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The
history of our funeral home dates back to 1857, when a young Scottish
immigrant carpenter named James Muir arrived in Port Elgin, on the eastern
shore of Lake Huron. As the local carpenter, he was often asked to construct
a casket for townspeople who had died. Gradually, he was asked to accommodate
more of the tasks associated with the deaths of his neighbours, and became
the town's first "undertaker".
In
the mid-twenties, Mr. Muir was succeeded by Jack Pattison who, like his
predecessor, ran the local furniture store, as well as conducting funeral
services, mainly from the residence of the deceased.
In
1945, Mr. Pattison was followed by W. Arthur Davey, who became very active
in the community. For many years, Mr. Davey was a councillor and mayor
of Port Elgin. He was instrumental in the development of the town, constructing
a subdivision, as well as running the funeral home and a furniture retail
store. In 1959, Davey constructed the first purpose-built funeral home,
as by this time, most funerals were being held from such facilities.
In
1973, the funeral home was purchased by Toronto-native and long-time summer
resident of Port Elgin, Kent Milroy, who became Port Elgin's first full-time
funeral director. Since that time, this funeral home has continued to
provide quality funeral care for the citizens of Port Elgin and District.
In 1981, the James Hope Funeral Home in Paisley was added to the operation.
In
August 2009, the funeral home was purchased by Taylor and Kelly. They
are originally from the Barrie area and are looking forward to making
Bruce County their home.
Operation of this funeral home has thus been a continuous entity since
1857. We are intensely proud of our heritage, and vow to continue the
fine compassionate work of our predecessors.
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