Who We Are

When we sit down with a family, our primary goal is to help create a fitting, memorable and affordable service, one that creates the opportunity for the survivors to tell their loved one’s story. Together, we explore the wide variety of services and products available, as well as a wealth of creative ideas and suggestions to help the family begin their healing.

Together, we'll design a funeral or memorial service that suits their needs. Families who come to us know that years from now they will have deep peace-of-mind, because in coming to us, they've done their best to honor their loved one.

Meet the Funeral Directors

Ken Shortridge, Founder

Ken's motto is: ‘Love that salt water. I want to be on it, in it, or under it." He is a native Californian, born and raised. He has always been drawn to anything that had do with the water and the ocean, learning how to sail at an early age just by reading C.S. Forrester's Hornblower series.

His love of the ocean led him to other passions such as fishing, boating, and scuba diving. Ken became a certified divemaster in 1984 and has dived the Hawaiian Islands, up and down the Sea of Cortez, and the Caribbean, besides local California diving in the Pacific.

Ken is the father of Caleb Shortridge who passed away in 1998 as the result of a tragic accidental overdose. He was just 27 years old. Caleb's ashes were scattered off the coast of San Diego as he would have wished. Soon after, Ken and his wife Anya helped to start a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public about Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate, or GHB. They have appeared on numerous television programs and talk shows from Texas to California, including MTV's Flipped and the Leeza Gibbons Show. The organization they started is now known as Project GHB - www.projectghb.org - and is currently run by a tireless group of volunteers and educators.

Besides ocean activities, Ken's other hobbies and interests include photography, gardening, travel and dancing, just to name a few. He relates: “When I'm feeling low, tired, or stressed, all I have to do is get out on the sea and I am totally revitalized. The ocean is my best medicine."

Ken holds a Merchant Mariner Credential from the United States Coast Guard as Master (Captain).

Ken is also licensed through the California Department of Consumer Affairs, Funeral Bureau as a Cremated Remains Disposer (CRD 399) which makes it legal for him to scatter ashes at sea.

Anya Shortridge, Owner, Family Coordinator

Anya was born in 1965 in Marin County. She grew up on a farm in Contra Costa County and spent junior high through high school in the Mountains of Northern California.

In 1997 Anya met Ken Shortridge in San Diego. He had just started Ashes on the Sea. He needed a marketing designer and webmaster. Anya agreed to be the one.

In October of the same year, she agreed again to be "the one" - Ken's partner for life. Seems like all that time spent together on projects created a bond of friendship that became much more.

Anya is the mother of 4 children and the grandmother of Micah - 3 years old as of this writing. She enjoys boating, fishing, dancing, and singing, just to name a few. One of her biggest passions is organic gardening and exploring all facets of nature. She never tires of full moons, storms, rainbows, and sunsets over the Pacific Ocean.

Diane Knaus, Family Facilitator

Diane has been with Ashes on the Sea since 2006. She helps families on the boat with their memorial service and their comfort while on board. She usually knows what families need before they have to ask! Her patience and her love of people have made her a very valuable addition to our staff.

When she is not assisting families here at Ashes on the Sea, Diane also works with elderly people who are in hospice, receiving in home health services, or who are just in need of a companion and assistant. She also works with elementary school children as an assistant in the classroom.

Diane shares her love of people with her husband Steve, a two-time cancer survivor. They both enjoy travel, camping, gardening, music, and nature. Steve and Diane have been together 45 years now - and are still very much in love. You go guys!

Crystal Henson, Office Assistant

Crystal is the daughter of owners Ken & Anya Shortridge. She graduated valedictorian in 2009 from Remington College and is now a nationally licensed massage therapist. In addition to assisting in our office, she runs her own massage business - www.crystalsmassage.com - and also works part time at Wellspring Holistic Center in San Diego, CA.

Most certainly one of the biggest highlights in Crystal's life was In January 2006 when her son Micah was born! He has been the delight of the whole family ever since.