When you drive down Paterson Plank Road, past the marshy stretches of the Meadowlands, there’s a quiet brick building that most people don’t notice until they absolutely have to. That’s the thing about funeral homes. They’re invisible until your world stops turning. Honestly, finding yourself looking up Mack Memorial Funeral Home Secaucus usually means you’re having one of the worst weeks of your life.
It’s heavy.
I’ve seen families walk into that building at 1245 Paterson Plank Road looking completely shell-shocked. There is this weird, cultural assumption that funeral homes are these cold, corporate machines waiting to upsell you on a mahogany casket you can’t afford. But the reality in Secaucus is a bit more nuanced. Since Otto Mack started this place back in 1951, it has anchored itself as a fixture of Hudson County. It’s not just a business; it’s a repository of local history.
Why Mack Memorial Funeral Home Secaucus Still Matters
Secaucus is a small town with big-city proximity, and that creates a specific kind of pressure. You’ve got families who have lived here for four generations and newcomers who just moved into the Xchange apartments. When someone passes, the logistics are a nightmare. Dealing with North Jersey traffic, cemetery permits, and the sheer emotional weight is a lot.
Mack Memorial belongs to the Dignity Memorial network now, which is a detail that trips people up. Some fear that "corporate" means "impersonal." However, the boots-on-the-ground reality often depends on the local leadership. Currently, Jason Paul Roefaro manages the day-to-day operations. People in town know him. That’s the weird dichotomy of modern funeral service: you have the backing of a massive national network, but the guy sitting across the desk from you probably knows exactly which deli you go to on Saturdays.
The True Cost of Saying Goodbye
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Money.
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If you look at the General Price List (GPL)—which, by the way, every funeral home is legally required to give you under the FTC Funeral Rule—the numbers can look scary. For a traditional full-service burial at Mack Memorial, you’re often looking at a baseline around $13,000. That’s not pocket change.
But here’s what most people get wrong: you don’t have to buy the "package."
Basically, the law is on your side. You can pick and choose. If you want a direct cremation, which starts closer to $3,500, you can do that. If you want a full visitation but a simple pine box, that’s your right. I’ve noticed that families who go in with a clear budget and a "no-surprises" attitude tend to feel much better about the process afterward.
What Actually Happens Behind Those Doors?
It’s not all hushed whispers and organ music anymore. The industry has shifted. Mack Memorial has had to adapt to a Secaucus that is way more diverse than it was in the 50s.
They do the traditional stuff, obviously. The viewings, the hearses, the floral arrangements from local shops like A Garden of Flowers. But they also handle "Life Celebrations." I once heard of a service where they basically turned the viewing room into a tribute to a guy’s love for the New York Giants. It sounds tacky to some, but for the family, it was the only thing that felt real.
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Navigation and Logistics
Getting there is easy; parking is the trick. If you’re coming from Union City or Jersey City, you’re taking JFK Blvd to Paterson Plank Road. The facility itself is 24/7 in terms of availability—death doesn't keep office hours—but the administrative side usually hums along during the standard 9-to-5.
- Location: 1245 Paterson Plank Road, Secaucus, NJ 07094
- Phone: (201) 865-2250
- Key Staff: Jason Paul Roefaro (Manager), Robert J. Notare Jr. (Director)
The Cremation Misconception
I hear this all the time: "If we do cremation, we can't have a funeral."
That is just flat-out wrong. At Mack Memorial Funeral Home Secaucus, a huge chunk of their business is now "full-service cremation." This means you still have the wake. You still have the flowers and the photos and the eulogies. The only difference is what happens at the very end.
Sometimes people feel guilty about choosing cremation because they think it's "cheapening" the memory. In reality, it’s often a necessity of space and mobility. With families scattered across the country, having an urn that can be moved or remains that can be scattered in a meaningful place often makes more sense than a plot in a cemetery they’ll never visit.
Handling the "Hudson County" Red Tape
If you've never had to deal with the New Jersey bureaucracy of death, count yourself lucky. There are death certificates to file, social security notifications, and veterans' benefits to coordinate. This is where a place like Mack actually earns its keep.
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They handle the paperwork.
Honestly, that’s 60% of what you’re paying for. You’re paying for someone else to navigate the state’s Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) so you don't have to. If the deceased was a veteran, the staff coordinates with the VA for honors and headstones. It’s those tiny, exhausting details that break people down during grief, and having a director who knows the Secaucus town hall clerks by name actually speeds things up.
Real Talk: The Reviews and Reputation
If you go online, you’ll see a mix. That’s the nature of the beast. Some people praise Jason for being "above and beyond" during their darkest hour. Others complain about the costs of "Dignity" branded services.
You’ve got to take it all with a grain of salt. Grief makes people hyper-sensitive. One person might find a director's stoic nature "professional," while another finds it "callous." The consensus for the Secaucus location, however, tends to lean toward it being a well-oiled machine. It’s clean, it’s efficient, and it’s predictable. In a moment of chaos, predictable is usually what you want.
Actionable Steps for Families in Secaucus
If you are currently staring at a hospital discharge paper or a hospice alert, here is exactly what you need to do.
- Don’t rush the first call. Unless the facility requires immediate removal, take thirty minutes to breathe. Call a sibling. Call a friend.
- Locate the "Folder." Most seniors have a folder. Look for insurance policies, discharge papers (DD-214 for veterans), and any pre-planning documents.
- Ask for the GPL immediately. When you call Mack Memorial, or any home in the area, ask them to email you their General Price List before you show up. It keeps everyone honest and helps you process the numbers in private.
- Check the "Obituary" trap. Many funeral homes charge a fee to "place" an obituary. You can often write it yourself and submit it to the Jersey Journal or Secaucus Reporter directly to save a few bucks.
- Use the "Friend" rule. Bring someone with you to the arrangement conference who isn't "in" the grief. A cousin, a neighbor, a friend. They are your logic filter. They will remember to ask about the cost of the limousine when you’re too busy crying.
At the end of the day, Mack Memorial Funeral Home Secaucus is a tool. It's a venue. The "quality" of the funeral isn't about how much you spend on the casket or whether you chose the premium prayer cards. It’s about whether the people who loved the person felt seen and supported. Secaucus is a tight-knit community; use that to your advantage. Reach out to neighbors who have used them recently. Ask the hard questions about hidden fees. Most importantly, don't let anyone pressure you into a service that doesn't feel like "them."
Keep the documents in a single, dedicated binder. Secure the certified copies of the death certificate—get at least ten, because every bank and insurance company in New Jersey will demand an original. Once the paperwork is moving, focus on the people, not the process.