Sacramento Valley National Cemetery Director Looks to Future

Cynthia DF. Nunez sits in her office at the and pays homage every day to those who defended our country and are now buried beneath the green lawns of the facility.

“I feel like I am giving back and I get pleasure out of doing this,” she said. “There is not a day that I do not say a prayer for those who are buried here. It’s nice knowing that I am doing something good for the veterans of this country.”

Nunez, began her job as director at the cemetery on April 10 replacing , who took a director position at Riverside National Cemetery.

“I wanted to be here,” she said. “I am grateful that I was chosen. It’s the newest cemetery that I have been a director at.”

Nunez, a Rancho Cordova resident, was born in the Philippines. Her ex-husband was in the military and that is what she thinks strengthened her already deep admiration for veterans.

“My country was liberated by the Americans in WWII,” she said. “I was not born then but my father and my grandfather used to tell stories about ‘the kindest people on earth’ is how they referred to the Americans. So when I came here, my first job was with VA Medical Center in San Francisco.”

From there she trained and has worked as a cemetery director for more than 25 years.

“I’ve been assigned to many cemeteries in the capacity of director or assistant director,” she said.

Nunez added she also worked as the deputy director at Riverside National Cemetery. Now as the director of the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, her job is to maintain and manage the facility.

“That includes the daily operation of the cemetery along with internments, taking care of volunteers, responding to questions - everything that comes with the running of a national cemetery,” she said. “The priority is providing burial and treating the families with compassion and dignity.”

With 14 employees and about nine to 15 services a day, Nunez keeps herself pretty busy and spends more than 40 hours per week at work.

“It’s the employees that make this place look good. Not me,” she said. “They are the ones who actually do the work.”

Nunez said one of her goals for the cemetery is to make it into a national shrine.

“The National Cemetery Administration, we have this goal of making national cemeteries a national shrine,” she said. “That’s what I want to see Sacramento achieving-that national shrine status. That means everything‘s perfect.”

For Nunez that means inspiring employees by coaching, guiding and communicating.

When she isn’t working, Nunez said that her mind doesn’t stop thinking about work.

“As an example, I was driving in Rancho Cordova and saw some landscaping and thought, ‘Oh. I’d like to do that at Sacramento at the entrance.’” she said.

Nunez added she has a two-year-old niece that she is crazy about and that is one reason why she wanted to be here.

“I want to see her grow up,” she said.

In addition to spending time with her niece, Nunez loves to read, dance and travel.

“My goal is to see a state every year,” she said. “Learning new things makes me happy. It amazes me how much I don’t know.”

When looking at the cemetery, Nunez can’t get over its beauty.

“How beautiful it is. It’s new,” she said. “This eventually will be 500 acres.”

Nunez added there’s nothing better than getting up and going to work and doing something that she loves.

“I like working with people,“ she said. “I like to make sure that we provide the best service for veterans and their families. I’d like for them to leave the cemetery with closure and happy with the services we’ve provided.”