Onn takes over Falconer building to create Riverside Funeral Home - Blyth Chapel

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

Riverside Funeral Home in Brussels has expanded its reach in the community with its purchase of the former home of Falconer Funeral Homes’ Blyth chapel on the village’s main street.

Zoellyn Onn and Thom Chisholm, owners of Riverside Funeral Home in Brussels, began negotiating for purchase of the home in the fall. Onn, who grew up in the Blyth area, said it had always been her dream to own that home.

“It’s where I grew up,” Onn said in an interview with The Citizen, adding that serving the people of her hometown at such a tough time in their lives is a dream come true for her.

She had worked for Falconer Funeral Homes for a time before striking out on her own and purchasing the home in Brussels. Now, having two homes in two communities that share so much will allow her to serve the community more fully, she said.

The home will be called Riverside Funeral Home – Blyth Chapel as of Dec. 23 when the sale officially closes.

Onn said she plans on providing similar service to what she has been providing in Brussels, but that the building needs some work, not only in the funeral home, but in the suite above the home, which hasn’t been lived in for some time.

The hope, she said, is to update the home and improve it, all while remaining open, and then renovating the suite and renting it out at a time when Huron County residents need housing more than ever.

“It makes me happy, it really does,” Onn said. She added that having a solid footing in the community can work wonders for her role in the grieving process. Knowing your local funeral director can ease tension and increase trust at such a hard time, she said, so she hopes to be there for the people of Blyth as she has been for the people of Brussels in recent years.

When families know their funeral director, she said, they aren’t afraid to ask questions, which is so important when a loved one passes away and a funeral needs to be planned.

Furthermore, Onn said that’s a relationship she’s always wanted with her community and one she didn’t have when she began in the field in Toronto.

For more information, visit Riverside Funeral Home’s website at riversidefuneralhome.ca.