By Megan Harman
After running one of Ottawa’s largest funeral services for 51 years, Lorne Kelly has sold his family business.
Although Kelly Funeral Homes will now be run by a large Toronto-based conglomerate, community members say the staff is what makes the business reliable.
Kelly founded his first funeral home in 1954. The company now has seven locations in the Ottawa area, including one on Somerset Avenue in Centretown.
Together they serve about 1,600 families per year.
Kelly, 80, decided to sell the business because of his health and advancing age, says Gerry Kelly, his son.
Arbor Memorial Services Inc. bought the business, and now owns 94 funeral homes across Canada.
Lorne Kelly’s seven children have all helped run the funeral homes. But most of them have pursued careers outside of the funeral business, and no one in the family could take over the company when Lorne decided to step down, says Gerry Kelly.
“Lorne felt it was necessary to sell,” he says. “It was a very painful decision. It’s 51 years of his life.”
Of Kelly Funeral Homes’ 52 staff members, 51 will stay on board, Kelly says. Many employees have worked for the family for over two decades. Despite the changes in management, the family is confident that the company values will remain unchanged.
“I don’t think any of the compassion or care will be lost. It’s the same people doing the same things,” Kelly says.
While his health permits him to, Lorne will also continue to work at the funeral homes.
Msgr. Robert Martineau of St. Patrick’s Basilica works closely with Kelly Funeral Homes. He says it is the employees that have given the business a reputation for honesty.
“Kelly Funeral Homes has always been very good in serving the people and conducting funerals with dignity,” he says. “They’re good people. They have good experience.”
He says he expects that since the staff will remain, customers will continue to be loyal to the business.
Father Paul McKeown at St. Anthony’s Church agrees the sale will not change the community’s perception of the company.
“They will keep the same staff, and the staff is very professional,” he says.
Kelly specifically chose Arbor Memorial Services as the buyer because it has similar values, Kelly says.
“Their approach to funeral service is consistent to the kinds of services Kelly Funeral Homes has a reputation for providing,” he says.
“We hope people will recognize the same values in the service.”
Gary Carmichael, Arbor’s vice-president of corporate and government affairs, agrees the two businesses share similar philosophies.
“One of the things we try to do is to help families make choices that are meaningful to them,” he says.
“We just continue to build on the fine reputation that Kelly has in the community, and encourage our employees to be an integral part of the community, which is something Kelly [Funeral Homes] is well known for.”
Carmichael says Arbor will use the same local businesses and suppliers Kelly has used in the past.
“The majority of the suppliers will be local suppliers,” he says. “It’s always our intent to be an integral part of the community, and support other community businesses.”
Arbor did not previously have any funeral homes in Ottawa.
“It was an opportunity for us to be in the funeral business in Ottawa,” Carmichael says.
But Arbor does have some presence in the community. The company owns Capital Memorial Gardens in Nepean, established in 1953.
Kelly says this makes his family more confident that the transition between the owners will be smooth.