Photo supplied.
Bill Shields, pictured right, prepares to hand over the Funeral Home he has operated with wife, Gwen Hogg, for six years to its new owner and operators, pictured from left to right: Senior Funeral Director, Zack Thibaudeau, Funeral Services Manager, James Belk, and Little Lake Cemetery CEO, Mary McGee.
Bill Shields and Gwen Hogg are moving on, passing their thriving funeral home to an established local firm, Little Lake Cemetery Company.
Operating since 1850 as a non-profit and non-denominational organization, Little Lake currently owns and operates two locations- the original Little Lake Cemetery on Haggart St. in Peterborough and the Highland Park location on Bensfort Rd. that opened in 1964.
The new Millbrook location will operated under the name Mill Valley Funeral and Cremation Centre. The change was effective last Friday. The new location will be managed by Senior Funeral Director for Mill Valley Funeral and Cremation Centre is Zack Thibaudeau, who has been working with Little Lake Cemetery Company at the Highland Park Funeral Centre in Peterborough since 2017. He looks forward to serving the Millbrook community while building greater profile within the wider region.
According to Little Lake Cemetery President Mary McGee, acquiring Fallis & Shields was a natural next step to extend the firm’s reach beyond Peterborough proper. The new owners have been working with Fallis & Shields for more than five years, so the parties know each other well, making purchase and sale discussions progress quickly.
With the new ownership comes a wider range of services, including grave sites, memorial wall niches and even monuments. Today’s diverse clientele come with a wider variety of service expectations than in the past. From low-cost alternatives to the full suite of funeral and cremation services that some families prefer, the firm brings a wealth of experience in fulfilling every detail involved with celebrations of life.
Given Little Lake Cemetery’s long track record, Bill Shields sees the new owner as committed to preserving the heritage, community focus and compassion that he and Gwen delivered during the six years they operated the business.
Mill Valley Funeral and Cremation Centre has plans for an Open House to greet the on Wednesday, November 24th between 2:00 – 4:00 pm. KG
