Staff

 Joseph V. Costello

Manager
NJ Lic. No. 3670

Joseph V. Costello, III (known as Jay to everyone), was born in Perth Amboy and resided in Woodbridge and Metuchen before moving to Edison in 1995. He is a graduate of St. Mary's Grammar School in Perth Amboy and JFK High School in the Iselin section of Woodbridge. Upon graduation from high school in 1980, Jay enrolled in the Mercer County community College Funeral Service program and simultaneously served a three-year internship with his father, Joseph V. Costello, Jr., as his preceptor. Upon graduation in 1983 from the program, Jay was employed by his father until 1992 when he and his wife, Suzanne, purchased the Runyon Mortuary from the Runyon family in Metuchen and renamed it the Costello-Runyon Funeral Home. In 2010, Jay’s Uncle Tom retired and sold Jay and Suzanne the Thomas Joseph Costello Funeral Home in Iselin. They renamed it the Costello-Runyon Funeral Home.

Jay is a communicant of St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral in Metuchen, where he and Suzanne had formerly served on the Baptismal Team. He is a member of the St. Francis Council No. 3272, Knights of Columbus and a Fourth Degree member of the Holy Innocents Assembly No. 1665 in Edison/Metuchen. In 2008 Jay was Knighted into the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem by Edward Cardinal Egan, Bishop Archdiocese of New York.

Jay is also a member and past president of the Metuchen Rotary Club and was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Club in 2001. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Metuchen-Edison-Woodbridge-South Amboy YMCA and is a past president of the Board. Jay received the Sir Jack Hayward Award from the YMCA's International Committee in 2001. He was a former member and past president of the Metuchen Cemetery Association (Hillside Cemetery).

In 2002, the Metuchen PBA recognized Jay with their Community Service Award. Jay is also one of the few Silver Life Members of The Metuchen PBA.
Jay has been on the Dinner Committee for the Flame of Charity Dinner for the Diocese and served as Dinner Co-Chair in 2002 and 2003.

Jay and his wife, Suzanne, have two children, Joseph V. IV and Catherine.

 Suzanne Costello

Office Manager

Suzanne M. Costello is a lifelong New Jersey resident having growing up in Manalapan. She is a graduate of St. John Vianney High School in Holmdel and has a BS in Business Administration form Montclair State College. After graduating from Montclair State College, Suzanne worked in the investment-banking field until the birth of her son, Joey, in 1989. She was a stay at home mom until her and her husband Jay purchased the funeral home in 1992, at which time she became office manager. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Metuchen Area Chamber of Commerce and chairs the Chamber of Commerce's Miss Merry Christmas Crowning. She is a communicant of St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral, Metuchen and had served on its Baptismal Team. Suzanne is also very active with the St. Francis Cathedral H.S.A.

 Chrystal D. Penedos

Funeral Director
NJ Lic. No. 4509

Chrystal was born in Virginia on July 4, 1978. Chrystal graduated from Spotswood High School in 1996. She attended Mercer County Community College and became a licensed Funeral Director in 2002. She has been with Costello - Runyon Funeral Home since 2000. She now lives in Edison with her husband Todd and their 5 month old daughter Elyse.

 Leo D. Mickey

Funeral Director
NJ Lic. No. 4081

Leo has been involved for 20 years in funeral services locally and regionally. He graduated from the American Academy of McAllister in New York where he earned his funeral director’s degree and his Associates of Arts degree from St. Johns University. Leo served his internship at the John E. Day Funeral Home in Red Bank for 3 years. After his internship he worked for Werson Funeral Home in Linden for 7 years, then was employed at Higgins Home for Funerals in Plainfield, North Plainfield and Watchung for 10 years. He has been with Costello-Runyon in Metuchen and Iselin for a year now.

 Carol H. Burner

Certified Grief Recovery Specialist

While employed as a Human Resources Specialist for AT&T, Carol earned a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology from Seton Hall University. Carol started her counseling career in 1996 as a rehabilitation counselor to clients suffering from psychiatric and development disabilities.

In 1998, Carol joined SERV Centers of New Jersey, Inc. as a clinician, delivering care to adults experiencing significant disturbances in daily living resulting from the loss of mental health. Carol was certified as a Grief Recovery Specialist by the Grief Recovery Institute of California in 1998. During this time, Carol developed and facilitated group sessions and workshops on grieving.

Carol became a Supervisor of Mental Health and Rehabilitations at UMDNJ and served as Director of Training for CONTACT We Care Inc., a non-profit organization that offers 24-hour telephone crisis services. She provided intensive training that prepared volunteers to off the gift of listening to callers who are depressed, lonely or suicidal.

 Joe La Cava

Funeral Director
NJ Lic. No. 4990

Joe is our newest Funeral Director of the firm. He was born in New 

Brunswick, grew up in Milltown and currently is living at the Costello-Runyon Funeral Home in Iselin.

He graduated from St. Joseph High School, Metuchen in 2007 and attended St. Peter’s University in Jersey City where he received his Accounting Degree in 2011. He then went to Mercer County College in West Windsor for Mortuary Science and graduated in 2012.

Joe has been an avid swimmer his entire life as well as running in his free time.