DISTINCTIVE LIFE Dallas

We have years of experience caring for families, from all walks of life. Each family comes to us because they know we are leaders in our profession, dedicated to excellence in service, and have the highest integrity.

Our History

Serving  Dallas,Texas and the surrounding communities

The Distinctive Life Dallas Care Team, including our licensed funeral directors, are available around the clock to meet with your family when and where it is best for you, whether it be your home, the hospital/hospice, our location, or wherever is most convenient and comforting for you. If you don’t have a place of worship and want more than a graveside service, don’t worry – we work with chapels, social halls, and reception rooms all around the Dallas area from which you can choose. Or, you can choose to have a service in a location that’s meaningful to your loved one and your family.

Whether you need to plan a full chapel or church-based funeral service, a memorial service, a cremation-only service, or a simple graveside service, Distinctive Life can help. We believe that every life is distinctive, and every life deserves to be honored in a highly personal and meaningful way.

Beyond our Immediate Need services, Distinctive Life also offers comprehensive pre-planning services to help individuals and families plan ahead, minimize costs, and ensure a legacy is preserved.

Conoce una directora de funerales en Distinctive Life en Plano, Texas.

Funeral  Service  Staff Members

Andy Starr

Andy Starr

Owner/Executive Director - Andy Starr has always had a knack for business, but he’s also always had a deep desire to serve people at critical times in their lives, whether they’re suffering from an injury, caring for aging parents, or enduring the loss of a loved one. As owner and executive director of Distinctive Life Funeral Homes, Andy has led the company’s efforts to change the way individuals and families are served by the funeral industry, focusing on honoring every life in a highly personal and meaningful way.

Before leading Distinctive Life, Andy co-founded and served as a senior executive of Hearthstone Assisted Living, helping foster the company’s growth from scratch to more than 30 communities in 10 states. Before Hearthstone, he was a senior member of the founding management team for U.S. Physical Therapy, helping guide its explosive growth from a start-up to more than 75 clinics nationwide and transitioning it to public trading on the NASDAQ exchange.

Andy started his career as a real estate & banking attorney at the Houston firm of Hirsch & Westheimer after graduating with honors from the University of Texas School of Law. He also holds a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University in New Orleans.

Zane  Belyea

Zane  Belyea

Owner/Community Relations - From an early age, Zane Belyea knew he wanted a career that involved helping people. He earned a degree in social work and psychology at Southern Illinois University, then worked with abused and neglected children. Zane next worked in the education industry, eventually becoming vice president of recruitment for a large education firm. Many years of business travel and a growing family in Dallas led Zane to look for a new career path, so he followed the advice of one of his mentors and began a new career in the funeral industry.

True to his roots in social work, Zane finds it deeply rewarding to help families during one of the worst moments of their lives, and he’s instilled that passion for creating highly personal celebrations of life throughout Distinctive Life. “Every member of our team has a solemn commitment to serve all of our families well beyond their expectations,” says Zane. “We absolutely won’t let them down.”

Liz  Vargas

Liz  Vargas

Owner/Human Relations - As the vice president of accounting at Distinctive Life, Liz Vargas is responsible for the financials, procedures, budgets, and human resources for all Distinctive Life locations. Before joining the company, Liz worked as an accounting professional for more than 25 years in different industries. She specializes in the direction and setup of accounting systems, as well as establishing policies and procedures for financial and operational activities for startup companies. In her spare time, Liz enjoys working in her garden and watching the Houston Astros – her favorite sports team.

ANA ARIAS

ANA ARIAS

Location Manager/Funeral Director- Ana holds her Degree in Funeral Service from American Academy McAllister Institute in New York and is currently licensed as a Funeral Director in the State of Texas.  Ana began her Funeral Director career at our Houston location over 5 years ago.   She has served on numerous boards and volunteer organizations.  Ana is committed to providing each and every family with a high-quality service.

Ana is originally from New Jersey and moved to Houston Texas in 2015 before moving to Dallas in 2023.  In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, crafting, and spending time with her family. She has one daughter currently attending Rutgers University and 3 playful cats.

Cristela  Edwards

Cristela  Edwards

Funeral Director Cristela is a Native Texan from Rockport, Texas. She moved to Dallas in 2008 and graduated from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service in March of 2017. She is the mother of three beautiful children and a Yellow Lab named Hawk.  

As a proud single Mother, her family is extremely important to her as is her passion to help less fortunate children.  She likes to spend time volunteering with the Shriner Hospital which is dedicated to ensuring all children have access to top-notch health care regardless of their family’s financial ability.  Cristela is also an avid animal lover and spends time volunteering at the Wildlife Conservation Society which fights to save endangered Animals.

