Whelan Funeral Home Ltd.

03/20/2026

The pandemic has forced many of our mourning rituals online. Here are some basic rules to make sure you’re not unintentionally causing offense

03/16/2026

Longer Term Grief

Every relationship we have is unique, and the way we process the death of a loved one is a very individual experience. We can all imagine that grieving the death of a distant cousin is very different from grieving the death of a child. The relationship, the way the person died, and the way we process emotions will have an impact on the length of time it takes to heal following a loss.

No one, including the griever, can put a timeline on the duration of grief. If someone is becoming impatient about how long it is taking to move forward following a loss, seeking education about the grieving process can provide some comfort. It’s important to take the time to grieve and to not compare oneself to others.

We in the grieving profession identify ‘healthy and unhealthy grief.’ With healthy grief, the individual will experience a wide range of emotions and feelings over time, but there will be steady and continual movement towards an understanding of a new reality and life without the deceased.

With unhealthy grief, there is an inability to accept a new reality and the griever is fixated on the past. In some instances, this is all they think about, there is a preoccupation with honouring the relationship that was shared with the deceased. This can hinder current relations and can affect interactions at the workplace. Friendships can wane and sometimes those who grieve are unable to continue working. The griever becomes immobilized and isn’t able to see the possibility of a new life and reality.

With healthy grieving, the griever initially spends significant time processing their thoughts about the departed. Over time, their understanding of their loss begins to make sense and the proportion of time spent on this relationship lessens, and there is a shift to new routines and a new life.

For anyone who grieves, it is important to lean into emotions as they surface and to not judge oneself too harshly if there are periods of sadness or if difficulties are experienced. It does take time to adjust and processing emotions is part of the journey. Eventually, there will come a day when one’s grief seems less painful and the memories of a loved one bring a smile and not only tears. The grief we experience never ends, but should soften over time.

In the event someone is unable to cope with their loss and is experiencing ‘unhealthy grieving’ it is recommended to seek professional help.

Margaret Lorrie Beaton, MA, C. Hyp
Bereavement Counsellor

© Whelan Funeral Home/CFHC Online

03/11/2026

National Funeral Directors and Morticians Recognition Day
A Day to Celebrate Compassion and Dedication

Today, we would like to pay tribute to our colleagues across the nation for their devotion to the families they serve, the communities they support and the profession they honour. To be a funeral director is not a job or career, but rather, it is a calling and it is associated with a lifestyle that includes being available whenever needed.

To tend to these duties requires commitment and empathy. The loss of a loved one is a difficult passage for families and making sure they have all the support they need is essential.

Today we honour fellow funeral directors who strive to provide service excellence to those they support. On their behalf, we consider it a privilege to serve you at a time when most needed.

03/06/2026

The Gift of Grief

You will get over your grief
A Gentle Voice Whispered

My darling but what if…
What if I were to tell you that you have death and grief all wrong?
You’ve had it all backwards all along

What if the death of one was rebirth of another?
A portal to discovering an undying love for self
What if all you’re meant to do is find meaning from their leaving?
Grief’s purpose to help you evolve and grow

Yes, grief brings you to your knees
Cracks open your heart
Shatters the world as you knew it
Who says that death brings pain forever or that
You must give up your life also?

Instead…
Let go of your control, let grief wash away all that no longer works
Question beliefs, are they even yours?
Find new ones to fit, to serve you better

Keep your heart open
Don’t close it or build another wall
Though you are safe and others are out
Isolation will foster inner doubt

Release your guilt, blame and shame – they’re not there to punish you
Allow emotions to be brought back into balance
Ask why they are there and what they want
Examine their true cause as they taunt

Guilt helps reset your own moral compass
Blame permits anger and frustration to move out
Shame is the fear of not being connected and the belief you’re not worthy

Take time to remember the good things in your life
Reopen all the memories of the things that you love
Allow them to fill you up with undying love for self
Examine the emotions and feelings you employ
Allow them to turn your grief and pain into joy

Though death is difficult and it can challenge a person’s beliefs
This is the gift and purpose of Grief.

