History & Staff

About Us

The first Caballero Funeral Home opened in Cuba in 1857. Now, the four-generation long tradition continues with Fernando Caballero and Ferdinand Funeral Homes & Crematory. The funeral home occupies the exact site where Fernando Caballero’s father, Federico ”Monin” Caballero opened the first Caballero Funeral Home in Miami over 40 years ago, located in the heart of Little Havana.

In 1960, the Caballero Family migrated from their beloved homeland of Cuba to Miami, Florida and continued in the funeral care industry that has been their tradition for over a century. Monin, as the patriarch of the family, brought with him from Cuba a passion for serving his community. A young Fernando watched and learned from his father’s great example, as did his siblings Freddy, Mariana, Pancho, and Patty. It was truly a family business with all 5 children working closely together at the funeral home.

In 1989, Monin was courted by Stewart Enterprises (SE), a large corporation that was in the business of buying funeral homes all over the world, and he decided that retirement was his next step. Monin sold the funeral home business to SE in 1990 with the promise that his children would play an integral part in the management team, in order to continue the Caballero tradition of service. After his contractual agreement ended, Fernando ventured off on his own continuing in the death care industry.

While on a trip to Spain, Fernando stumbled upon a new business venture. Privatization of funeral homes in Spain was just evolving. Fernando realized that with the expansion of SE, he could partner with them again, and introduced them to the acquisition opportunities in Spain. As an independent contractor in the funeral service industry for Stewart Enterprises, it was here in Spain that he learned about international funeral customs and traditions and the privatization of the European funeral industry.

After 5 years, he decided to return home to Miami to pursue his dream of opening up his own funeral home and continuing the family tradition of funeral services. In 2001, Fernando bought the funeral home building where they had started under the contractual agreement with Stewart that he could not use the name “Caballero” funeral home. His name. His father’s name. As much as this pained him not to be able to proudly display his name on his building, in 2002, he opened Ferdinand Funeral Home and Crematory to continue his families legacy.

Fernando Caballero Owner & Funeral Director

Fernando Caballero is the owner of Ferdinand Funeral Homes & Crematory. He was born in Havana, Cuba and moved with his family to Miami, Florida when he was three years old. He attended St. Brendan, Belen Jesuit and was graduated from Coral Park High School in 1976. He attended Miami Dade College School of Funeral Services and earned his funeral service degree in 1981.

He began working with his father, Federico “Monin” Caballero, at Caballero Funeral Home at an early age and went to work for him full time after being licensed as a Funeral Director in 1982. Fernando was instrumental in building the business and reputation of his family’s funeral home. When his father decided to sell the funeral home in 1990, Fernando stayed with the company and managed the funeral homes.

In 1995, after 5 years of service, Fernando was presented an opportunity to seek new areas of growth for the company and worked as an independent acquisitions contractor for Stewart Enterprises in Spain and throughout Europe. Upon returning to the United States in 2000, it was Fernando’s desire to continue his father’s legacy and he purchased the original building to reestablish the Caballero family tradition and opened Ferdinand Funeral Homes & Crematory in 2002.

Credentials: Fernando is a member of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA), National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), Florida Funeral Directors Association (FFDA) and Cremation Association of North America (CANA). He is also a member of the Key Biscayne Yacht Club (KBYC) and the Kiwanis Club, a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time.

Fernando has been married to Maria Teresa ”Teri” Caballero since 1993 and they have 2 beautiful daughters, Alexandra Beatriz and Daniella Maria. The family attends St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church.

In his spare time, Fernando enjoys boating, fishing, and spending time with his family and friends.
Teri Vila-Caballero Pre-Need Director

Teri Vila-Caballero is the Pre Need Director at Ferdinand Funeral Homes & Crematory. Teri was born in Cuba and came to the United States with her family at a very young age. They settled in Key Biscayne and Teri attended St. Hugh and Loyola Catholic Schools, graduated from Coral Gables High School and attended Miami Dade Community College.

Teri spent most of her career as an executive at several national broadcasting companies in Miami. She joined the Ferdinand Funeral Homes team in 2012 to fulfill her calling to serve our community. Teri brings vast experience in sales, marketing and customer service. Teri is a member of National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) and a Notary Public.

Teri is married to Fernando Caballero and they have two daughters, Alexandra Beatriz and Daniella Maria. In her free time, Teri enjoys traveling, cooking and playing canasta with friends.
Jorge Mendez Funeral Director and Embalmer

Jorge Mendez-Castro is a Funeral Director and Embalmer at Ferdinand Funeral Homes & Crematory. He was born and raised in Miami, FL and is a graduate of Miami Senior High School. After high school he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps serving 4 years and 2 deployments overseas as a motor transport mechanic. After his EAS (End of Active Service) in 2012, he returned home to Miami and after being drawn to the funeral service industry he enrolled in Miami Dade College. He attended their Funeral Service Education program which he completed and graduated from in 2015. Jorge is a member the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA)

In his free time, Jorge enjoys fishing, watching sports, and spending time with family and friends.
Vanessa Renou Funeral Director and Embalmer

Vanessa Renou is a Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer, and our newest team member at Ferdinand Funeral Homes. She was born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Miami, FL since the age of 7. Vanessa graduated from Coral Gables High School in 2009, and proceeded to earn her degree and pursue her calling in Mortuary Science from Miami Dade College.

Vanessa has been consistently awarded the J.D. Power and Associates Customer Satisfaction Award at several funeral establishments in her local community.

In her spare time, Vanessa enjoys spending time at the beach, the cinema, and loves seeing the world alongside her husband, Boris.

Her main goal is to achieve a level of trust and comfort with every family she serves.
Juan Soto-Melendez Funeral Associate

Juan Soto Melendez is a Funeral Associate at Ferdinand Funeral Homes & Crematory. Juan was born and raised in Puerto Rico where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in communications at Sacred Heart University. He moved to Miami in 2014 and after a successful career in communications, Juan decided to enter the funeral service industry. Utilizing his caring and compassionate nature, Juan hopes to help the grieving families we serve by celebrating the life of their loved ones with respect and dignity. Living a relevant moment in his life, Juan is eager to fulfill his call to serve others and serve the community by bringing a fresh and innovative atmosphere to our company.

On his spare time, Juan enjoys exercising and spending time outdoors.