Our Staff
Our Staff
Licensed Staff
All of our licensed directors adhere to the highest standard of ethical practices and are committed to ensuring that all of your needs are attended to. Their commitment to the community and genuine compassion toward families are but a few of the characteristics that make them outstanding in their field. We are proud to have them on our staff
D. Michael Land
Owner/Licensed Director
D. Michael Land, a Fort Worth native, graduated from Southwest High School before attending Tarrant County College. Michael received formal Funeral Service training from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service and became a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer by the State of Texas. Michael, co-founder and owner of Forest Ridge Funeral Home-Memorial Park Chapel and Crematory, has been active in the funeral industry for 47 years. As a funeral industry professional, Michael is dedicated to each family and regularly strives to ensure that all their needs are considered and met.
In terms of community involvement, Michael is a former Executive Board member of the Better Business Bureau and currently serves in an Advisory Board Member capacity. His experience with the local Chambers of Commerce is quite extensive having served as both Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Leadership Alumni Association for the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Chamber of Commerce. In addition to his involvement with the business community, Michael volunteered with the HEB ISD Education Foundation to raise funds for Innovative Teaching Grants within the HEB ISD. The HEB Chamber awarded Michael the Community Service Award in 2011 for his significant contributions. Michael continues to be an active member in both the Hurst-Euless-Bedford and Northeast Tarrant Chambers of Commerce. Michael is also a Freemason with memberships in Hurst Masonic Lodge #1387 and Tabernacle Masonic Lodge #1195 in Fort Worth. Michael and Suzanne are members at University Baptist Church in Fort Worth.
In 2006, Michael served the North Texas Funeral Directors Association as President and from 2008-2009 he served as President for the Texas Funeral Directors Association. In addition to these terms as President, Michael has served on and occasionally chaired state association committees such as Membership, Convention, Legislative Budget, Building and Media Relations and the Disaster Committee. Michael has the honor of serving as President of the TFDA Services, Inc. board as well as Co-Chairing Wreaths Across America where he participates in annual ceremonies at the Texas State Capitol as well as the Texas State Cemetery.
Michael is married to Suzanne Land, a staff member in the Registrar’s office at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. They are the proud parents of Debbie, Sheri and Brian as well as the proud grandparents of 6 wonderful grandchildren: Nicholas, Tahlia, Kayin, Tommy, Laura Kate and Kamilah.
Telephone: 1-817-428-9500
David B. Medina
Owner/Licensed Director
David B. Medina, a native of Dallas, Texas earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas Allied Health Science Center at Dallas. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Southern Methodist University and has served on the faculties of Brookhaven College, Western Kentucky University and at Tarrant County College-Northeast. David graduated from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service in 1992 and immediately began his career in the Funeral Service Industry where his commitment to serving families continues to be his passion and driving force. In 1996, David and business partner, D. Michael Land established Forest Ridge Funeral Home which has ultimately evolved into Forest Ridge Funeral Home-Memorial Park Chapel and Crematory. In addition to being co-owner and Public Relations Liaison for Forest Ridge, he currently serves on the Boards of Arts Council Northeast, the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Chamber of Commerce, Mission Central, as well as the Northeast Tarrant County Chamber of Commerce. David has held positions with the Bedford ARTS Planning Commission, as well as the Hurst Economic Development Foundation.
David resides in Bedford, Texas where he devotes much of his free time to serving the community and volunteerism-a principle in which he strongly believes. Noted theologian, John Wesley once said,
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
This is a guiding principle for David and because of his substantial community involvement; he has received numerous awards and recognitions including the prestigious Clyde Mooney award from the HEB Chamber of Commerce as well as the Community Service and Business of the Year awards.
David has been a member of the HEB Rotary as well as a member of Hurst Lodge#1387
Telephone: 1-817-428-9500
Bradley R. Shotts
Funeral Home Manager
Bradley Shotts grew up in East Texas, living in Chandler and Tyler and graduated from Brownsboro High School. He graduated from Tyler Junior College and received his degree in mortuary science from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service in Dallas, Texas.
Brad began his career in the funeral industry in Tyler at Lloyd James Funeral Home and has continued his career for 30 years, currently serving as General Manager of Forest Ridge Funeral Home in North Richland Hills, Texas.
Brad and his wife, Amy live in Bedford, Texas and have two children, Blaine and Braylee.
In his spare time, Brad loves to perform and sing, paint, minister where he is able, and spend time with his family and his beloved French Bulldogs, Monet' and Merlot'.
Brad is a member of the Texas Funeral Directors Association, where he has served on numerous committees. He is currently the chair for the committee that oversees the Wreaths Across America Ceremony at the Texas State Capital and the Texas State Cemetery in Austin each year. He is a member of Rotary International and the HEB Rotary Club, where he is a Paul Harris Society member.
Telephone: 1-817-428-9500
Jason Ely
Licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer and Crematory Operator
Jason grew up in Irving where he attended MacArthur High School. He began his career in the funeral industry in 1995 at Olinger Mortuaries in Denver, Colorado. In 1997, Jason earned his degree in Mortuary Science from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service. Over the last 24 years, he has had the opportunity to manage and startup multiple locations in central Texas. In 2012, Jason managed Memorial Park Funeral Services in North Richland Hills which would later become Forest Ridge Funeral Home Memorial Park Chapel. In his free time, he enjoys spending time riding bicycles with his family.
Telephone: 1-817-428-9500
Steven Sida
Licensed Funeral Director/ Crematory Operator
Steven is originally from El Paso, Texas. Steven and his family moved to the Denton County area when he was a teenager where he graduated from Lewisville High School. Steven is a graduate of Dallas Institute of Funeral Services and has spent the past 12 years working in all aspects of the death care industry. It has always been an honor to Steven to be able to serve each family with sympathetic care through honesty and hard work. In Steven's spare time he loves music, playing guitar, spending time with his family, playing Fortnite with his sons, and watching the Cowboys.
Telephone: 1-817-428-9500
Associates
Although they are not licensed funeral directors, these staff members are vitally important to the operation of our firm. These individuals make it possible for us to professionally coordinate funerals with the quality of service our community has come to expect from us.
