Featuring Amanda McKinlay

Over the past year, we have been highlighting a number of the dedicated men and women that we are fortunate enough to have working on our team. With Mother’s Day approaching, it only seemed fitting to pay homage to the mother of my children, my other half, Amanda McKinlay.

Running a family business is a lot of work, especially when you are trying to work from home with four busy boys. Amanda is an absolutely essential part of the funeral home. She does the bookkeeping, most of our accounting and manages the admin team as well as the logistics of our reception centres. She does her best work when the younger boys are asleep, so it is not unusual to find her paying bills, looking over accounts or vinyl wrapping an urn at 1:00am.

Above all, Amanda is a loving, dedicated mother. Her strength, her compassion, her intelligence, and her tirelessness make her the perfect role model for the boys – as Amanda’s mom was for her and her brother.  I am very blessed to be able to be in the unique position to work alongside my wife everyday, and I could not imagine life without her.

A mother fills an immeasurable part of your heart, of who you are. That is why I count my blessings every year. Amanda and I are fortunate to still have our own mothers, but we are meeting families every day that are going through that loss. It is an especially hard time of year to lose your mom or to remember the loss of her.  So, be kind to the strangers you meet, celebrate your mother if you can and if your mother is no longer with us, be sure to take some time to share stories and remember her on our beloved Mother’s Day.