History & Staff

John Passalacqua, Funeral Director and President

John completed the program of study at the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science, and opened the firm shortly afterwards. With over 30 years of experience, John can guide families of all walks of life during their darkest days. “We strive to offer caring, compassionate, personalized and professional service to each and every family at a fair price with special attention to each and every detail.”

Greg Silva, Funeral Director and General Manager

Greg attended Catholic schools all his educational life graduating from St. Dominic’s Elementary School in 1978, St. Patrick’s High School in 1982 and St. Mary’s College in 1986. He received his Minor in Communications and his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.

Greg immediately began a two year apprenticeship and attended and graduated from the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science, receiving an Associate Degree in 1989. He holds various licenses in funeral practice including an embalmer’s license, funeral director’s license and crematory manager’s license. He has spent his entire career in death care with Passalacqua Funeral Homes, Inc. and has been the manager of Twin Chapels Mortuary in Vallejo since 1990. He feels this is his calling in life and finds great satisfaction in knowing he is helping families, many of them friends; cope with the very difficult and emotional situation of losing a loved one. He is a member and past president of the Redwood Empire Funeral Directors Association, a member of the California Funeral Directors Association and a member of the California Cremationist Association.

Greg is active in many community organizations. He is a member of the Vallejo Rotary Club during which time he served on the Board of Directors, Vallejo Chamber of Commerce having served on the Board of Directors, former member of the St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School Board of Regents and is a current member of the Benicia Chamber of Commerce, American Canyon Chamber of Commerce, Vallejo Elk’s Lodge, Native Son’s of the Golden West, Green Valley Country Club, Knights of Columbus and St. Dominic’s Catholic Church.

In his spare time, Greg enjoys spending time with his family, especially attending his children's sporting events. He also enjoys playing golf, traveling, and is an avid San Francico Giants and 49ers fan.

Steve Puleo, Funeral Counselor

With two years of funeral service, Steve is a “fresh face” here at Twin Chapels Mortuary. While he brings a fresh perspective on the traditional funeral service, his 25 years of experience in retail and customer service mean that he’s adept at serving the unique needs of our client families. Steve is an asset to Twin Chapels Mortuary, and to those families he cares for. “It is very satisfying to care for families during their most difficult moments. I take great pride in serving each family to the best of my ability.”

A native of Vallejo, Steve is happily married. He and his wife Louise have three children: Brad, Sara and Jennifer.

Ranea A. Avila, Secretary

When asked about what she does here at Twin Chapels Mortuary, Ranea, with her basically humble nature, says just this, “I’m just the secretary".

But we know how important she is to us. For the past seven years, Ranea has been the organizing, detail-oriented hub of our office. We depend on her completely, and our confidence has never been misplaced.

Vince Miller, Funeral Counselor

Vince has been with our firm since 2005. He finds working in the funeral industry very rewarding. Living the experience of having the ability to enter a families life during a very difficult time and knowing that he brings them some comfort and ease at a time where things can get confusing and frightening is extremely rewarding to Vince. He is tirelessly meticulous about making sure every family receives everything they require for solace and closure.

Vince graduated from Vallejo High School in 1983. He holds a certification from the Association of California Cremationists and Califonria Law Review of Funeral Counselors.

Vince is married to his wife of 16 years, Michelle. They have 2 lovely daughters, Kimberley and Kelley. He enjoys spending time at his cabin with his family and taking care of there 2 years old miniture terrier "Missy" that the "doggy stork" so kindly left on there door step in July 2009.

Joe Talken, Counselor

Working in the funeral industry has been a long and winding road. I feel it is a privilege to help families in their time of need. It’s more than a job to me it is a real ministry – a corporal act of mercy, to bury the dead.

Educational background: I graduated from Hogan High School in 1981, received an Associate of Arts degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Diablo Valley College. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Development from Hayward State University and I have studied Theology at the Franciscan School of Theology, Berkeley. I have worked most of my life in retail management and have just recently joined the Passalacqua / Twin Chapels Funeral Family in July of 2021.

I was born and raised in Vallejo, I have been married to my beautiful wife JoAnn for over 30 years, and we still live in the community. We are members of St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, and I am member of the Knights of Columbus, 4th degree.

Dave Reeder, Funeral Counselor and Embalmer

Jessica Cocar, Apprentice