FDNY firefighters dressed in blue suits and white caps filled the pews at Our Lady Help of Christians R.C. Church along with family and friends to say one last good-bye to the hero lieutenant who served with the department for 29 years.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Richard "Richie" Doody was an avid fisher and golfer who spent countless hours with family and friends, placing them first before anything.
That's how his wife, Virginia "Ginny" Murray, described the retired FDNY firefighter as she stood at the podium at Our Lady Help of Christians R.C. Church in the Tottenville section of Staten Island, N.Y., just blocks from where they lived together.
Her husband, found dead at the couple's beach house in Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island last week, laid to rest in a casket in the center aisle draped with a white cloak.
On Tuesday, FDNY firefighters dressed in blue suits and caps filled the pews along with family and friends to say one last good-bye to the beloved lieutenant who served the department for 29 years.
In her eulogy, Murray held back tears as she recalled the day they met -- Doody was a coach of her all-women's softball team -- and told stories about his love for home improvement, fishing and golfing.
"He was a wonderful, caring man; my companion for over 30 years," she said. "The funniest man I knew."
Richard "Richie" Doody, a retired FDNY lieutenant from Staten Island, was found dead at his home on Long Beach Island on Nov. 23. (Photo courtesy of the Staten Island Advance). Doody, 60, was "fiercely protective" of his sisters -- and later became the same way for Murray's family. He was fond of home improvement and taking on construction projects, which came in handy after Hurricane Sandy hit.
She said he helped fix a hurricane-ravaged home for a family he didn't even know.
Murray joked about how one day she came home from work and the walls and ceiling of their dining and living rooms were ripped out. "When I saw the mess," she said, "all I can remember thinking is, 'I hope you know how to fix this.'"
That dining room, Doody's wife said, also doubled as a "shipping warehouse" where he assembled care packages for troops stationed in Afghanistan.
"Richie was a great supporter of our troops," she said. "... It was the least he could do, he always said."
In January, the couple purchased their Barnegat Light home and Doody would shuttle between both homes. He played golf every Friday at the Jersey Shore and would also spend many of his days in retirement fishing.
"Everyone asked me why I allowed him to be away for so long," Murray said. "He was having such a ball, I couldn't keep him away."
Authorities have said police on LBI found Doody's body at the home on Nov. 23 with slash wounds on his neck and blunt-force trauma to his head. They arrived at the home after receiving a call from a concerned family member who hadn't heard from Doody in days.
Two days later, authorities announced they arrested a 52-year-old Colts Neck man, Conrad Sipa, and charged him with murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
But authorities have released little information about the circumstances of Doody's death, and have not commented on a possible motive for the slaying.
At Sipa's first appearance at the Ocean County Courthouse on Monday, Assistant Prosecutor Michel A. Palhus said the state has "very, very powerful proof" Sipa murdered Doody, but he didn't elaborate further.
During his homily at Doody's funeral, Father Andy Costello called his death a "horror story loaded with I do not knows."
"Don't identify Richie with this tragedy," he said. "Please don't do that. Identify him with all the days of his life. It was quite a life."
He told the congregation not to identify Thanksgiving with Doody's death, rather to remember all he had done for others.
"Please remember the feelings of gratitude that you have," Costello said.
As Doody's casket exited the church, it was draped with an American Flag imprinted with an FDNY emblem. His casket was hoisted into the bed of a fire truck. His name, rank and ladder company, 84, posted on the side.
Firefighters lined both sides of the street outside the church, Amboy Avenue, as a slow drizzle fell from the sky.
The rain started to get heavier as the truck began to roll down the street. The sound of bagpipes echoed through the neighborhood.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.