Victoria Byers is the owner, operator, and funeral director at Byers Funeral Home Inc. and was very pleased to see so many family, friends and former strangers stop by to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the business. (It was actually 30 last year, but commitments made it impossible to celebrate at that time.) Tinkess Photo

SOUTH MOUNTAIN – For any business, the ability to not only survive, but prosper for over 30 years is quite an achievement. When your business involves serving your client’s needs during what, for most is one of the most challenging and stressful times of their life, and doing so with care and compassion, is even more so deserving of recognition.

Byers Funeral Home Inc. in South Mountain recently took time to celebrate their 30th anniversary with family and friends, and they happily recognized just how many lives they have impacted over the years.

Victoria Byers is the owner, operator, and funeral director. She grew up on a family farm in Chesterville and began her career path in 1987 as a student in the Humber College Funeral Services Education Program. She apprenticed in what is now Durham Region, and after obtaining her Funeral Director’s license, remained there for about 4 1/2 years before being convinced to return home where, with the assistance of her family, constructed the facility and opened the business on April 3, 1993. She moved to South Mountain in 1992, got married, built a home, and raised two daughters, Chloe and Halee. “We raised our family here where our neighbours welcomed us as if we were their own family in a town, we now call home,” said Byers.

Byers Funeral Home Inc. embraces both traditional values and diversity in honouring their client’s individual wishes. They offer a full line of funeral, cremation, and celebrant services. While these may have changed over the years, Byers prides themselves in honouring your loved one with dignity, professionalism, and respect.

“When we started it was 25 per cent cremation,” said Byers, “And now it is 80 (per cent).”

During the pandemic, when people were unable to gather, the concept of a traditional funeral changed dramatically. Now, according to Byers, things are getting back to normal. “People are still wanting a gathering where they want to do something, which is great. That’s a good thing. Through COVID, it was frightening, but we’re starting to go back to having a gathering, which is great.”

People mourn in different ways, but according to Byers, there is also more of an emphasis on the principal of a celebration of life. “That has really taken off,” says Byers, “People really want to remember and share, whether it’s in their backyard, or it’s at the Legion, or at the Agricultural Hall, people really want that and want to celebrate a life.”

When asked what advice she might offer people, many of whom put off considering the end of this life, she says that it is important to recognize it in some way.

“I think it’s important that they have something,” said Byers, “Whether it is a celebration of life, or something traditional. We have a lot of people that don’t have a church, you know, so I think if they do something. A lot of people want it all the same day, they can’t bear to do a couple days of things.

“It’s important that they do have something because I think everyone needs closure in some form or another. It’s a good thing to have a venue where, you know, you’ve got food and drink, and they can have a great time and remember the person and I think it’s a healing process for the family too. That can be a bit more uplifting but then the people that have church, they can have their chapel service, or their church service and they get from that what they want and have a funeral lunch afterwards. It’s a little bit different, but that’s what they want. That’s what helps them.”

“Helping them”, their friends, neighbours, and those who cease to be strangers is what has helped Byers Funeral Home Inc. to be such a vital part of the community, and it is what will continue to do so long into the future.

For more information on Byers Funeral Home Inc. and the services they can provide, you can call them at 613-989-3915, or visit their website at byersfuneralhomeinc.ca.

 

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