Naples (239) 659-2009 | Bonita (239) 319-1195 | Fort Myers (239) 219-1195
Our Experienced Staff
Each of the staff members at Legacy Options Funeral and Cremation Services is committed to providing your family with the finest in personal care. It is comforting for area families to know that we are available to help at any time of the day or night.
When a loved one dies, all you need to do is make one phone call. From that moment on, we’ll take on the responsibilities of the physical care of your loved one, and the emotional care of those left behind.
Please take a few minutes to get to know our staff. We’re sure you’ll find each of us to be all that you would hope for in a trusted funeral professional.
Michael Whyte
Funeral Director
Email: michaelw@legacyoptions.com
Michael grew up in Hollywood, Florida having moved from Boston, Massachusetts in 1958. He attended middle school and graduated from McArthur High School in Hollywood, Florida in 1964, and enrolled in an apprentice/intern program with a family owned funeral home located in Miami Beach.
In 1965, Michael returned to Boston and enrolled in the New England Institute of Anatomy. Michael graduated in 1968 and completed his intern program in 1970. In 1971, Michael received his Massachusetts embalmers license and funeral directors license.
Michael practiced in Massachusetts until he moved to Naples, Florida in 2005, and became associated with Service Corporation International. After SCI acquired Hodges Funeral Home in 2007, Michael was assigned as manager of advanced planning. In 2007, upon receiving his Florida embalmers and funeral directors license, Michael became general manager of Hodges Funeral Home and Naples Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Naples, and Hodges Josberger Funeral Home in Marco Island.
In recent years, he resigned his position from SCI to pursue his vision of a community based funeral establishment as a founder of Legacy Options Funeral and Cremation Services, LLC.
Michael Hoyt
Funeral Director
Michael grew up in the small Massachusetts town of Amesbury. In high school, Michael began working for the local funeral home where he realized that funeral service was a call of helping others. He then enrolled and was a 1988 Cum Laude graduate of the New Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences in Boston. He received his Massachusetts Funeral Directors license in 1990 where he began working alongside his father-in-law Michael C. Whyte where they both served many Boston area funeral homes.
In 1998, Michael moved with his wife Carla to Martha’s Vineyard to manage the island’s funeral home. Michael was active his community and served as the President of the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, President of the Rotary Club of Martha’s Vineyard, Chair of the Oak Bluffs School Committee, and Vice Chair of the All Island School Committee.
The beginning of 2018 presented a great opportunity for Michael to once again partner with his father-in-law at Legacy Options Funeral and Cremation Services. Michael, his wife Carla, son Noah, and daughter Chloe relocated to Naples. Michael is a licensed funeral director in both Massachusetts & Florida. Joining Legacy has allowed Michael to further help families through a difficult time.
Jeffrey Nieves
Funeral Director
Email: jeffn@legacyoptions.com
Jeffrey was born in the northshore town of Newburyport, Massachusetts. He attended Newburyport High School and received his bachelor’s degree from University of Massachusetts Lowell with a focus in Legal Studies and Political science.
After completing college, Jeffrey worked as an account manager for a marketing firm in Boston, MA; and later continued to expand his business development career in both the construction and renewable energy industries.
Jeffrey decided to move to Southwest Florida in early 2019 to join the Family business and pursue a career in Funeral Service. Jeffrey received his pre-need sales agent license and came on board as a full-time Family Services Counselor while attending Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service. Jeffrey has since graduated and has transitioned into the role of a full-time Funeral Director.
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Morgan McWilliams
Office Manager - Fort Myers
Email: morgan@legacyoptions.com
Morgan was born in Southeast Ohio, and grew up in the small town of Wellston, where his family owns and operates McWilliams Funeral Home. Throughout his childhood, Morgan always enjoyed helping his father at the family business by means of mowing the grass, washing the vehicles, taking out the trash, and as he got older, helping with the more technical aspect of death care.
He relocated to Southwest Florida in 2014, to continue his journey of serving others in Funeral Service. Morgan first contracted transportation needs for multiple funeral homes in South Florida. It was then when he began to build a strong relationship with the Legacy family. Having seen the operations of multiple funeral homes, Morgan became very interested in being a part of the mission at Legacy Options Funeral and Cremation Services. He began full-time in 2022, serving in many capacities throughout all three locations and is the Office Manager of our Fort Myers location. Most recently, in 2024, Morgan graduated from Northeast Texas Community College with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Funeral Service. He also holds Certificates of Competency in Funeral Service Education & Embalming.
Morgan currently resides in North Naples, with his wife Amber, and their two poodles Snoopy and Rosie. In his free time, Morgan enjoys staying involved in church, his community, and playing his piano. When asked what he enjoys most about his job, Morgan says he enjoys being a good listener and providing comfort for others during the most trying times in life.
Carla Hoyt
Office Manager, Pre-Need Family Services Counselor - Naples Office
Email: carla@legacyoptions.com
A graduate of Burdette College in Boston Mass., Carla has worked extensively in administrative roles in government and municipality. While Carla and her husband raised their children, she was actively involved as a volunteer at Community Services where she provided child-care, adoption support to families, and Meals on Wheels to support the elderly. Both, Carla and her husband Michael, were active community members on Martha’s Vineyard before their move to Naples, Florida in 2018.
