Our History
Lyndhurst Funeral Home History
Our Lyndhurst firm has been serving the community since 1950 when it was established as the Waldo J. Ippolito Funeral Home. Mr. Ippolito, who was originally a funeral director in Jersey City, NJ, purchased an old sheet metal factory in Lyndhurst and turned it into a funeral home. After the death of Mr. Ippolito in 1974, the funeral home was purchased by it's present owner, Louis J. Stellato, Jr. He had been working for Waldo Ippolito since he was in high school. After returning from the University of Minnesota and the United States Air Force in 1971, Mr. Stellato served his apprenticeship at the funeral home and went on to work as a full time funeral director at the home. After purchasing the funeral home, Lou and his wife Linda renamed it the Ippolito-Stellato Funeral Home. They expanded the facility in 1979 and totally renovated it again in 1991.
Over the years, the facility has been made completely handicap accesible and re-decorated to give it a calming and comforting ambience. The needs of the community and the people we serve have always been first and foremost in our minds, and we continue to upgrade our facilities and service to meet the changing times and the needs of those who turn to us in their time of grief.
Fairfield Funeral Home History
At the site of the present day Ippolito-Stellato Funeral Home in Fairfield , there was a large colonial home, two barns, a greenhouse and a garage. A century ago this home was owned by the Doremus family as a private residence. In 1987 Louis Stellato purchased the property with the thoughts of turning the home into a funeral home as a sister firm to the one he owned in Lyndhurst. The revised structure was completed at the end of 1988 at which time the community and town leaders joined in the grand opening festivities. Being cognizant of the surroundings, the Stellatos were careful to retain the home-like ambience of the original colonial building while offering all the amenities and conveniences of a modern one-level funeral home.
The funeral home is continually being updated, hoping to maintain it's timely, comforting elegance. We want to keep a family-type atmosphere - a place for your relatives and friends to gather for warmth and support.
Fort Lee Funeral Home History
James Hunt, Sr. was a funeral director at the McNally Funeral Home at 184 Main St. in Fort Lee. On November 17, 1922 he was elected as the coroner of Bergen County. That same year the present funeral home was established on Palisade Ave. and has gone through many additions and renovations through the directorship of James Hunt, Sr, and his son James Hunt, Jr. Over the past eighty plus years the Hunt family has served Fort Lee and the surrounding communities both personally and professionally.
In 1995 the Hunt Funeral Home was purchased by Louis Stellato and has become known as the Hunt-Stellato Funeral Home, with the Hunt family still being an integral part of the business. Most recently, there has been a massive renovation which has made the funeral home completely accesible to the handicapped, added a modern viewing chapel and foyer, and given a new modern look to the entire facility while maintaining the home-like atmosphere. The name families have trusted for so many years may have a new look, but the values that have given Hunt-Stellato Funeral Home it's strong reputation are timeless. Our commitment continues to be people helping people. Like a cherished timepiece, our quality of service remains constant.
Bayonne Funeral Home History
In 1935 George J. Koch opened the George J. Koch Funeral Home on East 24th Street in Bayonne. It began meeting the needs of the many Eastern European residents in Bayonne with St. Joseph’s Slovak Catholic Church as its home parish. The funeral home was later moved to the corner of 31st Street and Avenue C in 1950-51, into what was the former Dr. Stanley R. Woodruff House. As the business expanded, the need became evident to add several additional chapels, a casket display room, additional bathrooms and a smoking area in 1961. The entrance was expanded with a sidewalk level entrance and a Vermont granite exterior. A new addition came to be in the 1990s in the form of a modern well-lit parking lot with space for over a dozen cars.
As time went on, Carole A. Koch joined the family business in 1968 and Jerome F. Koch joined in 1973. In 1978 after the passing of George J. Koch, Carole and Jerome become the manager and director, respectively. They incorporated the funeral home in 1978.
Unfortunately, in 2010 Jerome Koch passed away after a sudden illness. In 2011 Carole Koch passed away after a courageous six month battle with pancreatic cancer. At that time brother Mark Koch assumed family ownership of the George J. Koch Funeral Home Inc. and added Vincent Caiola, lifelong Bayonne resident as its Manager.
After keeping the funeral home active for four years, Vincent Caiola and Louis J. Stellato, III of the Stellato Funeral Homes, Inc. purchased the George J. Koch Funeral Home. They have done massive renovations to the building and their promise is to serve the people of Bayonne in the family manner they were accustomed to with the Koch Family. As the Caiola-Stellato Funeral Home, (Koch Funeral Home) they will add many new high end amenities and services at reasonable pricing.
