Meet Our Staff - Panama City, FL

Greg Brudnicki

President

Mr. Brudnicki has been with Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home/Carriage Services for over 40 years. He has been the Mayor of Panama City, since 2011. Greg is a former Trustee at Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart, where he served for 19 years, and a former Chairman of the Board of the Division of Funeral, Cemetery and Consumer Services, where he served for 10 years.

Robert Maclary

Managing Partner

Robert L. Maclary has been a licensed funeral director since 1977. He has been with Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home as Managing Partner since 2010. Mr. Maclary is a past Board of Director member for the Southern Cemetery, Crematory and Funeral Association; a past Board member for the Maryland Cemetery and Funeral Association; and a past Board member for Save Our Cemeteries, New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association and a Master Mason/Past Master of Lodge 215 Silver Spring Maryland, a Rotarian, a member of Bay County Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Lions Club. Robert was the guest speaker at the 61st Annual Meeting of the Wilbert Manufacturers Association.

Brian Gallagher

Location Manager- FDIC

Brian Gallagher has been a licensed funeral director since 1992 and holds licenses in 3 states, Florida, Louisiana and Alabama.  A 1990 graduate of Commonwealth College of Mortuary Science in Houston, TX he then received his A. A. degree in 1991. Brian brings 31 years of experience to serving the families of Bay County. Prior to joining the staff of Kent-Forest Lawn in 2004 Brian managed funeral homes in Louisiana and Alabama. Brian was raised in Alexandria, LA and is the youngest of Richard and Katherine Gallagher’s 7 sons;  When Brian is away from work he enjoys golfing, working in his yard and rooting for his Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bill Jones

Managing Funeral Director

Bill Jones, LFD is the senior funeral director and Funeral Director In Charge at Kent-Forest Lawn. A 1975 graduate of Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Science in Atlanta, Bill recently completed his 51st year in funeral service. Bill lives in Lynn Haven, and is a member of the First Baptist Church of Panama City.

Scott Countryman

Licensed Funeral Director

Michael Bailey

Licensed Funeral Director

  Michael is a native of the Florida Panhandle and has dedicated his life to the service of others. He is a 12 year veteran of the U. S. Armed Forces, having served both in peace and war time. He also served the community for 8 years as a corrections officer with the State of Florida. He has been serving the families of Florida and Georgia during their times of grief, since 2013. Michael began his career as a Family Service Counselor with Kent-Forest Lawn in 2013 but eventually moved to Georgia to attend mortuary college. In 2015, he graduated with honors from Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service, where he served as the chapter vice-president of Pi Sigma Eta, a professional mortuary fraternity. He has been a certified crematory operator since 2015 and a Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer since 2017. In September of 2022, he returned to the Panhandle and rejoined the staff of Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home. Michael has several hobbies, which include motorcycling, collecting, camping, hunting, fishing, and watching college sports. However, he mostly enjoys time spent with his family and friends.

P. Scott Shank

Licensed Funeral Director

P. Scott Shank, Licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer, is a 2013 graduate of Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service in Decatur, Georgia. Scott joined Kent-Forest Lawn in December 2015. Scott is a native of DeFuniak Springs, Florida and resides in Panama City with his wife Donna.

Rusty Freeman

Funeral Assistant

Curtis Beard

Funeral Director/Embalmer Apprentice

Michelle Heck

Office Manager

Tracie Bachman

Receptionist/Administrative Support

Tracie Bachman joined the family of Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home/Carriage Services in 2013.  She brings years of administrative experience while working with the public and has such a passion for serving families.  Tracie, originally from North Alabama, came to the area in 1998 as a result of vacationing here since childhood.  Panama City Beach is where she met her husband, Steve, and during their 18 years of marriage have shared a passion for light tackle fishing. While Tracie is away from work she loves spending time with her daughter, Katelyn, and Parti Poodle, Moxie. You will always find them on a beach or somewhere around the water. 

Shaina Gardner

Administrative Support

Shaina Gardner claimed Panama City as her home in 1997 after moving around the world with her military family. She holds an AA in Communications having studied advertising and graphic design. She has worked at Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home and Cemeteries since 2014 and caringly creates tribute videos and stationary for our families. In her free time, Shaina enjoys art, photography and traveling.

Shaina, her husband and their daughter are passionate about animal rescue and often volunteer with local animal rescue groups and are foster parents to dogs awaiting their forever homes.

Cherry Figuried

Administrative Support

Malyah Davis

Administrative Support

John Byrne

Family Service Advisor

John Byrne has been a Family Service Advisor with Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home, Evergreen Memorial Gardens, Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery, and Garden of Memories since 1977. He has assisted thousands of families with pre-arrangement services as well as at-need arrangements. He has over 37 years of experience serving families in the local area. He is our Senior Memorial Counselor and assists in the training and directing of all staff with cemetery and funeral home needs. He has been married to his wife Annice for 44 years.

Yerania Torres

Family Service Advisor

Cell: (850) 252-5783

Email: Yerania.Torres@kentforestlawn.com

 

Charlie Hertel

Family Service Advisor

Ryan Spartz

Family Service Manager

Alexis Defreitas

Family Service Advisor

Mike Scott

Maintenance Supervisor

Mike Scott is the Maintenance Supervisor for Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home & Cemeteries and has been part of the Carriage Services Team for over 29 years. He helps in the direction of our cemeteries, Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Evergreen Memorial Gardens, and Garden of Memories Cemetery.