clovis Cemetery, I knew we needed someone who really knew irrigation and called Juan right away."

Pedraza received a call in May 1995 and was heading to Clovis for the job by August 1995.

"It wasn't hard to move. I loved Los Angeles, but I wanted to raise my family in a small town, and this was the perfect opportunity," Pedraza said. "Before I got here, I never imagined myself working in a cemetery, and now I can't imagine working anywhere else."

Pedraza began his work as a caretaker in charge of landscaping and ground work, and in four years, he was promoted to foreman, a job Herrera says fits him well.

"We manage 40 acres in the Clovis Cemetery and cover the maintenance on five other cemeteries, all with a staff of about 10," Herrera said. "It is difficult work. Not everyone can learn how to manage a backhoe to dig exactly 40 inches by 8 or 10 feet long.

"We stress the 'Golden Rule' here. We make sure that the grave site is exactly how we would leave our own family's grave."

Pedraza takes pride in making sure that Golden Rule is met.

"I believe that every single family deserves the best, because that particular loved one was their best," Pedraza said.

The impact Pedraza's service has on the community has not gone unnoticed.

Janet Stoll-Lee, Clovis police public information officer, has worked with Pedraza during five funerals of young soldiers lost in Iraq. "He is just incredibly helpful and strives to make each of the families feel taken care of."

The military funerals always make the biggest impact on Pedraza.

"He holds the standard of service so high, that to see one of the boys that gave their life for his country really hits his heart," Herrera said.

Stoll-Lee witnessed Pedraza at work during the heavily-attended military funerals.

"Each of the funerals for the boys have been quite large, and Juan definitely had his hands full," Stoll-Lee said. "But what stood out the most was that he still took the time to speak with each of the families and offer as much help as he could."

Pedraza always does.

"A lot of times they tell me the whole story of the loved one that they lost," Pedraza said. "I listen because I care and I know that when they are telling me this, that it comes straight from their heart."

Jeff and Peggy Hubbard of Clovis lost two sons in the Iraq war. Peggy Hubbard remembered the special things Pedraza did.

"He made sure that each of the flags were perfect and that the gravesite was groomed to perfection," she said. "He was always very compassionate toward our family and what we have been through."

Pedraza's office is if filled with thank-you notes and cards.

"I keep every single one," Pedraza said. "One of my biggest rewards from working here is seeing the families come talk to me and smile. It is a big plus."

In a tough job that not everyone can do, Pedraza serves with his whole heart.

"I consider myself very fortunate to work in this place," Pedraza said. "To me this is not just a job. This is the place that I can serve my community and by that I am serving my country."

Friendly Faces is an occasional series about people who make Clovis a great place to live. Past stories can be viewed online at www.clovisindependent.com.