History & Staff

Personalized service options allow you to honor your loved ones in a way that is both meaningful and healing. We hope to provide support and caring while delivering memorial services that celebrate life and help families find the peace they deserve.
If you’re seeking an honorable celebration of life, we invite you to learn more about where we came from, our vision, and the dedicated people behind our work.

A History of Caring

21-year-old James Daneri took over the county’s only mortuary in 1902, and the services were standard. When needs arose, a horse-drawn hearse had to be rented from a local stable. By 1918, the purchase of a horseless carriage hearse was allowed to serve the community better.

Today, Daneri Mortuary continues to change with the times and does its best to meet our community’s expanding needs. What remains the same is our commitment to providing professional and caring service to families.  Today, our full-service mortuary results from community trust built on decades of experience in providing caring support and quality service. We offer many different services, including Sunset View Cemetery, a crematorium, columbarium, and mausoleum.

Our Staff’s Dedication to Respectful Care

A funeral, or memorial service, should provide family members and loved ones with the chance to reflect, remember, and celebrate a life well-lived. Our goal is to create exceptional services and experiences that fulfill the wishes of your loved one. Our experienced Funeral Directors provide guidance on the crucial first steps toward healing.

Michael Johnson
Funeral Director

Michael Johnson graduated from Argonaut High School in Jackson, CA, and Cypress College with a Mortuary Science Certificate. He trained for two years in an apprenticeship program at Daneri Mortuary and Spongberg Mortuary. Michael took on additional studying and training while on the job to prepare him for testing on multiple industry licenses, including Funeral Director, Embalmer, Advance-planning Insurance Expertise, Cemetery Manager, Crematory Manager, and Cemetery Broker.

Regina Schowengerdt
General Manager

Regina has been with Daneri Mortuary since January of 2006. She is a Funeral Counselor, Pre-need Arrangement Counselor, and Cemetery Salesperson. By nature, she enjoys serving others, and Daneri Mortuary provides the perfect setting for her to help families at a tough time in their lives. Families can be confident their loved ones receive the best care possible not only by Regina, but also by the entire Daneri staff. Regina was raised in Calaveras County and has made Amador County her home since 1990. She graduated from Stanislaus State University with her Bachelor’s in Psychology in 1984.

Artina Parkyn
Administrative Assistant

Artina is the lead administrative assistant in the office. Her assistant duties revolve around managing and distributing information within the office. This generally includes answering phones, maintaining files, and filing death certificates. She may also oversee sending and receiving correspondence, as well as greeting the families.

Artina grew up in Amador County and has been involved in the family business, Daneri’s since a teenager running various errands and cleaning. Once graduating high school, she spent a year at West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, CA for Bible, and administrative courses. When returning to her hometown of Jackson, she spent some time developing her customer service skills in different businesses such as a retail boutique and an interior design studio until she made her way back to Daneri’s, where her passion of serving families during a difficult time remains.

She and her husband, Sean have been married 10 years and have 2 children, Anthony, and Kyleigh. Sean was recently hired onto a Sacramento Fire Department as a fire medic. On their days home as a family, they love taking adventures and making many memories together. There is never a dull moment. Most days you can find them working on their yard either gardening or mowing the lawn for a game with the kids.  

Chris Douglas
Mortuary/Cemetery Service Assistant

Chris is essential to the everyday activities of Daneri Mortuary. He supports the staff in many ways, including transportation, maintenance, and assisting in funerals and services. Chris and his wife Suzanne live in Jackson and love going out for road trips on their Harley. His education includes HS Grad and life experience as a mechanic and firefighter for many years. The direct training in funeral service has been through on the job and in the field training.

Jorge Martinez
Cemetery Superintendent

Jorge is the grounds supervisor of Sunset View Cemetery. In addition to maintaining the cemetery, he opens and closes graves, sets headstones, and operates the crematory. When he’s not at the cemetery, Jorge enjoys working out, playing soccer, or going fishing.

Nicole Thomas
Funeral Arranger

Nicole joined Daneri Mortuary in February, 2023. As a funeral Arranger, she assists families in making arrangements to honor their loved ones. 

Originally from the Elk Grove area, Nicole spent 25 years in the veterinary industry where she worked as a Lead Client Service Representative and Pharmacy Technician. After purchasing her home in Amador County, it became Nicole's goal to work within her community. She loves spending time with her family which includes her husband, son, two daughters, and daughter-in-law. 

Nicole enjoys helping people and caring for all creatures, big and small. When she is not rescuing animals, she is at the lake with at least one of her three dogs. She loves acrylic painting and attending concerts with family and friends. 

Courtney Holcomb
Administrative Assistant

Courtney is an Administrative Assistant, assisting in the daily duties of the office. This generally includes answering daily phone calls, creating and maintaining files, death certificate filing, office correspondence and greeting families.

She previously worked in the medical field for 15 years. Beginning as a medical receptionist and moving her way up as a Business Office Manager. She has a passion for helping people and their families. She is full of compassion and has a nurturing spirit.

She moved to Amador County 3 years ago with her family, as they decided they wanted to move away from the business of the Bay Area. When she is not working, she enjoys being at the lake on the water, camping, boating and just spending time with her family. She loves baking and cooking, finding new recipes to try on her family and friends. 

Michael Douglas
Service Assistant

Michael is 31 years old and a proud father of two daughters. Michael has been a Cemetery Assistant for two years. When he is not at work, he enjoys spending time with his daughters and fishing.

Robert Douglas
Funeral Assistant