CODEY & MACKEY FUNERAL HOME - Key Persons
The founder, Joseph P. Dixon, operated the business at a different location until 1928, when it was moved to its current site. Howard D. Mackey purchased the business from the Dixon family in 1968. He served area families compassionately until his retirement in 1986. Howard's son, Dean Mackey, was at the funeral home from 1976 to 2013, a distinguished 37 year career.
Buddy, as he was known to family and friends, was born in Brooklyn, NY to Martin L. Sr. and Gloria (Collins) Ratigan and raised in Boonton, NJ. He graduated from Boonton High School, Class of 1973. Buddy was a proud alumnus of the Harmony Senior Drum Corps, where he served as Vice President, President and Color Guard Captain; and was known as "Mr. Cymbals." He was a past member of the Boonton Fire Department, Maxfield Hose & Engine.
Buddy was predeceased by his beloved wife, Marybeth (Scully); his parents; and his brothers, Gary and Thomas Ratigan. He is survived by his brothers and their wives, Kenneth (Sally), Kevin (Karen), and Michael (Laura); his sisters-in-law, Carol Crisci and Barbara Liston; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Owner
- Generation Funeral Director
- Owner / Manager, NJ Lic. 3175
Richard J. Codey, the 53rd governor of New Jersey, is a third-generation funeral director. His family owned and operated the Codey Funeral Home in Orange for more than 100 years.
In 2012, Codey moved that location to Caldwell to be closer to the families he was serving in Essex County.
A year later, in 2013, Codey completed his purchase of the Mackey Funeral Home in Boonton and renamed it the Codey & Mackey Funeral Home. The home has served Morris County residents continuously since 1914, moving to its current location at Essex Avenue and West Main Street in 1928.
"It's a family legacy that I'm proud of," Codey said of his life in the funeral industry, helping families.
Codey began his career in state government in 1973 when he was elected to the Assembly. He went on to become a State Senator in 1982 and while serving as Senate President in 2004 he assumed the governorship when Gov. James E. McGreevey resigned before his term expired. Today, Codey remains a State Senator and he is now the longest serving member in the history of the New Jersey Legislature.
Throughout his career in state government, Codey has earned a reputation as an independent thinker and a champion of change to benefit the public good. He has been a steadfast advocate on behalf of the mentally ill, working tirelessly to improve treatment, care and education for those with mental illness. As Governor, Codey continued to bring the struggles of the mentally ill to the forefront of the public's attention. His first official act was to establish the Governor's Task Force on Mental Health to report to him on the direction New Jersey should take in delivering improved services to its mentally ill. Codey also was successful in implementing more than 90 percent of the task force's recommendations, resulting in a dramatic improvement in New Jersey's mental health system.
A longtime advocate for children, Codey sponsored the nation's first statewide assault weapons ban and the nation's first childproof handgun law. As Governor, he signed landmark legislation requiring GPS tracking for sex offenders and launched an unprecedented statewide school security audit. And he authored one of the strongest packages of laws in the nation to crack down on Internet predators. He has also been a vocal public health advocate, playing an instrumental role in providing affordable and accessible health care, creating a prescription drug assistance program for seniors, funding innovative cancer research programs, and signing the landmark Smoke Free Air Act into law.