La Paloma Celebrates 20 Years Serving Families in Southern Nevada

Founders Ryan Bowen and Christopher Blackburn hired their first employee when they opened La Paloma Funeral Services in June 2006. Six months later, they hired a second employee. At a party earlier this month, they celebrated La Paloma’s 20th anniversary with 39 team members and two locations in the Las Vegas Valley. 

Ryan and Chris came to the funeral industry after discussing possible business ventures on a camping trip. Demographics were a driving factor in determining which services would be in demand, and they could see that funeral services was one of the areas that might not be prepared as Baby Boomers aged. They wanted to be able to help their community deal with that looming pressure point. 

Ryan eventually took over all operating responsibilities for La Paloma while Chris continued his career as a firefighter. Upon retiring, Chris moved to Northern Utah. Ryan raised his four children in Las Vegas and now enjoys spending time with five grandchildren as well. 

“In the very beginning, I quickly learned that I knew nothing about the funeral industry,” Ryan admitted. “And I also learned that some competitors would help a colleague and some won’t.” He was grateful for the help and guidance he got from a few mentors in the early days. In the two decades that followed, Ryan has tried to be the kind of business owner who helps newcomers and fosters cooperation and good relationships with others in the field. 

The tight-knit group of people who work at La Paloma, and how long many of them have stayed, speak to that effort. It officially became a family business when Ryan’s daughter, Emilee Leavitt, joined the team ten years ago — she now serves as the Director of Administration. Ryan’s son Ben Bowen is also on the La Paloma team in a manager development program.

Ryan said that being able to work with his kids is one of the highlights of his career. They share the same driving mission that brought him to this industry when he was a young father. Helping families in the critical moments after losing a loved one is an important role in the community, and it’s a duty they don’t take lightly. 

Over the years, La Paloma has increased its services available to families, offering custom funeral planning for all religions and cultures, transportation, memorial keepsakes, online obituaries and pre-planning. The original location at 5450 Stephanie Street in Henderson was joined in 2021 by a second location in Southern Nevada, at 2551 S. Fort Apache Road, to support residents in the Summerlin area. The newest offering from La Paloma is the aftercare plan, which helps families navigate the notifications, paperwork and fraud protection steps necessary following a loss.

“Saying ‘the funeral business’ is a bit of a misnomer,” Ryan said. “This field is really better described as family care, because that’s what we’re doing.” Every direction La Paloma has moved in has been determined by whether it would help offer families the transparency, simplicity and care they need during their grieving process.

Over the next 20 years, Ryan simply hopes La Paloma will continue to expand and keep to its core mission of caring for families who need help navigating the loss of a loved one.