Affinity Funeral Service

04/21/2026

View Stanley Howard Raugust's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

04/21/2026

View Joan Redinger's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

04/20/2026

Philip (Phil) Ingvald Vatter
July 2, 1936 - April 19, 2026

View Phillip (Phil) Ingvald Vatter's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

04/20/2026

View John "Jack" Alexander Forrest's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

04/19/2026

Leave Well So Others Live Well
National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week – April 19-25, 2026

National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week strives to raise awareness about the critical need for more donors across our country and encourages Canadians to fill out their donor registration form.

While recent data indicates 90 per cent of Canadians support organ and tissue donation, only 32 per cent have actually registered. During the national awareness week, Canadians are urged to do their part to help create a world-class, nationwide organ donation and transplantation system, so that one day, no one in Canada will die waiting for a transplant.

The numbers tell the story:
• 8 lives can be saved by one donor.
• Up to 75 patients can receive tissue from one donor.
• 4,400 Canadians are currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
• 250 Canadians on the wait list will die each year.
• There is no age requirement: Canada’s oldest organ donor was 92 and the oldest tissue donor was 104.

Registering online is simple and easy. Just a few clicks and a couple of minutes can save lives. Don’t forget to inform family members as there is a very brief time frame in which organs can be donated. More registered donors mean more chances to pass on the gift of life.

© Affinity Funeral Service/CFHC Online

04/17/2026

The Fight Against Cancer in Canada

Cancer remains the leading cause of death in Canada. Recent statistics from the Canadian Cancer Society estimate two in five Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and approximately one in four will die from the disease.

2024 Cancer Statistics for Canada*
• Approximately 127,000 males and 120,000 females were diagnosed with cancer.
• Prostate cancer was most prominent in males, while breast cancer topped the list for females.
• Lung cancers accounted for approximately 25 per cent of all cancer deaths.

Most common cancers for Canadian men:
• Prostate (21.9%)
• Lung and Bronchus (11.6%)
• Colorectal (11.1%)
• Bladder (7.3%)
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (5.2%)
• Melanoma (5.1%)

Most common cancers for Canadian women:
• Breast (25.4%)
• Lung and Bronchus (14.4%)
• Colorectal (9.2%)
• Uterus (7.2%)
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (4.2%)
• Melanoma (4.0%)

As a society, Canada has made significant progress in early detection to help reduce the number of cancer deaths. Doctors know more than ever about what causes cancers and how best to prevent and treat them. Despite the progress, new cancer cases continue to increase, largely due to a growing and aging population.

April marks Cancer Awareness Month in Canada: a time to recognize researchers, volunteers, health-care practitioners and caregivers for their tireless work; acknowledge the courage and strength of people living with the disease; and remember those who have lost the fight.

So, wear a daffodil, support a cancer initiative and be proactive with your health. Together, we can fight cancer.
* Source: Canadian Cancer Society.

© Affinity Funeral Service/CFHC Online

04/14/2026

View Keith Kenneth Muddle's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

04/13/2026

Seeing Goodbye

It wasn’t too long ago when saying goodbye to a loved one included a face-to-face interaction and a heart-to-heart moment. The tradition of the procession to the casket, the paying of respects and reflecting on the relationship that was shared was an integral part of the service. In the presence of the deceased, family and friends were given one last opportunity to bid farewell.

This served many purposes. The funeral had a surreal quality to it. Yes, there was no denying that a loved one was no longer here and the reality of it was they were gone. At rest, in the casket, they were at peace and free of any pain they may have experienced in this world. This was a sad event, though at some level, attending and honouring them one last time seemed to provide relief for many, in allowing for a sense of closure.

This time-honoured tradition has been modified by some in recent years. Instead of the casket, there is an urn, which is still the remains of the deceased, but when saying goodbye, something is lost. Sometimes families are unable to have even this type of service. Covid-19 meant that many experienced the loss of a loved one without any formal service. Other than the legal requirements of caring for the deceased, the only acknowledgement of their death was an obit on the funeral home’s website. Family and friends were only able to take solace within their minds.

The question is… is this sufficient or is a more formal way of saying goodbye needed. Though viewing a loved one in person is sad and difficult, seeing goodbye does provide a much more personal experience… one which helps us better understand the relationship we once shared with them.

© Affinity Funeral Service/CFHC Online

04/10/2026

04/08/2026

Remembering Billionaire Howard Hughes

On the anniversary of his death 50 years ago (1976), we reflect on Howard Hughes, one of the world’s most eccentric billionaires.

There is an old saying that everything is bigger in Texas, which seems to be true for Hughes. Born in the Lone Star State in 1905, Hughes inherited the family’s business, becoming a millionaire at age 18. Over the course of his 70-year life, Hughes grew a business fortune which spanned the aviation, real estate holdings and film production sectors. Not only a businessman, Hughes had a passion for flying, setting numerous records and risking his life in the process.

Some Fun Facts About Howard Hughes:
• A young Hughes showed an aptitude in science and technology, building Houston’s first wireless radio transmitter at the age of 11 and becoming the first person in the city with a motorized bike, which he built from steam engine parts the following year. His fondness for how things worked eventually led to many innovations in the production of commercial aircraft, an industry in its infancy at that time.
• Hughes was obsessed with flying faster and survived four airplane accidents, including a near fatal crash in 1946. He was credited with breaking both the landplane airspeed record and the transcontinental airspeed record.
• Hughes produced several big-budget and often controversial films, including “The Racket,” “Hell’s Angels” and “Scarface.”
• Hughes won the Harmon Trophy (twice), the Collier Trophy and the Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions to aviation. During the Second World War, his company operated as a major U.S. defence contractor.
• Hughes has been credited with transforming Las Vegas from a gangster paradise into a more refined tourist destination.

Sadly, Hughes was troubled with mental illness, stemming from an obsessive-compulsive disorder, and became an unrecognizable recluse in his later years. He died of kidney failure on board a Learjet headed from his Mexico home to Houston. He is buried alongside his parents at Houston’s Glenwood Cemetery.

© Affinity Funeral Service/CFHC Online

Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American aviator, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor.[2] He was one of the richest and most influential people in the world during his lifetime. He first became prominent as a film producer, and then...

04/05/2026

Happy Easter

Our team at Affinity Funeral Service hope you have an enjoyable day sharing special moments with family and friends.

To families and individuals in our community who are of Christian faith, we wish you peace and happiness as you rejoice Easter and the celebration of the resurrection of Christ.