{"id":121135,"date":"2026-02-03T11:12:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T11:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/121135\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T11:12:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T11:12:24","slug":"owner-of-staten-island-funeral-home-for-4-decades-dies-suddenly-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/121135\/","title":{"rendered":"Owner of Staten Island funeral home for 4 decades dies suddenly at home"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2013 It wasn\u2019t unusual for Michael Heaney to put off returning a text message or phone call every now and then. <\/p>\n

But when more than a few messages went unanswered, his family grew concerned. A wellness check on Jan. 17 revealed the 64-year-old, who lived alone, had passed away in his New Dorp home. <\/p>\n

Death had been a part of life for Michael, who dedicated his career to the funeral business in his hometown borough. He worked for Scamardella, Richmond and Matthew Funeral Homes and in 1983, founded Michael P. Heaney Funeral Services Inc., teaming up with his younger siblings. <\/p>\n

\"heaney\"The Heaney siblings at Christmas, circa 2019. From left are Ryan, Michele, Danny, Todd and Michael. (Photo courtesy Michele Coyne)Third-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

For more than four decades, the Heaney Brothers handled the behind-the-scenes details of death \u2013 body transport, embalming, and preparation for viewing. As owner, Michael was trusted by local funeral directors, ready to step in with compassion and professionalism whenever a death occurred, his family said. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a fixture in funeral service on Staten Island,\u201d his brother, Danny, proudly shared. \u201cIt was his whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"heaney\"Michael P. Heaney, circa 1961. (Photo courtesy Michele Coyne)Third-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

Born on April 17, 1961 and raised in New Dorp Beach, Michael attended Our Lady Queen of Peace School where he had a bird\u2019s-eye view of funeral processions at Hanley Funeral Home, across New Dorp Lane. <\/p>\n

He was an altar boy at Our Lady of Lourdes R.C. Church at Cedar Grove Beach and, while attending New Dorp High School, worked as a custodian at Our Lady Queen of Peace School. <\/p>\n

\"heaney\"Michael at center, surrounded by his brothers and baby sister. (Photo courtesy Michele Coyne)Third-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

As a youngster, he liked to set up a make-believe church in the basement of his home and play the role of priest, complete with a chalice and Communion wafers, his family remembered. His cousins were his parishioners. <\/p>\n

When his parents divorced, he and his brothers lived with their father in Grant City. Michael would later return to New Dorp as an adult. <\/p>\n

In 1981, he earned a funeral director\u2019s license from the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service in Manhattan. <\/p>\n

\"heaney\"Michael, second from left, celebrates his 50th birthday with his immediate family. (Photo courtesy Michele Coyne)heaney<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a gentle person,\u201d his sister, Michele Coyne, said, \u201cso helpful, kind and compassionate whenever a family suffered a loss. He was the epitome of professionalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he wasn\u2019t handling the details of a death, Michael was a car enthusiast who enjoyed polishing his 2007 black Jaguar. He cheered on the New York Knicks and cherished his pets, including a German shepherd named Sampson that passed away a few years ago, and a cat named Olaf that survives him.<\/p>\n

Devoted AA sponsor<\/p>\n

Michael was open about his participation in Alcoholics Anonymous. Sober since 1988, he devoted much of his time to sponsoring and guiding others in their recovery as a passionate believer in the 12-step program.<\/p>\n

The last few years of his life were challenging, his family confided. Michael often isolated in spite of therapy and encouragement from his brothers and sister. His siblings and close friends checked on him regularly with visits and phone calls. <\/p>\n

\"heaney\"Young Michael Heaney, at right, is joined by Michele, Danny and Todd, circa 1968. (Photo courtesy Michele Coyne)Third-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

\u201cI was there [at his house] all the time,\u201d his brother, Danny, said. \u201cI would pray on my way over\u201d that he was feeling better. <\/p>\n

As a funeral professional, Michael understood the importance of pre-planning. For his own arrangements, he chose the Marsellus President casket made from solid mahogany with rounded corners, and a copper-lined vault at Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp designed to preserve the casket.<\/p>\n

He was in good hands on Jan. 23 when the procession made its way from Matthew Funeral Home in Willowbrook to Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in New Dorp, where the funeral Mass was officiated by the Rev. Robert Dillon, pastor of St. Patrick\u2019s R.C. Church, Richmond.<\/p>\n

Dozens of funeral service colleagues who had come to know and respect Michael over the years were there to say good bye, including John Scamardella, owner of Matthew Funeral Home and Cremation Services and a longtime friend, who wrote in a tribute:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Heaneys served the funeral homes with diligence, professionalism and dedication. They were on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year, including holidays. Michael P. Heaney led an exemplary life of service. His legacy will continue through his brothers and sister.\u201d<\/p>\n

Survivors and arrangements<\/p>\n

Michael is survived by three brothers, Todd C. Heaney (Lisa), Daniel J. Heaney (Melissa) and Ryan F. Heaney; a sister, Michele Coyne (Michael), and seven nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Michael F. Heaney Jr. and Doris Kivlehan Heaney. <\/p>\n

Arrangements were handled by Matthew Funeral Home. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2013 It wasn\u2019t unusual for Michael Heaney to put off returning a text message or…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121136,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":{"0":"post-121135","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-staten-island","12":"tag-staten-island-headlines","13":"tag-staten-island-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121135\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}