Certified Celebrants
Our certified celebrants help create and present a funeral, memorial, or celebration of life that is unique and personalized. Many families today do not belong to a church or have a minister. Many of these families choose to have a celebration of life service instead of or alongside a traditional sermon. Our celebrants are trained to provide this important service. Our celebrants honor the wishes of the family to deliver either a religious or non-religious service. Families can design a memorial tribute just the way they want.
Jim Coyle
Certified Celebrant
GriefCare and Community Outreach Specialist
Jim’s ability to connect with grieving families and speak from the heart are keys to why families love him both as a Certified Celebrant and in his role of GriefCare specialist.
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As a GriefCare Specialist for Cedar Memorial, Jim focuses on traumatic intervention, staff training and development, and community awareness. Jim has over 30 years of experience walking beside those who have experienced a traumatic loss at the international, national, state, and local level. He and his wife, Lisa are the parents of five children, and Jim enjoys spending as much time as possible them and their two dogs.
Randall Walton
Certified Celebrant
AfterCare Specialist
Randall is a Certified Celebrant with Cedar Memorial. In this role Randall meets the needs of families during their time of loss. He serves the family by providing a funeral service that is personalized to reflect the personality and lifestyle of the deceased. Randall truly understands that funerals help us confront and accept the reality that a death has occurred. Further, funerals honor and remember someone significant in our life. Randall is certified as a funeral celebrant through InSight Institute in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
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Before joining Cedar Memorial, Randall was employed at the VonMaur Department Store at the Lindale Mall. For twenty years he was the visual merchandiser for the store.
Randall also offers a wide range of resources to families at Cedar Memorial, from singing, playing the piano or leading a funeral service. Drawing on years in the customer service industry, Randall also serves families through Cedar Memorial’s AfterCare program.
Passionate about music, Randall has been involved with Theater Cedar Rapids, The Cedar Rapids Opera Theater and Revival Theater Company. He has sung and performed at hundreds of weddings and funerals over the years.
Randall and his husband Leonardo enjoy spending time traveling, being outside and enjoying music. They devote a lot of time to their five children and their large family.
As a family works through the funeral or grief process Randall would be a great support and blessing.
Cindy McKee
Certified Celebrant
Cindi McKee comes to the Certified Celebrant role following years of serving as a hospice chaplain and an associate pastor. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN and also attended Wesley Seminary in Washington, D.C. Cindi completed her Certified Celebrant training through the InSight Institute in Oklahoma.
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Cindi believes that walking beside families who are navigating a journey of grief and loss is a great privilege and considers it an honor to be part of the journey. She believes that every person has a story that deserves to be told and through the funeral process will help to create a time of remembrance that is unique and appropriate for the person whose life is being celebrated.
Cindi appreciates the hard work of grieving and is focused on providing funeral services that offer hope and the beginning of healing. She understands that the way each person processes their grief is personal and with a supportive open attitude, Cindi meets families where they are in their loss experience.
Cindi grew up in Cedar Rapids, attended Washington High School and has a B.S. from Iowa State University. She lived in Webster City and Minneapolis before returning home to be near family. Cindi and her husband Tom love to gather people together and enjoy supporting the arts.