Our Story
Learn our story, from the beginning and into the future.
Established in 1956, Restlawn Memorial Gardens in Salem, Oregon is located a few miles from the Oregon State capital building. Surrounded by farmland and the Oregon Mountains, and overlooking the lush Willamette Valley, the flat grounds feature wonderful trees and gardens. There are old unique monuments in the gardens, including a mural of the Last Supper, a shepherd and sheep, and an open Bible.
In the mid 1980's, Restlawn funeral home was added to the cemetery grounds. Understanding the growing needs of West Salem and Polk county, Restlawn Funeral Home was built to meet the needs of the community. Restlawn has a modern design and continues to make adjustments in order to grow with our community.
Restlawn offers traditional funerals, personalized funerals, memorial and graveside services, various cremation options, military honors for Veterans, traditional in-ground burials, niches, lawn crypts, columbariums, mausoleums, and private estate options.
Who We Are
Meet our staff. Members of the local community make everything that happens possible.
Together, we make this place amazing.

Timothy Brandvold
General Manager & Director
Tim has been in the funeral industry for over 24 years. His career started in Oregon where he was born and raised most of his life. His experience started early and Tim served a three year apprenticeship before attending Mt.Hood Community College where he graduated with his sciences degree in Funeral Service. Tim’s interest in the funeral industry began when he was young, with most of his family involved in the medical field, Tim figured that becoming a funeral director/embalmer would be a good fit due to his love for anatomy and caring for others. Tim enjoys helping guide families through one of the hardest experiences of their lives by providing tools to create the perfect way to memorialize their loved ones. When Tim is not working he loves spending time with his dogs, traveling, hiking, fishing, kayaking, flying, camping and just getting out in what the great northwest has to offer.

Ana Ramirez
Funeral Director & Embalmer

Gregory Barrick
Funeral Director

Larry Peeler
Advance Planning Advisor

Jennifer Salazar
Funeral Director Assistant

Tisha Fennell
Regional Administrator
Tisha was born on the Oregon coast growing up in North Bend, OR. She went to school and started her career in the cemetery field at Sunset Memorial Park and Ocean View Memory Gardens in Coos Bay, OR. She then moved to the Willamette Valley with her Husband, Chris and two children Taylor & James, in 2005 and settled in Dallas, OR.
Tisha started working at Restlawn Memory Gardens in 2006 and moved her way up to an Aarea VP of Administration for the western region overseeing administrators for 50 Funeral Homes and Cemeteries.
In her off time she loves to travel and has been on many cruises with her family. She is also an avid reader who reads about a book a week. Everyone knows when Tisha is in the office as she is known to belt out a song at any given moment.

Rick Corbin
Grounds Superintendent
Rick Corbin has been with Restlawn since 1997 and now serves families as Superintendent. He takes pride in his work to make sure the grounds are always immaculate. He is a native Oregonian and lives in Salem with his beautiful wife and loves his pets! In his spare time he enjoys Eastern Oregon, fishing, hiking and camping.

Ricky Blaco
Grounds Keeper

Mike Thress
Funeral and Cemetery Sales Manager
Michael Thress has been serving families at their time of need since 2012. He started in Family Service and currently is Sales Manager at Restlawn Memory Gardens and Mausoleum, Roseburg Memorial Park and Valley View Cemetery.
Michael graduated from Drexel University and has a Bachelor Degree in Finance. During his free time Michael likes to snowboard and golf.
“When I started in this industry I discovered my passion when I realized the invaluable service I provide – basically when death occurs, I give the family peace of mind by understanding ‘who to call, where to go, and what to do.”

Andrew Phillips
Funeral Director

Leigh Gibson
Funeral Home Administrator
Leigh brought strong administrative and customer service experience to our team when she joined the staff in May 2008. Born in Portland, she is fifth-generation Oregonian who was raised on a self-sustained farm in Wilsonville. She is active in her community through the Willamette Riverkeepers.
Leigh lives in Independence with her daughter, Malaya, and their cat, Boots. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, camping, swimming, boating, and touring the Oregon wine country.

Garry Zwaschka
Funeral Director / Embalmer
Garry joined our funeral home in 2012, but has served Salem area families since 1977. He has worked with many of the same families throughout his career and feels it has been very rewarding to continue to serve them today. Born and raised in Salem, he is active in the community through his memberships with the Courthouse Athletic Club and the Salem Active Business Promoters.
Garry graduated from South Salem High School in 1975, and continued his education at Chemeketa Commuinty College, Western Oregon University and Mt. Hood Community College.
In his spare time, he enjoys weightlifting and working out with friends. He also enjoys spending time with his wife, Starla, and going on their annual trips to Hawaii.

Larry D. Black
Funeral Director

Daniel Fisher
Groundskeeper
Explore Our Location
See where we are located.
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Restlawn Memory Gardens & Funeral Home
Restlawn Memory Gardens & Funeral Home
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201 Oak Grove Rd NW
- Salem, OR 97304
- Telephone: (503) 585-1373
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.restlawnfh.com/
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201 Oak Grove Rd NW