THUNDER BAY – April 26 marked the 100th anniversary of Sargent and Son Funeral Home and in celebration of this milestone, the company started its A Century of Care Digital Legacy initiative and will host an open house on May 23.
Michael Sargent, funeral director and manager of the home, said it's not just a celebration for the family business. It's a chance to "honour the contributions" of local people and the resilience of the community through the decades. More than 25,000 families have been served over the century at the chapel.
The business journey for this multi-generation family began in 1922 when Lewis Sargent, then of Fergus, Ont., co-founded a funeral home called Thompson and Sargent Funeral Directors. In 1924, he settled in Thunder Bay on the Nelson Block on Cumberland Street.
In 1925, the business moved to a Court Street home built in 1880 by Richard Vigars, and in 1940, a completely new facility was built and is the present-day operational site.
Michael said the funeral home has changed over the years and claims to be Northwestern Ontario's largest, fully accessible chapel with seating for over 200 people.
"With the advancement of technology over the years we have been able to offer many new ways to celebrate someone's passing, whether it's online condolences, live streaming of services or video tributes," he said.
"Science has played a very important role in the development of embalming and preparation of the deceased with the advancements improving the process immensely."
Viewing a loved one is an important part of the grieving process for family and friends and Sargent says they are in a "much better position" to provide people the opportunity to view a deceased loved one in an environment where they can have them looking more natural and more like they did when they were healthy.
"This can be very beneficial to those grieving a loss as it gives them a more comforting final image," he said.
And Sargent said they have been fortunate to maintain longstanding staff for the "entire duration of our time in the industry."
The COVID-19 pandemic brought its challenges to the business.
"We are in an industry where we are dealing with people during one of the most difficult periods in their lives," Sargent said.
"It is our job to do our best to provide whatever our families may need and instead of saying 'no' we want to try to make things happen. Unfortunately with the many restrictions associated with COVID-19, we were not able to do so."
He said the biggest challenge was finding ways to meet the needs of the families with the ever-changing rules for gatherings.
Sargent added that they have seen a rise in cost for "pretty much everything" they do, and strive to provide top-quality service at a reasonable cost.
"We have created an environment where there is no pressure on clients to purchase things they may not want," he said. "Our team is here to serve the families and not the bottom line."
The May 23 open house will take place at Sargent & Son Funeral Chapel from 3-6:30 p.m. People are asked to share their special stories, memories, and photos from the past 100 years for the Digital Legacy initiative. The legacies will be shared on social media and at the open house to honour the community.
Chronicle-Journal/Local Journalism Initiative