Anne DeButte

03/02/2026

02/25/2026

Making the Decision to Prefund your Funeral

When preplanning a funeral, individuals and families essentially have two choices. Some decide to prearrange only. With this option a folder is created that includes decisions made on the services that are selected. This becomes a working copy of what will be done at the time of death.

Some individuals and families also choose to prefund their funeral in addition to the prearrangements they make. Two benefits of prefunding are: not burdening surviving family members with payment for services and secondly, freezing prices. Services which are prepaid avoid inflation. Funds are placed in trust and earn income over time, offsetting increases in price.

Many families we serve opt to have arrangements paid for in advance. To find out more about prefunding, please contact us.

© Whelan Funeral Home/CFHC Online

02/20/2026

Just Breathe

Sometimes individuals experience stress and anxiety when grieving. This can lead to a variety of symptoms including rapid breathing, sweating, fatigue, increased heart rate and difficulty concentrating. Fear and worrying can dominate personal thought patterns and physical ailments can follow.

If experiencing anxiety, firstly take a moment and compose yourself. It’s about redirecting your focus from a state of panic to a state of calmness. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Elongate your back and begin to slow your rate of breathing. If comfortable close your eyes and focus on your surroundings. Listen to the sounds around you. Feel your feet on the floor and your hands beside you. Focus on your breath as you inhale and exhale. Try to breathe deeply from the abdomen. Notice your chest and belly expanding and contracting.

Focus on the here and now, focus on your body as air enters and exits your lungs. Find a place of relaxation and calm. Continue to just breathe until you become comfortable.

If you continue to have anxiety over time consult your physician. They will assess if you need additional support with this condition.

© Whelan Funeral Home/CFHC Online

02/20/2026

MARLAND, Paul Jepson

Paul Jepson Marland, 82, died on February 11th, 2026 surrounded by his loving family. For a man who often quipped that a pyramid should be built in his honour upon his passing, it seems impossible to summarize Paul’s larger than life qualities. He was a raconteur whose tales never failed to delight his audience. Paul was born in England during WWII to parents Jack and Rosalind. In 1957, the family—spearheaded by his father’s imagination of a new life in North America—moved to Canada, eventually settling in Ottawa and making fast friends within the local British expatriate community. Jack, who served in the Merchant Navy, encouraged Paul to enlist in the Canadian Navy, which he did. Destined to become a teacher, Paul studied at Carleton University and Queen’s University, and by 21 he was employed by the Ottawa Board of Education.

In 1969 he married Christine, who became his wife of 56 years. He was a dedicated teacher of English literature at Ashbury College (1964-66) and several Ottawa high schools, including Brookfield (1966-1980, 1997-2000), Woodroffe (1980-89), and Ridgemont (1989-97), often as department head, where he was known for combining a deep awareness of history and English literature with a caustic British wit. It was not uncommon for Paul to run into former students who professed that he was their favourite teacher.

Paul was a master storyteller who effortlessly wove the absurdities of daily life into a cast of characters he carried along in a dramatic arc. He loved to make people laugh, while also asking them both probing and philosophical questions. As a teacher, he enjoyed producing musicals and school plays at Brookfield High School, and had a soft spot for students from other countries to whom he taught English literature. He encouraged curiosity about the world through didactic conversation about life’s (mis)adventures.

Paul enjoyed the theatre, travelling, playing bridge, reading ferociously, long walks, a passion for history, classical music, his many friendships, and taking joy in learning and thinking. He could recount histories of the English monarchs and quote Shakespeare from memory, but also dabbled in gallows humour when the time was right. He had a sense of the absurd and a wry sense of humour. In retirement, his popular lectures, filled with anecdotes and intrigue, at the library in Almonte dealt with such diverse topics as King Richard III, Nicholas II (the last Tsar of Russia), and crime stories. The opposite of a Luddite, Paul kept up to date with technology and was never far from his iPad, where he researched whatever interested him and even tested the ability of AI to create caricatures of his lifelong beloved monarch: Queen Victoria. Paul said that he lived his life according to his own satisfaction. He was the proud father of three children: Alex (Karly Kehoe), Michael (Patricia Cho), Rosemary (Jeffers Lennox), devoted brother of Shareen (Hugh Montgomery), and fond uncle of Jonathan Killin (Kristina Frolova). He delighted in his grandchildren Rooke, Rosalind, Jack, and Emerson.

