History & Staff

At McGuinness Funeral Home, we have been providing customizable memorial services for over 60 years. Personalized service options allow you to honor your loved ones in a way that is both meaningful and healing. We provide support and care while delivering memorial services that celebrate life and help families find the peace they deserve.
If you’re seeking an honorable celebration of life in Woodbury, Sewell, or the surrounding areas, we invite you to learn more about where we came from and the dedicated people behind our work.

A History of Caring

Mr. & Mrs. James A. McGuinness
Our Founders

After World War II, American veterans returned home to a country where they were unsure of their future. Our founder, James A. McGuinness, hoped to find a way that he could continue to help his country grow in a meaningful fashion.

He returned to Woodbury, NJ, and decided to attend the Eckles School of Funeral Directing and Embalming, working tirelessly to finish his apprenticeship in Northern New Jersey. After this apprenticeship, he was a fully licensed embalmer and funeral director.

James, commonly known as Jim, first opened McGuinness Funeral Home on Hunter Street in Woodbury, NJ in 1951. With his wife, Marie Schultes McGuinness, they strived to create a caring atmosphere of unique and compassionate memorial services. This space came to be known as welcoming and warm for all community members, no matter their background.

The McGuinness children, Kathy and Bill, continued to run McGuinness Funeral Home, carrying on their parent’s vision and mission. Today, our team has grown and continues to design meaningful memorial services from Woodbury and Sewell funeral homes.

Our Staff’s Dedication to Respectful Care

A funeral, or memorial service, should provide family members and loved ones with the chance to reflect, remember, and celebrate a life well-lived. At McGuinness, our goal is to create exceptional services and experiences that fulfill the wishes of your loved one. Our experienced Funeral Directors provide guidance on the crucial first steps toward healing.

Richard A. Bonczak
Funeral Director, Cremation Specialist & General Manager
N.J. Lic. No. 4254

I joined the McGuinness Funeral Home family in August, 1998 as a member of the Funeral Director Staff.

I was raised in Mt. Ephraim, graduated from Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in 1988 and earned my Associates of Science Degree in Business Administration and Funeral Service Certificate from Mercer County College in 1992. I chose Funeral Service as my career primarily due to the reward gained in knowing that listening to and helping families through some of their most difficult days may have made the difference in how their loved one was honored and remembered.

I am member of the National Funeral Director's Association, New Jersey State Funeral Director's Association and the Woodbury Lunch Rotary Club.

My wife, Judi and I, along with our two sons, Richard III and Anthony Joseph, make our home in Mt. Ephraim not far from where I grew up and where our families date back three generations. We are parishioners of Saint Joseph the Worker Parish in Haddon Twp. Our oldest son, Richard is attending Immaculata University in Malvern, PA where he is majoring in Cyber Security with a minor in Criminology while Anthony is in his Sophomore year at Paul VI High School in Haddonfield.

Away from work, I am often found supporting my boys with their extra curricular activities, I appreciate photography as a hobby and I am a loyal fan of Major League Baseball. I enjoy traveling with my wife and children especially to South Carolina & Florida, and enjoy making memories with my family and good friends.

If you would like to reach me directly, please feel free to contact me at 856-845-0888 or 856-582-3800. I may also be reached by e-mail at rbonczak@mcgfuneral.com.



Darryl Steward
Funeral Director & Cremation Specialist

I joined the McGuiness Funeral Home staff family in June 2016. I have been helping families in the funeral industry close to 20 years. I was introduced to helping families by Mr. Davis. He saw a caring and compassionate quality in me. I pursued my New Jersey Funeral Director's License. 

I am a member of the National Funeral Director's Association and New Jersey State Funeral Director's Association for over 10 years. 

I graduated from Woodbury Junior-Senior High School and was a Proud member of the Thundering Herd soccer team. I attended Mitchell College in New London CT and then Bethany College WV where I became a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity- Beta Gamma Chapter. I obtained my Funeral Service Certificate of Proficiency from Mercer Community College. 

My wife, Kathy and I along with our children Melanie and Brett, make home in Oak Valley,  where I enjoy going to my children's local events. 

If you would like to reach me directly, please feel free to e-mail me at darryl.steward@mcgfuneral.com.



