Needham-Jay Funeral Home

11/03/2025

Tour of Our Facilities

Yes, you’ve probably driven by our funeral home many times and you are well acquainted with how our building looks from the outside. On the other hand, unless you’ve been to a service for a family member or friend at our location, it is unlikely that you know what the inside of our facilities looks like.

Over the years we have always strived to meet the needs of our community and we are continually making improvements to our location and the services we offer. An example of this is our use of high-tech video capabilities to provide up to date services to the families we serve.

The overall atmosphere of our funeral home has transitioned over time. Contemporary colours, flooring choices and furnishings all lend to a service which is better suited to meet the needs of today’s families.

If you have been considering using our facilities and services for a family member or yourself, and if you wish to have an in-person tour of our facilities please contact us. We will arrange a convenient time to meet where in private we can show you around. It is always best to call beforehand, just to make sure the building is not being used at that time for a funeral service.

© Needham-Jay Funeral Home/CFHC Online

11/01/2025

Yvette Marie St. Pierre, 69 years, of Petrolia passed away peacefully with family by her side on Friday, October 31, 2025 at Lambton Meadowview Villa in Petrolia. She leaves behind her loving daughter Lindsay Williams and her husband Matt Smale. Yvette was the daughter of the late John and Eva St. P...

View Yvette St. Pierre's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

10/31/2025

The World’s Largest Memorial Statue

The Statue of Unity, located in Gujarat, India was officially unveiled in October, 2018. Standing at 182 meters or 600 feet tall, it is close to double the height of the Statue of Liberty which is 93 meters in height.

Commemorating Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, this memorial took five years to build, cost more than 400 million $US and used over 22 million kilograms of cement. More than 5000 pieces of bronze were assembled in the creation of this tribute.

Patel is recognized as a prominent leader in the movement to make India an independent country. In addition to participating in international negotiations, his efforts were instrumental in unifying 562 regional states to form India. He is nicknamed the Iron Man of India and served as the country’s first Deputy Prime Minister.

The size of this behemoth memorial overshadows its closest competitor, the Spring Temple Buddha, which stands at 153 meters tall. The Statue of Unity is not only a modern-day engineering feat, but also a symbol of national unity and integrity.

© Needham-Jay Funeral Home/CFHC Online

10/30/2025

With hearts full of love and gratitude, we celebrate the life of Gloria Barker, 84, who passed away, surrounded by the loving warmth of her family on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at Bear Creek Terrace, Petrolia. She was a woman whose warmth, kindness, and gentle spirit touched everyone who knew her....

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

10/30/2025

Violet Oliver (nee Beveridge), died peacefully on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at Bear Creek Terrace, Petrolia in her 99th year. Violet was predeceased by her husband Melvin (1986). She was a loved mother to Marion (the late Ron) Thomson, Elaine (Jim) Newport, Randy (the late Darwyn) Oliver, the late...

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

10/30/2025

With hearts full of love and gratitude, we celebrate the life of Gloria Barker, 84, who passed away, surrounded by the loving warmth of her family on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at Bear Creek Terrace, Petrolia. She was a woman whose warmth, kindness, and gentle spirit touched everyone who knew her....

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

10/28/2025

Surrounded by his loving family on Monday, October 20, 2025 at Bluewater Health, Sarnia, John Edson Fleton passed away at the age of 73. Beloved husband to Ila (nee Branson) for 30 years. Loving father and grandfather to Julie (Jason) Boz and their children Grace and Ellen, and Jason Felton, and ste...

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10/27/2025

Kevin Krumholtz, 56 years, of Wyoming died suddenly at his home Sunday, October 26, 2025. Kevin will be missed by his father Jim and partner Audrey, his brothers Dan and Steve (Mary Brooks), and his niece and nephews Grace and P.J. and his great nephew Azrael. Kevin was predeceased by his mother Den...

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

10/27/2025

10/22/2025

Grief can Take a lot of Time and Space in the Mind

Those who grieve sometimes become stuck or caught up in thought patterns. When a person first experiences the loss of a loved one, it is natural for them to frequently think about the deceased. Losing someone close is a major change in life that needs to be addressed both emotionally and intellectually. In the initial stage of grief, there is a lot of thinking that goes on about a beloved and how the loss of this person will affect the life of the bereaved.

Naturally, the brain oscillates between thoughts of the loved one, and thoughts about other people and day-to-day life. Typically, the griever spends more time thinking about the deceased in the early part of their grief journey. This usually lessens over time, with more and more of their focus placed on present day reality. Thoughts concerning the beloved are gradually replaced by attention on the present and future.

Sometimes however, the person becomes stuck. They are preoccupied with their thoughts about their beloved and are unable to shift their attentions away from grief and focus on their new reality.

The effects of being stuck are compounded by the fact that life is so fast paced these days and often the griever doesn’t have sufficient time to come to a full understanding of their loss.

How do you break this cycle?

Part of getting unstuck is allowing time and space to process emotions. There is no proper amount of time to grieve as each relationship is so unique. Those who feel stuck in a grieving pattern may need to venture outside their comfort zone.

Spending time with the living helps break this cycle. It is important to find the courage to do things that were once enjoyed or to try something new that will help to reduce negative thought patterns. This can sometimes be painful at first but should become easier over time.

There is also a need for the griever to overcome any fears they may have about their new reality. This is about the need for the bereaved to make choices about their future. A bereavement group can provide a good environment to discuss feelings with other ‘like-minded’ people.

Spending more time with the living and subsequently less time thinking about the deceased should hopefully facilitate a natural conversion to becoming unstuck. Eventually, emotional episodes will diminish which happens naturally. In rare cases, the bereaved may need to talk with a counsellor to determine if additional underlying feelings are having an impact on their inability to move forward with their grief.

Margaret Lorrie Beaton, MA, C. Hyp
Bereavement Counsellor

© Needham-Jay Funeral Home/CFHC Online

10/21/2025

With his beloved by his side, on Monday, October 20, 2025, at Bluewater Health in Sarnia, Ernest “Ernie” Edward Lynne passed away peacefully at the age of 62.
Ernie was the cherished husband and best friend of Bonita for 22 wonderful years. A father and proud grandfather, he leaves behind his son ...

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10/18/2025

After a short but courageous battle with Glioblastoma, Judy passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her loving family.

Beloved wife of Brian for 51 years. Cherished mother to Brent, and to Erin and her husband Vic. Grandma to Bennett and Cooper, who arrived this year on her birthday—he...

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