Choose your funeral home
with confidence

At your difficult time, it's important to know that the firm you are choosing represents the highest of standards and professionalism. By the very nature of their association with ODFSA, they have shown their deep compassion towards attaining the highest standards for their families and communities. Their constant dedication to keeping themselves up to date on all of the latest legislative, consumer protection, advanced learning and caring practices is why you can choose an ODFSA Member firm with confidence.

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Strength in Membership

The strength in membership comes in the form of strength in numbers. ODFSA represents a coalition of professional family owned funeral homes who believe that a solid future for funeral service is based on the collective insight and dedication from caring professionals. This unified voice helps to shape and provide the professional standards that families and communities count on in their time of need.

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Embalming

Embalming and or some type of preservation, has been recorded in history as far back as the Egyptians. Back in those days, only the wealthy were embalmed or mummified, as it was known then. And history has shown that the Egyptian mummies were well preserved for thousands of years. Over the years the procedure has changed many times to what we now know as modern day embalming.

Why Do We Embalm?

We use embalming today for two primary reasons--to allow adequate time between death and burial to observe social customs such as visitations and funeral services, and to prevent the spread of infection. Cosmetic work is often used for aesthetic reasons.

 Embalming is primarily done to disinfect and preserve the remains. Disinfection is important for all who have to handle the remains, and for the public safety of our communities. In the years gone by, deaths due to Typhoid Fever, Malaria and other highly contagious diseases, put funeral directors and others who came into contact with the remains at a very high risk of contracting the same disease. Secondly, it has been a tradition to have a period of visitation of the remains. This is known as the wake or calling hours. Friends and family gather to view the remains and pay tribute to a family member or friend that has died. We gather to console the family on their loss, and to express sympathy to them. Without embalming, most remains become un-viewable within a short time. There are constant changes going on chemically and physically within the remains that change the looks and other qualities that we are accustomed to seeing. Embalming acts as a hindrance to this, and gives us the time needed to pay respect and express our sympathies.

C/O Capital Funeral Home & Cemetery, 3700 Prince of Wales Drive | Ottawa, ON K2C 3H2 | Phone: | Fax: | Email: odfsaexecutiveboard@gmail.com