Cindy Snyder
Office Manager

I joined the McGuinness Funeral Home staff family in 1995. McGuinness Funeral Home was searching for an Office Manager I wasn’t sure about working for a funeral home at that time, but when I realized what funeral service entailed, I have been here ever since. 

McGuinness Funeral home has very compassionate personnel and they provide unique tribute services to every family they serve. From the initial call they are there to guide you every step of the way . 

I know from personal experience, my father passed away November 1, 2012 and he definitely went out in style. Every detail was to perfection, also very caring and compassionate to my family. It couldn’t have been any better. 

I graduated Bensalem Senior High School in 1975 and attended Camden County College while working full time and raising a family, attended Business School for accounting and the Omega Institute. I am a licensed real estate agent and notary public. 

Cindy is unlicensed and not qualified to make funeral arrangements, embalm or conduct Funerals. N.J.A.C 13:36 (g)(1)

If you would like to reach me directly, please feel free to e-mail me at csnyder@mcgfuneral.com.



Michelle Marraffa
Office Manager

I joined the McGuinness Funeral Home staff family in August 2003. I previously worked for Brown and Connery and this is where my relationship with the McGuinness family began. I personally can say that I genuinely love what I do. I know from personal experiences that life is too short and every day should be cherished. 

I was raised in Merchantville and currently live in West Deptford with my husband, Paul; sons, Adam, Daniel and Benjamin and dog, Jolene. My days…and nights are spent cheering on my boys at all of their sports activities and I consider myself a true baseball and basketball mom! 

Any spare time beyond that is spent enjoying a good book, shopping, long walks and spending time on the beach with my family. I attended Camden County College and am a notary public.

Michelle is unlicensed and not qualified to make funeral arrangements, embalm or conduct Funerals. N.J.A.C 13:36 (g)(1).

If you would like to reach me directly, please feel free to e-mail me at mmarraffa@mcgfuneral.com.



Karen Steur
Office Manager

I joined the McGuinness Funeral Home staff family in June of 2005 as a recruit while attending Harris School of Business.  A South Jersey native, I was raised in Lindenwold and currently reside in Marlton. I am a graduate of Overbrook Regional Senior High School and Camden County College.  I am married to my husband Ken, who is from Ambler, PA.  I enjoy en plein air watercolor painting, fishing on the lake in my back yard and cycling the roads of South Jersey.

"It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle." Ernest Hemingway

Karen is unlicensed and not qualified to make funeral arrangements, embalm or conduct Funerals.  N.J.A.C 13:36 (g)(1).

If you would like to reach me directly, please feel free to e-mail me at ksteur@mcgfuneral.com.



Elisha M. Elliott
Community Outreach & Aftercare Coordinator

I joined the McGuinness Funeral Home family in January 2014, but for many years prior, I worked closely with the directors, assisting them as a funeral coordinator for my church, The First Presbyterian Church of Woodbury Heights. 

I was born and raised in South Jersey, specifically Deptford, and am proud to consider myself a true Jersey Girl. After graduating from Glassboro State College in 1992 with a degree in English, Education, and Psychology, I made the rather un-seamless transition to Technical Writer for a major insurance company in Philadelphia. There, I wrote all their system and human resources documentation. I also became an editor and a corporate trainer. Throughout this accidental career, I longed to work with people of all ages who were in need of someone who could truly listen to their concerns. So, I also took on the role of Youth Director for my church, which I still perform today. I love people and I love being able to make them happy and know that they always have someone in their corner, rooting for them.

I currently reside in Wenonah with my husband, Dave and our two talented daughters, Madelyn and Lauryn. In my spare time, I am a dance mom (the nice kind). I enjoy photography, scrapbooking, going to really good restaurants, traveling all over this great nation, vacationing in Ocean City, and reading. I also have several fiction novels and one non-fiction story in the works. Stay tuned; I just may become a best-selling author, too!

*Elisha is unlicensed and not qualified to make funeral arrangements, embalm or conduct Funerals. N.J.A.C 13:36 (g)(1)
If you would like to reach me directly, please feel free to e-mail me at elisha.elliott@mcgfuneral.com