Our History

Our History

The history of the Cooper Funeral Home goes back over 50 years. On June 15th 1954, Reginald and Ivy Cooper, along with 3 daughters and 2 sons, emigrated to Canada from England on the S.S. Georgic, arriving in Trenton, Ontario and settling in Belleville, Ontario. In October 1965, Martyn R. J. Cooper, eldest son of Reg and Ivy, obtained his Embalmers’ Certificate of Qualification from the province of Ontario after completing the prescribed studies at the Banting Institute at the University of Toronto.
From 1968 to 1974, Martyn was employed at the J.B. Marlatt Funeral Home in Hamilton, Ontario. He was a husband and the father of 3 young children. One evening while at work greeting people who were attending a visitation, he was approached by a lady by the name of Emma Awde who suggested that he move to her home town of Jarvis and open a funeral home there.

As it has been with many people, his first response was “where is Jarvis?” He was soon to find out, as he and his wife Brenda ventured out to have a look at what was soon to be the town they would call home. It was a big step for a young family but in May of 1974, they moved to 1 Dennis Street in Jarvis. The plan was to renovate the current 4-plex and open a funeral home on the upper level while turning the basement apartments into living quarters. This was accomplished and on June 10, 1974 Cooper Funeral Home Limited was open and ready to serve the community.
Over the next 6 months, much second-guessing and wondering about their decision occurred, as it was not until December 9 that year that the phone rang informing Martyn of the first funeral in the history of Cooper Funeral Home Limited. Since then, over 1500 families have trusted Cooper Funeral Home with the care of their loved ones.

In 1977, Martyn and Brenda were blessed with their 4th child. Shannon joined Ian, Martyn jr. and Mona.

In 1987, Ian graduated from Hagersville Secondary School and enrolled at Humber College in Toronto in the Funeral Services Education programme, graduating and receiving his Funeral Director’s Licence in 1989. After an apprenticeship in Oshawa, Ontario, Ian went on to work in Acton, Niagara Falls and London. In 1996, Ian returned home, along with his wife Lisa and 2 daughters, to work alongside his father to complement the service being provided to Jarvis and area. Subsequently, 2 sons were born to Ian and Lisa.

After coming to Jarvis as a family of 5, Martyn and Brenda’s 4 children have blessed them with a total of 15 grandchildren. 5 people coming to Jarvis in 1974 has transformed into 19 living locally with 6 living in British Columbia.

On January 1, 2005, Martyn and Brenda’s eldest son Ian became a partner in the business started nearly 32 years prior by his parents. Ian is committed to maintaining the fine reputation earned by his father over the years. As was the case on June 10, 1974, our motto is:

“Serving You As We Would Be Served”

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