Funeral Director/Manager
Born in England in 1962, Andrew’s family
came to Canada in 1970. They made their first home in Grande Cache, but moved
to Edson in 1973. His first relationship with Foothills Memorial Chapel was
when he was 19 years old. He serviced
cars and did general maintenance in and around the building. Soon he was asked
to make his first transfer from the hospital and he never looked back. In 1993
he was hired as a full time employee, shortly after he received his Funeral
Directors License. He moved to Trochu in 1997 to take over Prairie Winds
Funeral Home which he shortly after purchased and successfully owned until
2015. In quiet times, he would still
travel to Edson to help out at the Foothills Memorial Chapel, Edson Funeral
Home throughout this time. After the sale of his own Funeral Home in Trochu his
stays in Edson became longer. When the Caring Group purchased the Funeral Home
he was asked to join the team on a full time basis and moved back to Edson. He
takes pride in caring for each family at a time making sure their needs are
met.
Pre Arrangement Advisor / Office Administrator
Born
and raised in Germany, Kirsten came to Edson in 1982 to start a family. In 1998
she moved to Entwistle, Alberta where she started working for Servus Credit
Union in 2001. In 2002 she moved to Drayton Valley and continued working for
Servus Credit Union until 2016. That summer she decided to move back home to
Edson, where she started working as Funeral Attendant/ Office assistant at the
Foothills Memorial Chapel. Kirsten recently received her certification as a Pre Need Advisor. Kirsten enjoys the variety of duties in both
settings, especially when being able to assist families through a difficult
time. She is looking forward to finding out about different paths in this
industry and looks forward to serving your family.
Funeral Attendant
Brandi was born in Watson,
Saskatchewan, but raised in the small secluded northern community of La Ronge,
Saskatchewan. She moved out to Edson, Alberta at the age of 18 and had a few
career changes over the years but always found herself the happiest in health
care and working closely with the elderly. In her free time, you’ll most likely
find her with her two children and, if it’s summer and the sun is shining,
there’s a good chance there’s friends and fishing rods involved. Brandi is recently
new at the Edson Funeral Home and has enjoyed everything she has learned about
the funeral service business so far. She is excited to soon be attending school
and working towards becoming a Funeral Director and working closely with all the
families.
Funeral Attendant
John was born in Gravenhage, Holland,
due to his parents being stationed there while in the British armed forces.
The family moved from England to Canada in 1970, living in Grande Cache.
The family then spent a short time in Fox Creek, and then moving to
Edson in 1973, where he has remained ever since.
John then spent time in the Edson Army cadets as a cadet and eventually becoming
a cadet instructor.
After graduating from PCHS class in
1978, he went to work at the Coal Valley Mine from 1978 to 2013.
John married and had two children, a boy, and a girl, and became a Canadian
citizen in 1984.
He is also member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Joe Wynn Branch # 51.
John started as a Funeral Attendant and Transfer Driver with The Edson
Funeral Home 2018.
During his time off he enjoys swimming and taking walks,
But most of all he loves to spend time with his four grand kids.
Funeral Attendant
John was born and raised in Edson. He enjoys being a part of the community. John started working with Foothills Memorial Funeral Home in 2017 as Funeral Attendant he enjoys being there for families in their time of need on a part time basis.
The history of funeral service in Edson and area dates back to 1913 when a flu epidemic swept the area. The local hospital hired a townsperson to bury the victims of the epidemic.
More formally, The Edson Funeral Parlor started business in the years that followed and was known by that name until Liberty and Anne Joy purchased the business from the local owner. The business was then known as, The Edson Funeral Home. In about 1955, Liberty and Anne Joy partnered with Connelly-McKinley Funeral Home of Edmonton and operated as Connelly-McKinley Edson Funeral Home until 1978. In 1978, Anne Joy died and Liberty Joy dissolved the partnership with Connelly-McKinley.
Edson Funeral Home (The Foothills Memorial Chapel), as it is now known, opened for business on January 1st, 1979 with Robert and Marilynn Joy.
Liberty Joy died in 1981 after serving Edson and area for more than thirty years in the funeral business.