Small-town feeling tops his points for Tucson

"The way that the funeral director back home took care of us at that time was the main factor — his compassion and understanding," Nibert said. "Ultimately that funeral home that took care of our mother is where I started out."

Originally from Lancaster, Ohio, Nibert, 42, is a funeral director for Bring Funeral Home. He moved to Tucson almost 10 years ago with his wife, Tami, after brief stints working in Salt Lake City and Phoenix.

A quick Q&A:

What brought you to the Old Pueblo?

"I was working for a corporately owned funeral home there (in Phoenix) and I wanted to get back to a family-owned funeral home. That's what I started out with in Ohio and it makes a big difference to me working for a family owned business. With a family-owned business, you have the family's reputation that you're dealing with and it means more to the people you're dealing with that it's locally owned and operated."

How are funeral customs in Ohio different from Arizona?

"The biggest difference … is the cemeteries back home have the upright monuments, whereas here most of them anymore go with just a flush mount. It's easier for the perpetual care of the cemetery."

What do you like about Tucson?

"Tucson to me is a bit like Phoenix, but just on a much smaller scale. Tucson is large enough for the big-city feel, but it's still small enough for that small-town atmosphere that I like."

What do you miss most about Ohio?

"What I miss most from Ohio, other than family, would be certain food items. Out here it's very difficult to get true, homegrown tomatoes and sweet corn, and unless you are from back East, can you really understand and appreciate it?"

Editor's note: Because so many Tucsonans started out somewhere else, we offer this weekly feature — geared especially to newcomers and visitors — profiling Tucsonans who are transplants from other states.