Her understanding of the funeral business and services was foreseeable for her father’s profession as funeral director while growing up. Carla joined the family business in 2019 and as licensed Pre-Need Family Service Counselor focusing on pre-planning.
Emily Ennis
Funeral Director
Email: emily@legacyoptions.com
Emily grew up in the small town of Monticello, Indiana. Throughout high school, Emily was heavily involved in Business Professionals of America, where she won state and national awards in small business administration and public speaking. Upon graduating from Frontier High School, Emily moved down to Fort Myers, where she became active in the local entrepreneurship community.
Emily attended Florida Gulf Coast University, becoming heavily involved in their Entrepreneurship program, winning numerous awards and helping countless students, she graduated in 2020 with her Bachelors in Entrepreneurship.
After completing her Bachelors in Entrepreneurship, Emily attended the University of South Florida. Emily again got her feet wet in the local entrepreneur community, participating in the Student Innovation Incubator and the B Corp student program. Emily graduated in 2021 with her Masters in Entrepreneurship in Applied Technologies.
After feeling that she wanted to help her community more, Emily joined Legacy Options Funeral and Cremation Services in 2020 as the Office Manager for Bonita Springs and became a licensed Pre-Need sales agent. She graduated from the Funeral Director Program at Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service in 2023, and is now a Full-Time Funeral Director.
John Miller
Family Service Manager
Email: Johnm@legacyoptions.com
John was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he enjoyed his childhood playing baseball, going to the drive-in movies, being a Boy Scout, going to church, and having fun with his friends. It was at church camp that he developed his faith in God and gave his life to Jesus.
After graduating from Indiana University, John began his career in the insurance industry. It was there that he developed a passion for serving families in their time of need. That passion for helping families became more prevalent in his new profession as a Family Service Manager in the Funeral Home Industry, where he has served for more than 5 years.
When asked what he enjoys most about being a Family Service Manager, John said, “this career has given me the opportunity to help hundreds of families who have lost a loved-one. It has also given me the opportunity to educate families on the importance of preplanning, giving them the peace-of-mind knowing their arrangements are completed, and their families are protected.” He continued by saying: “Our mission at Legacy Options is simple: honor a life; create a memory. This mission is exemplified every day by caring and compassionate people who put the needs of the family first.”
John and his wife, Melissa, live in beautiful SW Florida with their 14-year-old daughter, Madison, and Golden Labrador, Sunny. In his free time, John enjoys coaching girls’ 14U softball, going to the beach, fishing, boating, and spending time with his family.
Jurgen Baum
HR-Payroll Dept - Social Media
Email: jurgenb@legacyoptions.com
Jurgen was born, raised and educated in Germany. He graduated from the Benedict School of Languages with a Foreign Correspondence degree in 1975 after he completed 8 years in the German Army, honorably discharged as Sergeant; worked as a photojournalist with his own column “Germany Closer To You” with publications in Stars and Stripes and US based military magazines, and acted as translator in the US V Corps’ Public Affairs Office until his move to the United States in Spring of 1981.
Jurgen settled in Massachusetts where he worked initially as assistant to attorneys who dealt with real estate transactions until his transfer to Fidelity Mortgage Corp where he held positions as assistant to the CEO to Corporate Clerk until he left the company in 1989.
In 1997 he graduated from Middlesex College with a Liberal Arts Degree, acquired his nursing license and practiced nursing specializing in Alzheimer’s care for 20 years. His career as nurse started as floor nurse to unit managing nurse performing administrative duties, fostering community relations and nurturing relations with his Alzheimer’s residents and their loved ones. He moved to Naples, Florida in 2006, continued his nursing career and gained recognition within the local Alzheimer’s Support Network for his compassion and dedication to the Alzheimer’s population he served
In 2017, Jurgen joined Legacy Options Funeral and Cremation Services as Office Manager, a move which was inevitable for his ties to the Whyte and Hoyt family, and his exposure to the funeral business and its operations since 1981.
Noah Hoyt
Apprentice
Email: noah@legacyoptions.com
Noah was born in Moscow Russia February 1st, 1999, and adopted by two wonderful parents from Massachusetts. At the age of one they brought him home where he would then spend the vast majority of his childhood growing up on the island of Marthas Vineyard.
As early as he can remember he has been integrated into funeral service, mainly helping his father Michael with anything he asked or just simply stopping by the funeral home on the walk home from school. Once the Hoyt family relocated to Naples, Florida to begin their journey with Legacy Options, Noah quickly jumped in to help his grandfather and father.
Noah is currently working in the family business and is intrigued at what is to come in his future. He is pursuing his license as both a Funeral director and embalmer.
Valerie Ziajka
Funeral Assistant
Email: valerie@legacyoptions.com
As a child of the military, Valerie moved around frequently throughout childhood; until her family settled in Naples.
After graduating from Gulf Coast High School, Valerie attended and graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a Bachelors in Forensic Studies and later a Masters in Criminal Forensics.
After working years with local law agencies as a Crime Scene Technician, Valerie switched focus to health and death care.
Valerie became a certified EMT and later moved from the ambulance to the E. R. as an ER Technician.
In 2022, Valerie joined Legacy Options as a funeral assistant. Currently, Valerie is pursuing an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Funeral Service.