We will profoundly miss his humour, companionship, and twinkle in his eyes.

The family extends their gratitude to the caring medical professionals at the General and Civic hospitals, and the health care workers who assisted him at home.

A private celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Arrangements entrusted to the Whelan Funeral Home
tel. (613) 233-1488
https://www.whelanfuneralhome.ca/services.html

02/18/2026

From our Friends at Bereaved Families of Ottawa

Join us at Bereaved Families of Ontario – Ottawa Region (BFO Ottawa) for our Support & Share Afternoon, a welcoming space where individuals living with loss can connect, share, and feel supported in community.

This informal gathering offers:
✨ Peer connection
✨ A safe and compassionate space
✨ The opportunity to share (or simply listen)
✨ Understanding from others who truly “get it”

Whether your loss is recent or years ago, you are welcome.

Together, we hold space. Together, we remember. Together, we heal.

Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/yghhk6k

02/16/2026

Amid the grief of losing a loved one, it can be difficult to articulate the impact that person had on your life and…

02/13/2026

HALLS, Rodney

Peacefully at Extendicare Starwood on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 aged 84 years after a brief illness. Loving father to Cathy Slusar (Clinton) and Christa Poirer (Stephan), beloved grandfather to David and Cal Poirier, uncle to Andrew and Michael Vaillant. Predeceased by his mother Rena Koehler Halls, his father Frank Halls, and sister Maureen Vaillant.

Rod and family moved to Ottawa from the Kitchener/Waterloo area in 1979, in order to establish Buns Master Bakery which Rod owned and operated for 30 plus years - garnering the nickname Bunsy.
Rod's love of life was infectious and he was always on the move: supporting the Ottawa Senators (business & personal), golfing at The Rivermead, square dancing, travelling to warmer climates (Vegas), cruising, or to far off ski hills. His social calendar was always full and he especially enjoyed hosting friends making margaritas on Super Bowl Sunday. He will be fondly remembered by his former spouse Marilyn Montminy and all the friends he made along the way.

The family would like to thank the staff at Starwood Long Term Care for their care and support over the past 6 years. Rod expressed daily his appreciation for the nurses and staff who treated him like family. A small family celebration of Rod's life will be held at a later date. As expressions of sympathy, memorial donations can be made to The Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County or a charity of your choice.

Arrangements entrusted to the Whelan Funeral Home
tel. (613) 233-1488
https://www.whelanfuneralhome.ca/services.html

02/12/2026

DEWAR, Barbara Aletha

Peacefully at 87 on January 29, with sister-in-law Louise at her bedside. Beloved daughter of the late Aletha (Jodoin) and Robert Dewar and cherished big sister of the late Graham Dewar. Barbara is survived by her nephews Jason (Amy) and Jonathan (Miriam) and their children, Claire and Thomas and Sophie and Livia, as well as many cousins from the large Jodoin and Dewar extended families.

Barbara was unfailingly generous to family, friends, and coworkers across many decades, retiring from a long civilian career with the RCMP (1957-1992). Special thanks to the caregivers at Royal Ottawa Place.

Donations to the ROH Foundation appreciated. Mass followed by celebration of life on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at Resurrection of Our Lord Church, 1940 Saunderson Drive, at 11am. Interment at Beechwood Cemetery in the Spring.

Arrangements entrusted to the Whelan Funeral Home
tel. (613) 233-1488
https://www.whelanfuneralhome.ca/services.html