Gerald A. Smith Funeral Home
197 King. W N0R 1G0 Harrow, ON, Canada

This year has brought many challenges for everyone; changes in our social lives, workplace, school and day to day living. Remember to take care of yourself and if you need help reach out, not just today but everyday.

What is the Death Letter Project? In 2014, Tina FiveAsh began her PhD research project which tried to answer the question, what does death mean in our modern day society? She selected people from all walks of life to submit handwritten answers to two questions. What is death? What happens when we die? Fifty people from a wide variety of backgrounds participated in the project including: writers, religious leaders, a tattoo artist, a palliative care psychologist, a mortician, ...a funeral photographer, a barista and a postal worker. The project was launched in 2017. Letters were received and then posted so that all the world could witness this conversation. Tina FiveAsh wants to normalize conversations about death, a subject which for one reason or another has always had a taboo associated with it. To learn more about this initiative, or to read the letters, please visit: https://www.deathletterprojects.com Gerald A. Smith Funeral Home/CFHC Online See more

A private family service will be held at the funeral home.

A private family visitation and funeral service were held at Gerald A. Smith Funeral Home 197 King St. W. Harrow. Interment Erie Cemetery, Colchester.

Why it’s Important to say "I Love You" to the People who we are close to; When was the last time you said I love you to your spouse, parent, child, sibling or close friend? Was it earlier today, yesterday, last week you don’t remember? Sometimes we don’t say these words because we fear we are placing ourselves in a position of vulnerability. Maybe this sentiment won’t be reciprocated? Sometimes people show love through actions, rather than outwardly expressing these feeling...s. Showing love can be complicated. That said, one of the main reasons to say I Love You is that there are no guarantees in life. Sometimes there are unexpected turns in our lives and opportunities to share how much we care for someone is lost. Regret is something mostly everyone who grieves experiences. And a common regret is that they didn’t get a chance to say I Love You one last time. Let’s not keep important feelings like these to ourselves. Gerald A. Smith Funeral Home/CFHC Online

Please RSVP the visitation by booking online at www.geraldasmith.ca.

Making it Personal One of the recent trends we are witnessing more often in funeral services is the elaborate efforts which are being taken to ensure that the funeral for a beloved is a truly personal reflection. Picture boards and trophies are being replaced by extravagant photo tributes and videos. Families are determined to tell the story of their departed and shine a light on key passions and events from their life. ... A convoy of semi-trucks passes through town in honour of a fallen comrade, a sports fan has boxes and boxes of their memorabilia set up at a visitation for everyone in attendance to admire or the low overtones of the favourite music of a departed loved one is played continuously as background music at the wake. Sometimes simple gestures work so well to provide meaning to a life. We want to share them with the world one last time. We hope these little reminders will help us recall the moments that were special to them. The use of props has always been beneficial when story telling. In our hearts we want to make sure who they were, what they enjoyed and how they were special is easily seen. It’s about making it personal. Gerald A. Smith Funeral Home/CFHC Online

Funeral Planning: Trust us to get it Right for You Over the years, by listening, by asking questions and understanding, we have advised and helped many families with their decisions about which type of service will help them best meet their wishes. We’ve assisted families who have made plans in advance and we've tended to the needs of families, as a loved one has passed. We’ve worked with them in a wide range of circumstances. Often it is when a loved one dies of natural cau...ses but sometimes events are unexpected and more tragic. This experience helps us as we begin a conversation and a dialogue to find out what are the important requirements. We explore, we present scenarios and help by providing information that best suits the unique needs of a family. We are experienced in creating memorable presentations. We’ve seen what other families have done and what works well. It’s this experience that helps us to help you. Trust us to get it right for you. Gerald A. Smith Funeral Home/CFHC Online