History

L-R Paul B. Christy Sr.(age 4), Matthias H. Christy (Founder), L. Rebecca (Ewan) Christy, wife of Matthias H. Christy. Photo taken in 1912. Click here for an original newspaper clipping from 1912.

The Trust of Four Generations.
In the beginning there were three Christy Funeral Homes. Three brothers, Daniel, Raymond and Matthias each studied embalming and became funeral directors. It was during the 1890s that they each located their businesses in three different communities: Elmer, Woodstown, and Millville.

The funeral of Sarah W. McLaughlin was held at the Christy Funeral Home on March 28, 1898. She was 37 years old. This was the first funeral service Matthias H. Christy, whose funeral director's license was No. 49, held at his address on Broad Street in Millville. With his first funeral, and those that followed, he founded a family tradition that has continued for four generations and more than 100 years.

Between the years of 1930 and 1979, Matthias' son, Paul B. Christy Sr., operated the business under his New Jersey State Funeral Director's license. Paul, along with his wife Thelma, upgraded the Victorian home several times by increasing its size and improving the facilities.

Third generation brothers, Matt H. Christy and Paul B. Christy, Jr., formed a partnership of steadfast commitment to carry on in the caring Christy tradition. Paul, Jr. served local families until June of 1995 when he died. Before his death, and in 1986, Matt and Paul, Jr. expanded and built a new ground-level, handicap accessible, state-of-the-art, modern facility next door to it's former location at 11 West Broad Street. A parking lot, ample enough for families to park cars for above the average attended funeral, separates the new funeral home from the former home.

Matt, with the help of his staff; Salvatore Ilacqua and Rebecca Christy, continues to provide Christy community caring that his father and grandfather before him established.

Matt's daughter, Rebecca, represents the fourth generation. She received her funeral director's license in October 1999 after earning a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Tampa, Florida and completing the funeral science program at Mercer Community College of New Jersey.

The Christy Funeral Home meets compliance for OSHA, The American for Disabilities Act, Federal Trade Commission, and both the National and State Funeral Director's Associations. Christy Funeral Home has been a completely smoke free facility since February 1996.

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