Established 1989
About Precious Memories Pet Cemetery and Crematory, Inc. of Fort Collins, Colorado
Initially the inspiration for Precious Memories was to honor the passing of Lisa's beloved pet Darth, a brindle American Staffordshire Terrier, who was Lisa's constant companion from the moment he joined her family. With limited options, Lisa inquired about burial in a local cemetery. With limited options, Lisa inquired about burial in a local cemetery. Upon learning that pet burial was not allowed in cemeteries dedicated for people, she decided on cremation. Disappointed with the service that was offered, Lisa and her father Harold came to the conclusion that there needed to be a place in Northern Colorado that catered to the needs of people once their pets had passed. Our third generation has now been joined by Lisa's daughter Samantha.
The next step was getting what used to be a seven acre farm, re-zoned to become a pet cemetery. After many months of soil testing and endless paperwork, along with air pollution studies for the crematory, Precious Memories was given the green light to open. Darth is now buried beneath the statue of Saint Francis just outside the office.
Our History
In October 1989, the facility opened. For the first few years, Harold shouldered the lion's share of the responsibility while Lisa worked at the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital. After retiring from the university, Lisa worked full-time at Precious Memories with her father. In 1998, the business was more than two people could handle and the staff had to be expanded.
In 1995, the second cremation unit was added and a new building was constructed to house them. Since then, two more units have been added. The original unit did not comply with Larimer County's strict air pollution laws any longer and was donated to an animal shelter in Summit County. Since 1989, Precious Memories Pet Cemetery and Crematory has played an important role in Northern Colorado, providing the first pet cemetery and cremation facility in the area. We strive to set the highest standards of service and compassion in the pet loss industry.
Our full service cemetery, which is located just east of Fort Collins, has a breathtaking view of Colorado's beautiful scenic mountains. We have three crematories on site that are manufactured with the highest ratings for safety and efficiency. They include the newest technology to ensure that emission standards are exceeded.
As an added convenience for our client, we can work directly with their veterinarian or can refer an in-home veterinary service if preferred. Our main goal during the passing of a pet is to make the experience as stress free as possible. There are no additional charges to pick up and return pets to veterinary clinics and hospitals in Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley and the surrounding area. We also offer an in-home pick up service for a reasonable fee.
We want you to feel comfortable with the care your pet receives; therefore, we encourage you to ask questions and openly discuss any concerns you may have with our knowledgeable staff.
In 2009 we celebrated our 20th anniversary of providing for the care needs of pets in Northern Colorado and the surrounding areas. Our qualified staff is committed to delivering the highest quality of care in a gentle and compassionate environment.
Meet Our Staff
Lisa Kuemmerlin Staggs
A native of Fort Collins, Colorado, Lisa has resided in Fort Collins all of her life. She is a graduate of Fort Collins High School and attended University of Wyoming majoring in Agriculture and Horticulture.
She worked as the Supervisor of Animal Care, Custodial Services and the Volunteer Coordinator at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for 18 years.
In 1987 after the passing of Darth her beloved companion she started Precious Memories Pet Cemetery and Crematory Inc. with help and support of her family and turned it into a premier model of excellence. Darth is the contributing factor of why Precious Memories is here today. She passionately shares her vision for the love of all animals and their final provisions for the end of life.
In her free time she enjoys billiards, gardening especially working on her amazing indoor fairy garden and creating crafts from botanicals grown in her indoor and outdoor gardens. She also enjoys football (Go Broncos) and hockey.
She shares her home with many adopted children that found her in their time of need. “Kiki” a Pekinese Pomeranian mix, “Sam” a double yellow headed Amazon Parrot, “Panther” Domestic shorthair feline, “Jake” a male Eclectus Parrot, “Angelica Noel” a Ragdoll, “Cocoa” a cockatiel, “Molly” a Chihuahua, “Alice” a Domestic Long haired feline, “Elvis” a Maltese and her group of outdoor “Hobos” (Squirrels, Blue Jays, Rabbits, Foxes and Raccoons).
Recently Lisa has taken a step back from the office to enjoy time with her grandsons and granddogs.
