Meet Our Staff

Verdo E. Werre

Manager/Funeral Director

Verdo started his career as a teen working in a funeral home in Calaveras County. The first thing he did was work a funeral service for a young woman killed in a car accident.  Her grandmother thanked and hugged Verdo after the service and this had a profound impact on him.  He decided to go to Mortuary School and has been in funeral service for 40 years.  After Calaveras County, he ended up in Richmond, CA, a suburb of San Francisco.  There he worked for several years until being offered the Managing Partner position here at McNary-Moore.  Colusa and Richmond are very different and Verdo was excited to move here and raise his then 2-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son in a wholesome environment.  He has been at McNary-Moore since 2000 and wouldn’t change a thing.  In his spare time, he is a car aficionado, loves the San Francisco 49’ers and taking long rides on his Harley Davidson.  He is a grill master and also does a great job with a smoker.  He has several furry family members and his daughter Hailey is now 21 and married to Brandon and his son Kevin is now 25.

Email: verdo.werre@mcnarymoorefuneralservice.com

Nadine Benz

Funeral Director

Nadine is new to McNary-Moore, but not to funeral service.  She is a licensed Funeral Director and has taken care of families for more than 20 years.  Nadine came to funeral service after a 15-year career in dentistry.  A negative experience with a funeral home after the sudden loss of her mother spurred her into action as she felt “if that was the best they can do, I can do it better.”  She left her career, studied the laws related to funeral directing, took the state board test and passed. Her first position was with the funeral home she was upset with.  She has a knack for picking up even the smallest nuance in a conversation with a family about their loved one and make it part of their service. She bonds with families on a level that creates deep trust and doesn’t know how to do things half-way.  In her off time, Nadine enjoys her large garden and sharing and canning what she grows.  She often jokes she needs a 12-step program for her cooking habit. An avid animal lover, she has several furry family members and is the proud mom of two boys, Nicholas, 26 and Taylor, 24 and their beautiful wives Terryn and Lindsey. 

Email: nadine.benz@mcnarymoorefuneralservice.com

Miss Mo

Grief Support/Emotional Therapy

Miss Mo is our first grief support/emotional therapy dog.  She began her service with McNary-Moore in July 2019 at 12-weeks of age. She is now a year old and takes her job very seriously.  She was born for her role in offering our families furry love and support.  She is mild mannered and enjoys what she does.  She has strong intuition and can walk into the arrangement office and make herself at home with a family.  She is extremely cognizant of the emotions of the families she comforts.  She will make her rounds with the family, but is able to zero in on who really needs her comfort the most.  She also brings support and love to our staff, having her in the office takes away a lot of the sadness that comes with helping families cope with loss.  We feel fortunate to have her with us.

Delbert Bressler

Funeral Assistant

Mary Lou Kittle

Funeral Assistant

Mary Lou has been with McNary Moore as a funeral assistant since 1980.  Mary Lou was born and raised in Williams and resides in Colusa. She continues to be an integral part of the community.  An avid baker, Mary Lou makes a mean rum cake and other amazing delectable treats she shares with staff and families.  Mary Lou is probably the most recognizable face on our staff.  She melds well with families and puts them at ease when she works their visitations.  Mary Lou enjoys spending free time with her beloved family and occasionally going to the Colusa Casino where she is a VIP.  Mary Lou enjoys working in her community making a difficult time for the families a little less stressful. She is a gem and we are so glad to have her.

Robert Sutton

Funeral Assistant

Robert, less formally known as Bob has been with McNary-Moore since 2018.  Bob was retired after a long and varied career including driving truck and proprietor of an electronics company.  McNary-Moore needed an on-call person to work evening services and various other duties. Bob decided “why not?” and has been here ever since.  A longtime resident of Colusa, Bob loves classic cars, having restored a junked Camaro to its previous beauty and riding his Harley.  He excels as a backyard cook and is a pro when it comes to a smoker, creating delicious flavors with different types of meat.  Bob is sociable and gets along well with the families he works with.  He feels honored to be able to assist with families paying their last respects to their loved ones and make a positive impact on what for most people is the most difficult time in their lives.

Kyle Newmark

Preeneed Counselor With National Guardian Life

Nicholas Youker

Funeral Arranger and Assistant

Nicholas “Nick” Youker is the newest member of the McNary-Moore family.  Nick was practically raised in a funeral home as his mother is a Funeral Director, and enjoys being a funeral assistant because he likes the sense of purpose he gets from it.  He is sensitive to people’s needs and empathetic to their situations. Both skills that can’t be taught. Nick is a prolific writer and is currently working on a novel.  He is attending school to complete his Bachelor degree and hopes for a career as an elementary school teacher.  He is an avid DC Comics fan as well as a Star Wars buff. He is so well versed in these, you can ask him any question, no matter how obscure and he will have the answer!  He has a quick wit and is extremely friendly and approachable.  Nick is an excellent addition to our staff, we are happy to have him.

Tatum Carerre

Funeral Assistant/ Miss Mo's Trainer

Tatum came to us around the time Miss Mo did.  She had just donated a dog she raised and trained for her senior project to a Veteran with PTSD and learned we were looking for someone to train our Grief Support Dog.  We hired Tatum on the spot and have never regretted the decision.  In January, we hired her as a part-time funeral assistant so on top of working with Miss Mo, she does front office duties, works services and assists in the funeral home wherever she is needed.  Her "low-key" temperament makes her perfect around the families and compliments some of the stronger personalities in the office.  She is a good balance.  She is also attending school for a business degree as her dream is to continue her work training service dogs.