Cristela is a parishioner at St. Francis of Assis Catholic Church.

“I got into the Funeral Industry to help guide others through a very tough time and to make their experience a little easier.”

Yehudit Sanford

Yehudit Sanford

Administrative Assistant - Yehudit Sanford was born in Pennsylvania but has called Plano, Texas, home since the 1st grade. She completed her education at Plano East Senior High before pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. Currently, she is wrapping up her studies at the Dallas Institute of Funeral Services, where she found her calling in providing compassionate service to those in need.

In March of 2016, Yehudit married her beloved husband, Rick, in Dallas. Together, they share a household filled with the love of their cats and dogs, who undoubtedly steal the show with their undeniable cuteness.

Beyond her academic and professional pursuits, Yehudit has a diverse set of interests. She finds solace and enrichment in religious and philosophy studies, indulges her creative side through crochet and quilting, and enjoys bonding with others over board and card games.

Yehudit's journey into funeral directing is rooted in her simple yet profound desire to serve during people's most challenging times. She embodies compassion, a service-oriented mindset, and an innate kindness that makes her a pillar of support for those in mourning.

Logan Roberts

Logan Roberts

Pre-Planning Advisor - Logan was born in Dallas, Texas where she graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1998. Logan attended college at the University of Texas where she received her Bachelor’s in Social Work in 2002. After graduating, Logan continued her social work studies at Washington University in St. Louis, MO where she received her Master’s in Social Work with a concentration in children, youth & families in 2003. During her tenure at Wash U, she received practicum student of the year for her dedication to serving area foster care children and youth.

Logan started her career in social work in adoptions working with all members of the adoption constellation offering counseling, support, and planning through one of life’s most difficult decisions. She worked for many of the Texas agencies including the Gladney Center, Adoption Access, Little Flowers, and Hope Cottage. After years in adoption, Logan moved to the health care sector in social work and worked for Children's Medical Center in Dallas and Plano. There she continued to support those faced with difficult situations of illness (and often death) of children. She worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings in both acute and chronic service lines. Her last position at Children’s was working as the Psych Social Worker in the Emergency Room. After taking a small break from the workforce to raise her children, Logan returned to the world of adoptions.

Logan is a mom to four children who keep her busy with soccer, baseball, horseback riding, guitar, chess, and other extracurricular activities. When Logan has free time she enjoys running, photography, and other creative outlets.

Logan’s dedication to helping others while being a guiding light during difficult times led Logan to join our team.

For inquiries regarding preplanning please email: [email protected]

Catharine ruditsky

Catharine ruditsky

Pre-Planning AdvisorCatharine was born in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. She moved to California in 1985 and married her husband, Adam, in 2012. They became a blended family of four handsome sons. Recently, in May 2023, they relocated to Plano, Texas, where Adam has taken on the role of Rabbi at Adat Chaverim.

She knew from a young age that she had a deep desire to serve humankind. 

She found her true calling when she started working for a cemetery and funeral home in California in 2014. She dedicated several years as a Family Service Counselor, where her highest priority was to support and partner with families at the immediate time of loss, providing service excellence, integrity, and mutual trust. She advised families to pre-plan their funeral and cemetery arrangements.

Throughout her career, she has worked in the health business as a Sales Manager and volunteered as a Crisis Counselor for a pregnancy center. She also worked in the grocery business for several years. In 2020, She moved to Virginia and was involved with senior assisted living and provided medical equipment to the sick. These experiences have made her more well-rounded, understanding, sensitive, and engaged when caring for people at the end of their lives and after they pass away.

She is dedicated to Distinctive Life Cremations & Funeral Services and the community, aiming to provide emotional support, comfort, and compassion to families.

For inquiries regarding preplanning please email: [email protected]

Lucy Ruditsky

Lucy Ruditsky

Unofficial Canine Grief Counselor- Lucy, truly a golden retriever, is our Unofficial Canine Grief Counselor at Dallas Jewish Funerals.  She is 18 months old and still acts like a big puppy. She is mature at the same time and brings to you during your time of sadness and grief a waggy tail, kisses (if you want one) unconditional love, and sweetness when she looks at you with her brown eyes. She is very happy and go lucky and can’t wait to meet you. She also meets pre-need families with excitement and calmness.

If you want to meet Lucy during your appointment with DJF please let us when you enter the building. She will be waiting for you!