Our Services
Funeral Services
Traditional Funeral Services
- Visitation: This is often called a viewing or a wake. Guests come to pay their respects to the deceased by viewing their casketed body and spending time with the grieving family. A visitation can occur at any time before the funeral service.
- Funeral Service: This event commonly takes place at the funeral home, a church, or at the graveside. It can include music, the reading of literary or religious passages, a eulogy, prayer, and the singing of hymns.
- Committal Service: If the family plans to bury the deceased, this stage involves the vehicle procession to the cemetery.
- Funeral Reception: Many choose to host this post-service gathering (or repast) at a reception hall. This is considered a time to share memories, laughter, and support.
Burial Services
We offer a number of affordable burial service options. They range from: simple burials where only a member of our staff oversees the interment; simple graveside services led by a minister or celebrant; and a traditional funeral service followed by burial. Each can be tailored to meet the needs and expectations of today’s price-conscious families.
Cremation Services
We offer three cremation options; each can be modified to meet your needs:
Traditional cremation services
These are much like a traditional funeral. The body of the deceased, placed in a specially-selected cremation casket or a rental casket, is the focal point of the service. A visitation can take place prior to the funeral service and the cycle is completed with the cremation rather than a traditional burial. Once the cremation has occurred, the cremated remains are returned to your family. You can then decide to scatter, bury, or retain the cremated remains in an urn.
Memorial gathering after the cremation has taken place
This can occur at any time after the cremation process. The urn is usually on display at the service, which can take place in any setting preferred by the family.
Direct cremation
This involves the completion of all required paperwork and the transportation of the deceased from the hospital, home, nursing facility, or coroner’s office to the crematory.
Memorial Services
Memorial Service
Unlike a traditional funeral, a memorial service is a gathering where a casket is not present (although the urn with the cremated remains may be on display). A memorial service can be held weeks or even months after the death.
A memorial service can be held in a church, the funeral home or a community hall, or somewhere of importance to the deceased and family. There is usually music, selected readings, and a eulogy. Memorial services can be further personalized as a celebration of life.
Celebration of Life
Many families today want a service which celebrates the life of their loved one. We introduce them to the concept of a celebration of life and provide support in designing a celebration of life that is as unique as the life of their loved one.
We always enjoy working together with families in planning a celebration of life for their loved one. While it can be a challenge to put together an event that both pays tribute to and celebrates the life and spirit of a complex individual, it’s also one of the most rewarding things any one of us can do for someone we’ve loved and lost.
Specialty Funeral Services
Veteran Funeral Services
We believe the story of every veteran’s life deserves to be shared. We are deeply committed to providing families with exceptional veterans services and can assist you in securing military burial benefits. When it comes time for you to make arrangements for the veteran in your life, know that our staff is both qualified and committed to providing them with the military honors they deserve.
When arranging for veterans’ burial services, you can rely on us to complete all the necessary paperwork involved in obtaining the military death and burial benefits that are available. These can include:
- Burial Flag
- Headstone or Marker
- Burial in a National or Provincial Canadian Forces Cemetery
Contact us to learn how we can work together to pay tribute to your veteran.
Ash Scattering Services
Cremation provides families with more time to arrange where and how to scatter the ashes. While there is no policing agency overseeing scattering, there are some basics you should know:
- If you plan on scattering ashes on private property, it’s smart to receive written permission from the owner.
- Public parks require that you obtain a scattering permit.
- There are no regulations regarding ash scattering on uncontrolled public lands; you need to use your own judgment.
- You should not scatter ashes within 100 yards of public roads or trails.
- The cremation container must be disposed of separately and in an environmentally safe manner.
- Scattering ashes in inland waters is governed by the Clean Water Act so it’s important to obtain a permit from the agency that oversees waterways.
- Ash scattering at sea must be done at a minimum of three nautical miles from the coastline.
- Any flowers or wreaths used in the ash scattering ceremony held at sea must decompose. No plastic flowers or other non-decomposable items should be left behind.
- For ash scattering done at sea, the Environmental Protection Agency requires that you notify the regional office in writing within 30 days after the event.