W J Dooley Funeral Home
107 Pleasant Street B2A 1L9 North Sydney, NS, Canada

Kidney Month March is Kidney Health Month, and the Kidney Foundation of Canada wants everyone to know that one in ten Canadians are affected by kidney disease. The Foundation provides hope, support and empowerment to promote awareness and to help sufferers live their best life. The Foundation’s website provides links to its newsletters, contacts for support groups, a page for kidney-themed health events across Canada, a kidney TV channel for their YouTube videos and much mor...e. It’s important to keep your kidneys healthy as they can and will stop working if they become diseased or injured. Between three and four thousand people die nationally each year as a result of kidney related disease, placing it in the top ten leading causes of death in Canada. Visit the Kidney Foundation of Canada at www.kidney.ca and like the organization on Facebook so you can stay in the know about kidney health and can help spread awareness during kidney month. W J Dooley Funeral Home/CFHC Online

Protecting my Family We all know when someone passes that it is a difficult time for surviving family members. It is an emotional time, a time of grief regardless of the circumstances surrounding the death, regardless of whether the death was expected or not and regardless of the age of the person. What can be done? What can I do? Right now, to make it easier for surviving family members? ... Firstly, it needs mentioning that to grieve and experience a loss, in the infinite ways that people do, is natural. It acknowledges the importance of those who we love and those who love us. Whether we make plans to alleviate some of the responsibilities that accompany the passing of a loved one, the emotions which we feel will still remain. However, there are a multitude of decisions and details which need to be addressed and if choices are made in advance, then the responsibility of funeral arrangements becomes one of verifying wishes, rather than ‘starting from scratch’. Family members will likely say, Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it. We in the funeral profession, who sit in arrangement offices with families, know that they are far better off if decisions are made beforehand. Planning in advance will protect your family from the uncertainties which pertain to funeral decisions and the potential anxiety that can come with this responsibility. Please contact us if you would like to receive information on funeral planning. W J Dooley Funeral Home/CFHC Online

Happy Cake Day! Today is International Cake Day. Though the origions of this day are unknown, Cake Day gives us all a chance to enjoy one of our favourite desserts. When’s the last time you had your favourite cake? Why not pick up some for lunch or stop by the grocery store on the way home from work? Today you can have your cake and eat it too! (Couldn’t resist saying that.)... Sometimes we need to treat ourselves to something special. Cake works. Put the coffee on. Cut yourself a slice and enjoy! W J Dooley Funeral Home/CFHC Online

Funeral Planning Makes Sense Planning, prearranging and formalizing a funeral service plan makes sense for many reasons. At the individual level, personal preferences are indicated and recorded. When meeting with a funeral director, a file is created that lists wishes and choices for the desired future service. ... At a family level, making arrangements in advance means that decisions do not have to be made at an emotional time. There is time to discuss and make decisions that positively affect the family as a whole. Financially, arrangements which are prefunded have the benefit of avoiding the effects of inflation. A certain level of service is arranged for and paid for, and this price will not change over time. Making any major decision provides peace of mind. Please contact us if you wish further information on planning in advance. We’re here to help. W J Dooley Funeral Home/CFHC Online

Some Casket Basics Families considering traditional funeral services have many options with respect to the type of casket they choose. With the majority of families we serve, a wooden casket is selected which is made from either hard or soft woods. These include oak, mahogany, cherrywood, poplar, pine and cedar. In addition to the type of wooden casket decided on, there is also choice regarding the interior design and some of the decorative aspects of the casket. ... Some families choose a metal casket. They are typically used when a casket will be interred at a cemetery and they are chosen because metal is a more durable and a longer lasting material than wood. Metal caskets are made using steel, bronze or copper and there are different gauges or thicknesses that can be chosen when selecting this type of casket. Additional choices for metal caskets include exterior colour and design, and interior decorative aspects. Rental caskets are also used by some families, those wishing cremation following the service. The shell is the reusable part of these caskets. The interior is actually a container for cremation. The use of this product has environmental benefits in that an actual casket is not being cremated. These also offer a lower price point for families who wish a casket service followed by cremation. Environmental caskets are the last of the types of caskets we’ll look at today. These are made of 100% environmentally friendly materials. There is no metal ornamentation and the casket is constructed using wood doweling and biodegradable glues to reduce the footprint of the casket on the environment. If you have questions about what we’ve discussed above or need more information about caskets or other aspects of the funeral service, please contact us. W J Dooley Funeral Home/CFHC Online

Saying Goodbye Concert: Sunday, November 15, 7 p.m. ET For Those Who Lost Someone Close During the Pandemic Since the outbreak of Covid, physical distancing protocols have meant that some families have not been able to mourn their loved ones with a proper funeral or celebration of live. The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association working with sponsors, is providing a memorial service dedicated to those who have died during the pandemic. ... This virtual event will include performances by well-known Canadian performers and entertainers. The Concert is available on YouTube. Click the link and then the button Watch on YouTube to watch: https://www.chpca.ca/sayinggoodbyeconcert/... Thank you to The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association for coordinating this special tribute.

Remembrance Day Observance We remember your bravery and sacrifice. We observe and commemorate your contribution to ensure personal freedoms and human rights. Our sincere respect and gratitude to all who have served. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families.

Remembering Alex Trebek July 22, 1940 - November 8, 2020 TV personality Alex Trebek represented Canada to the world in a truly dignified way. His soft spoken and engaging ways paved the way for the night time game-show, Jeopardy, to stay atop television ratings for more than 35 years. ... Canadians and Americans have been welcoming Alex Trebek into their living rooms since 1984. Where he not only entertained us with knowledge and trivia, but also showed us how a classy Canadian can rise to the top of prime time television. Trebek was born in Sudbury, Ontario, where he lived until he moved to the nation’s capital and studied at the University of Ottawa. Following his education, he went onto work for the CBC and hosted ‘Reach for the Top’ in the 1960’s. He would eventually move to United States where he would host a number of game shows over the course of his career in television. At a personal level, Trebek was a horse lover and owned a ranch where he bred and trained thoroughbred racehorses. His philanthropic efforts included charitable work for World Vision Canada and United Service Organizations. His fondness for Canada and Canadians was always very much evident throughout his life. In addition to his many visits and public appearances in our nation, he also lobbied the producers of Jeopardy to include at least one question on Canada in each show. In 2019, Trebek was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He openly fought the disease, making sure fans were given timely updates. At one point he entered remission. Sadly the cancer returned and he passed Sunday, November 8th. He will always be remembered fondly by trivia fans around the world and Canadians across our country. If asked, we will always know the answer to Who is Alex Trebek?