History & Staff

At Healey Mortuary and Crematory, we provide personalized service options that allow you to honor your loved ones in a way that is both meaningful and healing. We hope to provide support and caring while delivering memorial services that celebrate life and help families find the peace they deserve.
If you’re seeking an honorable celebration of life in Salinas and the surrounding areas, we invite you to learn more about where we came from and the dedicated people behind our work.

A History of Caring

Herbert C. Healey

1956

As a veteran of World War II, Herbert C. Healey hoped to find a way he could continue to meaningfully help his county and community grow. Recognizing the need for compassionate funeral care in the Salinas Valley, he attended San Francisco College of Mortuary Science and became a licensed funeral director. Upon obtaining his license, Herbert and his wife, Joyce, founded the Salinas Valley Mortuary in 1956 to help serve the families in the Salinas Valley area. 

The Healeys constantly strived to create a caring atmosphere of unique and compassionate memorial services. Their funeral home came to be known as welcoming and warm for all community members, no matter their background.

Herbert and Joyce’s lifelong mission was to unselfishly serve area families based on their strong, trusting relationship with their community – something we honor to this day. It is our wish to provide every family with the utmost care to create a truly meaningful life celebration. Because we care about the families we serve and the life of their loved one, we listen carefully to your needs so that we can create a service that is personal and meaningful.

Our Staff’s Dedication to Respectful Care

A funeral, or memorial service, should provide family members and loved ones with the chance to reflect, remember, and celebrate a life well-lived. At Healey Mortuary & Crematory our goal is to create exceptional services and experiences that fulfill the wishes of your loved one. Our experienced Funeral Directors provide guidance on the crucial first steps toward healing.

Dave Healey
Licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer/Crematory Manager

Dave Healey graduated from Sacramento State University and received his mortuary degree from San Francisco College of Mortuary Science. He had an apprenticeship at Lodi Funeral Home for two years.

He began working at Healey Mortuary in 1984. His passion is for his exemplary service to families. 

Dave is currently responsible for the ongoing operations of the mortuary which include meetings with families, conducting funerals and organizing staff and staff assignments.



Ellen Medina
Licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer/Advanced Planning

Ellen Medina was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana.  She graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts before she relocated to California to attend the Mortuary Science Program at Cypress College.  She graduated with her degree in Mortuary Science in 2005 and has spent her career working in Southern and Central California.  Before coming to Healey Mortuary in April of 2018 she spent 4.5 years with Mission Memorial Park & Seaside Funeral Home and Mission Mortuary in Monterey.  Ellen is a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer as well as being licensed for Funeral Pre-Need Insurance.  She is also a licensed Cemetery Manager and Cemetery Broker.

Ellen is the proud mother of a sweet baby girl and loves quality family time.  She loves nature, traveling the world, reading, and being creative and artistic whenever possible.       



Doug Lockhart
Funeral Arranger/Licensed Embalmer

Doug is originally from Texas and spent many years in the Bay Area before moving to the Salinas Valley. He graduated from the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science and has been in the Funeral Industry for over 27 years as a licensed Embalmer and Arranger. He has spent the last 25 years at Healey Mortuary.

His favorite pastime is to ride his Harley Davidson every chance he gets. He also enjoys riding mountain bikes on the trails near the ocean, mostly near Marina and Monterey and shopping in the Bay Area. Doug considers himself a BBQ Pitmaster and an excellent cook. His favorite eatery is Wing Stop. He has two Chihuahuas, Zoey and Leonard and two cats, Peter and Hector. He’s an Oakland Raiders, Nascar Racing and Moto GP fan. 



Vivian Ramos
Funeral Arranger/Crematory Technician

Vivian has lived in the Salinas area since Junior High.  She attended North Salinas High School. She has four beautiful children.  Vivian was a stay-at-home mom for many years and recently began a career again.  The funeral industry was always a passion for Vivian so she was very pleased to join the staff of Healey Mortuary.  In her spare time she works on her own budding business of creating Memorial Candles called Can Dell Light by Viv.  She enjoys helping families grieve in their own personal way so each celebration of life is unique. 



Angel Moreno
Pre-Planning Advisor

Angel F. Moreno was born in Salinas and raised in Gonzales, CA. He graduated from Heald College and worked in Admissions there for 18 years, assisting families in making decisions about going to College.  Seven years ago he started helping families with Funeral Pre-planning.  He meets with families that have lost a loved one and want to relieve their family of the burden of making these decisions in the future at the time of loss. He is able to sit with families and advise them on information and decisions that can give peace of mind in the event they themselves or a loved one passes. 



Adilene Sanchez
Administrative Assistant

Adilene was born and raised in Salinas, CA. After receiving her associate degree from Hartnell College, she moved to Southern California to attend Long Beach State University where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in English Literature. She is now back in her hometown and happy to be working at Healey Mortuary which allows her to help and support families in her community during a difficult time.

Adilene loves all things History and, when she’s not reading, loves to spend time with her family and loving dog Mason. She also loves documentaries, trying new restaurants, and traveling.