Meet Our Staff - Milford, CT

David J. DeRubeis

Managing Partner / Funeral Director

David graduated from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, prior to attending the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service in New York City, where he graduated in 1977. His career in the funeral profession started with working for the David J. Hodder Funeral Home, which has locations in the Bronx and Yonkers, New York, and eventually purchased several funeral homes in Central Upstate, New York.

David became Managing Partner at Cody-White in 2001 and resides in the Laurel Beach section of Milford with his family. He is active in serving on various boards and committees for numerous civic organizations.

Thomas J. Cody Jr.

Funeral Director

Graduating in 1964 from the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service in New York, New York, Tom joined in his father's business in 1965 and has been active in the business for over 40 years. Though currently on a leave of absence, he is still very much a part of Cody-White. Tom is very active in the Devon Rotary in Milford and as a Corporator of the Milford Bank, as well as chairman of the Milford Graves Preservation Commission. He is the proud grandfather of three granddaughters.

Kevin W. Cody

Funeral Director

Kevin is a graduate of the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service in New York, New York, class of 1968 and proudly served in the U.S. Army for six years. Joining his father, he has been serving the families of the Milford and Orange communities for over 40 years. He has served on the Executive Board of Connecticut Funeral Directors Association and is active serving on various boards and committees for numerous civic organizations.

Amanda M. Veccharelli

Funeral Director and Certified Celebrant

Amanda is a Milford native who graduated from Lincoln College of New England with a degree in Mortuary Science in 2013. Prior to joining the team at Cody-White, Amanda worked for various funeral facilities serving families of Fairfield County. Amanda is also our firm's Certified Celebrant. For those families who are more spiritual than religious, Amanda helps create a personalized funeral, memorial or celebration of life that is unique and focuses on the individual's life and legacy. In her spare time she enjoys kayaking, attending local fairs/festivals and spending time with her family, friends and her Siamese, Stewie.

Rachel M. Cimbak

Funeral Director

Rachel has been a Milford resident for the past six years. After graduating from SUNY Orange in New York, she went on to graduate from the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service, class of December 2014. Rachel completed her apprenticeship with Cody-White and became fully licensed in February 2016. Her extended family has resided in Milford for over 52 years. In her spare time, Rachel loves to spend time with her family and friends, cook, sew, and sing.

Carly S. Ericson

Funeral Director

Carly was born and raised in Milford. She graduated from Jonathan Law High School in Milford. She then graduated from Lincoln College of New England in 2016 with a degree in Mortuary Science. In her spare time, Carly enjoys hiking, relaxing at the beach, and spending time with her family, friends, and her cat, Bailey.

Brenda Pineau

Funeral Assistant/Registered Nurse

Brenda Pineau joined Cody-White Funeral Home in 2016 as an "Ambassador "assisting  families as needed during their time of grief over the loss of their beloved one. With 40+ years of nursing experience Mrs. Pineau has participated in and comforted many grieving family members particularly through her work with various hospice care facilities, both inpatient and outpatient. Mrs. Pineau is currently a volunteer with both Connecticut Hospice in Branford, Connecticut and HPH Hospice in Brooksville, Florida.

Mrs. Pineau looks forward to serving the families utilizing the services of Cody-White Funeral Home through compassionate follow-up phone calls and to provide references as needed for help through their grief journey.

Renate K. Eastman

Office Manager

Renate was with Cody-White Funeral Home for seven years before moving to Virginia. Five years later she is back in Connecticut. Previously, she managed the Treasure Chest at the Milford Senior Center for eight years. She is bilingual in English and German and enjoys reading, sewing, crocheting, and knitting.

James Cowan

Life Planning / Funeral Director Consultant

Jamie has joined our team with a focus on helping families navigate some of life’s most difficult challenges.

For the past 19 years, he has provided information and guidance to individuals and families on how to protect their assets against long-term care needs, such as nursing home confinement and Title 19 / Medicaid, as well as advance Funeral and Cremation planning and Veterans Pension Benefits. Jamie’s easy going personality and ability to communicate complicated issues using easy-to-understand language have made him an invaluable asset to our firm.

Having assisted thousands of families in protecting and keeping what they have earned, Jamie is also a frequent guest speaker at various community seminars and workshops discussing topics such as Funeral Planning, Medicaid, and Veterans Pension Benefits.

Funeral Assistants

Our Funeral Assistants seated from left to right are, Andy Ancel, Dennis Murray, Brian Burgh, Frank Tondora, and Charles Milazzo. Standing from left to right are Brad Gessler, James Swift, Christopher Counihan, James Crocker, David DeRubeis Jr., and Robert Kosiewicz. John Geddes and Brenda Pineau are not pictured. Andy, Brad, and Frank are enjoying their retirement.