Meet Our Staff - San Pablo, CA

Joseph Kyle Newkirk

Managing Partner/Funeral Director/Embalmer

Joe was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. After serving his country in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, he was honorably discharged in 1972 and moved to California. He started working with Wells Fargo Bank while attending Laney College to obtain his AA in Management & Supervision, graduating in 1979. He continued his career with Wells Fargo Bank for 23 years in Management. In 1993, he decided to switch his career path and began attending the San Francisco School of Mortuary Science and graduated in 1994 with his AA degree. He has been with Wilson & Kratzer since 1993 and now holds the position of Managing Partner/Funeral Director/Embalmer.

Joe has been married for 24 years. He and his wife, Anita, raised their four children in the Richmond/El Sobrante area and plan on retiring someday back in Florida. In the meantime, Joe takes great pride in serving the community where he has become well-known as "the man to see”, at Wilson & Kratzer.

Barbara Rosales

Funeral Director/Manager

Barbara joined Wilson & Kratzer Mortuaries March 1, 1999 after working for 22 years in the financial field. She became a licensed funeral director in July 1999. In 2001, Barbara saw the need and became a Notary Public.

She is the former President for the San Pablo Chamber of Commerce and an advocate for the improvement of relations between the public and the death care industry.

Barbara invites anyone with questions or curiosity to stop by. We are here to help before, during and after the loss of a loved one.

Lisa Martinez Torres

Administrative Assistant

Lisa began working with Wilson & Kratzer Mortuaries in 1998 part-time assisting the pre-need department with miscellaneous items and assisting at the Chapel of the Mission Bells location. It wasn’t too long after that she was offered a full-time position; she has been with the company for twenty years now. Lisa is the lead administrative assistant at the Chapel of the Mission Bells and takes great pride in all that she does.  She is responsible for all of our accounting as well as filing death certificates. Many families remark on her kind and thoughtful assistance.

Lisa was born and raised in the Bay Area. She graduated high school in 1980 and raised her five children, now ranging in age from 28 to 38. She is also the proud grandmother of 5 grandsons, 1 granddaughter and 1 on the way. Married for 33 years, Lisa and her husband enjoy spending time with each other and spoiling their grandchildren.

Joel Vincent Garland

Ambassador /Funeral Assistant

In 1979, Joel began working as a Life Insurance Agent for United Insurance Company of America, later becoming a Sales Manager .

Joel started working for Wilson & Kratzer Mortuaries in January 2007 as an Ambassador/Funeral Assistant and plans to continue working for Wilson & Kratzer long after retiring from the insurance field.

Joel was born in Tallulah, Louisiana, and moved to Oakland, California in 1955. He is a graduate of Castlemont High (class of 1967) and Merritt Jr. College (class of 1970). He also spent one year at the University of California, Berkeley.

Marcia Muwwakkil-Gatlin

Ambassador /Funeral Assistant

Marcia, a wife, mother of three, and grandmother of six, entered the work force in 1981. Her work experience includes management in retail, food service and hotel. She is also an Independent Beauty Consultant for Mary Kay Cosmetics.

After losing her grandson, daughter and mother and surviving cancer, she felt she had the capacity to work in the mortuary service field at Wilson & Kratzer. In her spare time, she enjoys ballroom dancing, traveling and social event coordinating.

Marcia, a resident of San Pablo, California, grew up in the nation's capitol of Washington, D.C. and moved to California in 1969.

Valerine Yuzon

Ambassador

Valerine has been at Wilson & Kratzer Mortuaries since April 2014. She is a true joy to have as an employee and is a very kind and generous person. Valerine currently serves our company as an ambassador for our Mission Bells Chapel, where she assists with services and visitations.