Staff
Our dedicated staff members are here to provide support, compassion, and information to help you through your journey of grief and the celebration of your loved one’s life.
Certified in Grief Recovery and Equine Assisted Learning.
Tanya “T” Ballensky started her career in funeral service in 2000 as an embalmer in Denver, Colorado while attending mortuary school. She became Licensed in the state of Montana in 2002 after completing her internship with Bullis Mortuary in Hardin and Miles City. In 2008 Tanya purchased Cremation & Funeral Gallery where she had been employed since 2004 and in 2014 she opened Heights Family Funeral Home. In 2016 Tanya received her career designation of Certified Funeral Service Practitioner. The achievement signifies her commitment to raise and improve the professional standards of funeral service practice and pursue lifelong learning.
In 2013 Tanya became certified in grief and bereavement services and in 2016 she became certified as an Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator.
Tanya enjoys helping families and getting involved in community events. She is very passionate about helping others improve their quality of life. She loves being able to share her horses with the community by taking them to visit nursing homes and assisted living homes.
Dwight Cushman is a dedicated funeral professional whose career path began unexpectedly with a college project: the development of a digital guided tour of Arlington National Cemetery. Through interviews with funeral directors, clergy, military officers, and others,
Dwight discovered a profound calling to assist families with end-of-life matters. This experience prompted a career change, and he began his work in the funeral profession in 2008 while attending mortuary school.
Dwight's expertise extends across the spectrum of funeral and cemetery services. He is a licensed life insurance agent, a certified crematory operator, and has experience in preneed funeral and cemetery sales.
For Dwight, his work is not about focusing on morbidity, but on helping people see death is a powerful call to action—a reminder to live each day to its fullest. Outside of his professional life, he finds joy and beauty through his love of drawing and painting and cherishes time spent with his family.
Levi Dockendorf was born in Hardin, Montana, and spent much of his youth moving from place to place as the son of a military father before settling in Northglenn, Colorado, where he graduated high school. Shortly after graduation, Levi enlisted in the U.S. Army and proudly served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division.
After completing his military service, Levi worked in a variety of fields to provide for his family, including real estate, construction, truck driving, and sales. In 2014, he began his career in funeral service in Sterling, Colorado, and soon discovered it was the path he was meant to follow. To deepen his expertise, he enrolled at Arapahoe Community College and earned his Associate of Applied Science degree in Mortuary Science in 2016.
Levi went on to serve families in Grand Junction, Colorado, and later accepted a position as a civilian Mortuary Specialist with the U.S. Army in Germany, where he cared for fallen service members with dignity and honor. Following his time in Germany, he moved to Casper, Wyoming, where he managed a funeral home before returning closer to his roots in Billings, Montana. His commitment to funeral service was shaped by personal experience, after the sudden loss of both his mother and his best friend’s mother. One funeral was carried out with compassion and brought healing, while the other was not—an experience that inspired Levi to dedicate his life to helping families during their most difficult times.
Outside of his profession, Levi is an avid backpacker and outdoorsman. He has summited all of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks, climbed Mount Whitney—the tallest peak in the continental United States—and completed the entire Pacific Crest Trail. He is also the proud father of two adult children.
A proud Montana native, Ashley grew up on a farm in the scenic South Valley near Fort Smith. When she's not working, she enjoys cheering on her son Wyatt at baseball games, as well as spending time outdoors fishing, camping, and attending concerts.
Ashley has experienced deep personal loss with the passing of her oldest son, Jake, in 2013. This life-altering experience has given her a unique and compassionate perspective, allowing her to serve grieving families with empathy, care, and understanding.
She is grateful for the opportunity to be part of each family’s journey and looks forward to continuing her growth and learning in the funeral profession.
Lora Ramirez recently relocated here from Colorado Springs, Colorado to be closer to her family. She brings previous funeral service experience and considers this her most rewarding role yet. Having recently experienced the loss of a loved one herself, she understands firsthand how important compassionate care is during difficult times.
Lora is dedicated to guiding families with respect, helping them honor their loved ones with meaningful, personal services.
Keenan is a Billings native who became familiar with funeral service through his grandparents, who for
several years were talented makers of ceramic urns out of the Butte area. He also has experienced the
loss of loved ones which he feels have helped him adapt to his profession along with his faith in God and
desire to serve the community. He feels that helping families during their time of grief is a calling for
him.
He is serving in the Montana Air National Guard and his hobbies include hiking, fishing, scuba diving and
spending time with his family. Keenan also enjoys going to church groups and events to keep his faith
strong.
Jason has lived in Billings for most of his life. Jason graduated from Skyview High school. He then went and studied some college credits at Rocky Mountain College and MSU of Billings. Jason plans on pursuing a mortuary science degree from Des Moines Area Community college. Before starting with Cremation & Funeral Gallery, Jason worked at Target and Kohl’s in Billings. Jason started his career at Cremation & Funeral Gallery in 2009. Jason assists with everyday tasks at both locations, Billings Cremation & Burial Services and Heights Family Funeral Home. He also holds a Crematory Operators license at both locations. Jason is involved with the Heights Exchange club. One of his favorite events to attend with the Heights Exchange club is Student of the Month. In his spare time he enjoys riding his motorcycle and just keeping busy with household tasks.
Patrick has been working at the funeral homes since he was a teenager. He graduated from Skyview High School in 2015 and received his bachelor's degree in Psychology from MSUB in 2023. He enjoys helping families and enjoys most aspects of funeral service, but rather than follow in his mom's (Tanya's) footsteps and become a funeral director/mortician, he decided to pursue his master's degree in Psychology with plans of becoming a counselor. When Patrick isn't at work or working on his studies, he enjoys bowling, softball, fishing and hunting. He also enjoys gaming and movies.