Co-op Corner: Dods and McNair

November 11, 2021 · 0 Comments

Written By Paige Ethier

This week Paige Ethier from Centre Dufferin District High School shares a little bit about her co-op experience and how Dods and McNair Funeral Home is contributing to our community’s future.

Dods & McNair Funeral Home in Orangeville has existed since the 1930’s, but was purchased by the Gauthier family in 1988. They have been in business for many years with Bert and his wife Joyce passing the business down to their son Terry and his wife Laura. They have an amazing team of staff members who help to provide a variety of services including funeral, memorial and reception services, specialty funeral services and memorialization services.

For my Co-op placement, I have been working as a Funeral Director’s Assistant. I help with serving food at receptions, greeting and directing guests, assisting in transfers and cleaning. I have been shown how to handle cremated remains; placing them in their urns or in jewelry. Eventually, I will be allowed to observe an embalming and learn more about the industry. Some special equipment used are church trucks to transport caskets, stereo and webcam equipment and computers to do paperwork. I have been trained by the people I work with as we complete different tasks.

A few occupations that are related to the funeral business include Cremators, Priests and Deacons, Coach Drivers, Coroners and Florists. Each of these individuals partake in a very special role that helps all of our services come together to satisfy the needs of families.

Dods and McNair contribute to the community in some very incredible ways. They have a memorial forest at Island Lake Conservation Area, where trees are planted in honor of a loved one. This is how they give back to the community and partake in saving the environment! Overall, Dods and McNair is an incredible company and they support their community in as many ways as possible.