FACes
& PlaceS
LOCAL COLOR 2004
 Charlie
Garefino
by Marilyn Bullock
How many fifth graders do you think there are
who KNOW what they want to be when they grow
up AND actually follow through on that plan?
Lambertville funeral director and owner of
Garefino Funeral Home Charlie Garefino is one
of them.
Charlie
is a true Lambertville native. His parents
were born and raised in the area and Charlie
was born and raised in Lambertville. His father
was one of 13 children so he grew up with a large
extended family. Unfortunately, while Charlie
was still young, there were many deaths in the
family. As a result, Charlie spent an unusual
amount of time at the local funeral home and
the funeral director made a lasting impression
on him. Charlie was attracted to the funeral
director’s sensitivity and to his ability
to help people during the stressful times of
using a loved one.
Charlie attended local schools until going off
to Kutztown State University for two years in
preparation for attending the New England School
of Mortuary Science. After graduation he entered
a 2-year apprenticeship at a small funeral home
in Trenton, NJ.
In 1983, he purchased the old gas station at
the corner of Bridge St and Rt. 179 in Lambertville.
His carpenter father and uncle made the renovations
to turn the building into a funeral home. He
opened his business in 1984.
Running
a funeral home takes a special kind of person
and Charlie believes that he inherited
and learned compassion from his family. Quite
a few family members still live locally and get-togethers
are common. Charlie is also a long-time parishioner
of St. John’s church.
In addition to traditional funeral home services,
the Garefino Funeral Home offers pre-planned
and pre-paid funeral arrangements. Planning in
advance takes the burden off of family members
and Charlie says that more people than one might
think invest in this kind of program. Payments
are made and held in an account with the NJ Prepaid
Funeral Trust Fund.
Charlie
has been community minded since day one. He
has been a member of the Lambertville
Area Chamber of Commerce for 20 years and has
helped with the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
and with the Shad Festival for many of those
years. Last year he helped with the Taste of
Lambertville fund-raiser event and for the last
2 years he ran the Chamber’s Internet auction.
He was an active member of the Riverside Symphonia
for 8 years and took on many of the performance
stagehand duties. Charlie is also a former rotary
member.
Being
in the funeral business can be depressing at
times, so having outside activities is crucial.
When I asked him what makes him laugh, Charlie
responded, “My kids.” Charlie has
3 girls, Connie, 18, Amanda, 16, and Elise, 14.
He enjoys spending as much time with them as
possible. When he can, for vacations, he takes
them camping in the mountains. Since Charlie
is an avid freshwater fly fisherman, this works
out well for everyone. Ironically, he is allergic
to fish and shellfish!
Charlie also loves to cook and has been seen
reading cookbooks and watching cooking shows
on TV. His idea of retirement is to own a house
on a lake. We sure hope you get your wish Charlie.
Thank you for your service to the community.
|