Samantha Staggs
Samantha is happy to become the third generation of the family to join Precious Memories in their third decade of service to the Front Range community. Samantha is a passionate animal lover, who has been involved with animals from volunteering at Colorado State University teaching hospital to participating in 4-H during her formative years. Recently Samantha came on board as the Director of Operations, helping facilitate the loss of loved ones with care and compassion for each client who steps through our doors.
Samantha has many passions in life including food, wine, opera, and the performing arts. Samantha is a graduate of DePaul School of Music with a Master of Music Opera Performance and Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver with a Bachelor of Music and Post Masters Performance Certificate in Classical Voice Performance as well as an unaccredited minor in Business from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. Samantha is proud to be a Mighty Lambkin, just like Lisa and Harold.
Samantha has two little boys in Elementary who keep her busy as well as four fur-babies, who you may see in the office from time to time. Ruby Grundel, the leader of the pack is an 11-year-old French Bulldog who is a retired breeding mama. Rusty Buckets(pictured with Samantha), is an Olde English Bulldogge who loves everyone he has ever met. Mina, who is Ruby’s daughter, also a retired breeding mama is our official office greeter, who enjoys comforting people as they come into the office. Our newest member of the family is Gypsy, a retired breeding mama Frenchie from Greeley. Gypsy is learning the ropes and excited to be a part of the family. Lenny, the littlest love of Samantha’s life, a French Bulldog Chihuahua mix is buried in the family plot, near the garden and the roses that he loved to stop and smell every time he walked by.
Johny Hyback
Hello! My name is Johnathan Hyback, but I have always gone by Johny. I was born here in Fort Collins at Poudre Valley Hospital back in 1987. I was raised here in the Fort Collins/Wellington area and graduated from Poudre High School in 2005. Since I was a kid, my favorite place has always been the Mountains. My friends and I would put 10$ of gas in our little Toyota pickup truck and explore every weekend. After high school, I became a Toyota Technician for 5 years before I got the travel bug and started traveling the country as a Chef. Where the biggest part of my life Gebo and I ended up working in the woods of Maine on a Kids Camp. Gebo, my Husky was always ready for all the trips along our journey across the country, and then back to work for Toyota for another 5 years. At the end of my Toyota career, I started attending night school for my bachelor’s in business administration. I left Toyota before I graduated and worked for CSU to spend more time focusing on my degree. After College I worked in the Mortgage Industry for 3 years with a great local Family-owned Mortgage Broker Group. Now I am here with the Staggs Family at Precious Memories, doing something quite different than I ever thought I would do. But it is gratifying to me to be there for people at what could be one of the worst moments they experience with their pet. My journey is still going, only now after 18 years I walk most of my path without Princess Gebo. As she had to move on this year in April, but I still spread some of her ashes on every Hiking and Camping trip. As that was her happy place, as she lived most of her life in the Mountains. And by spreading her ashes it is my way of keeping her journey going! We all process loss and grief in our own ways, which is why we treat every animal as if it was our own and understand the delicacies of the situation. We hope to not see you any time soon, but we are here for you when you need us with an open heart and respect for your pets.
Joel Lackey
Joel, grew up in Hawaii and San Diego and has always loved the ocean and being near the water. Prior to coming to Colorado, he served in the United States Coast Guard and then as a firefighter in Arizona. Joel has worked in Colorado for the past twenty years, during his time in the state he has been a heavy equipment operator and grounds man. He is a proud veteran of the Coast Guard and has twin daughters who keep him busy when he is not at work. They are off to college this year and he could not be prouder of the amazing young women they have become and looks forward to all the adventures they are about to have. In his downtime Joel enjoys being outdoors and spending time with his cat, Tulip.
Mina
Mina is our resident greeter and also works as a therapy dog and grief counselor for clients who are grieving the loss of their beloved pets. Mina is a 6 year old French Bulldog who is a retired breeding mamma. You may also see Mina in the office with her mother, Ruby (another retired breeding Frenchie) and Gypsy, her new sister, who she is teaching the ropes about how to help people in the office.
