Canadian funeral firm sells three funeral homes to non-profit organization

June 24, 2026/Business, Finance, Regulations/

We learned last week from this article in the Peterborough (Ontario) Examiner that the Hendren Funeral Homes have sold their three funeral homes to Opus Tribute Group. According to the article, “Opus Tribute Group is a community governed, not-for-profit organization that has been in existence for more than 175 years starting out as Little Lake Cemetery Company in Peterborough. Opus Tribute Group currently operates Little Lake Cemetery, Highland Park Funeral Centre and Cemetery both in Peterborough, Lakeland Funeral & Cremation Centre in Lindsay and Mill Valley Funeral & Cremation Centre in Millbrook”.

According to the article, Hendren Funeral Homes owner Scott Davidson was intent on finding a local buyer and he found one in the non-profit Opus Tribute Group that started as a cemetery association 175 years ago but has added funeral homes to their operating portfolio over the years.

Here’s what Davidson said about the acquisition and the Opus Tribute Group according to the Examiner article, “I liked what they have done. They were starting to expand a little bit and I knew they had the resources to take on three more funeral homes. Buying one is one thing. Buying three is another. There are a lot of logistics to it.”

James Belk, the President and CEO of Opus Tribute Group made these comments to the publication, “Scott and the staff here have served these communities very well and really aligned with who we are as an organization. . .Scott’s existing team is a great team and we’re honoured to have them join our family. . . When people use us for their services they are making an investment in their community.”

Here is the website of the Opus Tribute Group.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take: When I research stories for Funeral Director Daily I find lots of acquisitions and divestitures taking place. However, it is not an every day occurrence to see the purchasing party being a non-profit entity. When you think about it, many cemeteries in North America are founded as non-profit associations with a governing board so it maybe should happen more often than it does.

I’ve always been aware of the Minnesota Valley Funeral Home, a non-profit, community centered funeral home in New Ulm, Minnesota, — about two hours south of my home community. In my opinion, Minnesota Valley Funeral Home has been the leading establishment in their community. For years, that funeral home has been the only non-profit funeral establishment that I was familiar with. Here is their website.

Lately, however, I’ve became much more aware of the existence of non-profit entities, in not only the cemetery business, but the funeral/cremation business as well. Some have been in existence for a long time, but I also believe that non-profits or Public Benefit Corporations (PBC) that operate with a “mission driven objective” are becoming a growing trend in Death Care.

Here are some interesting Death Care entities that operate outside of the “normal” profit-driven business organization:

Green Willow Funerals (Great Britain) — A “Social Enterprise” whose profits are donated to the Cardiff (1910) YMCA Trust which then supports projects and activities across South Wales.

Better Place Forests — (United States) — Recently converted to a non-profit memorialization company that “Partner(s) with conservation organizations to preserve forests, protect biodiversity, and promote stewardship.”

Catholic Cemeteries and Funeral Homes – “A Ministry of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix” — What started out as cemeteries in the Phoenix area now is an arm of the Catholic Church that, according to their website, “owns and operates” two funeral homes within the confines of cemeteries.

Salvos Funerals — (Australia) — Owned by “The Salvation Army” and operated throughout Australia. According to their website “Salvos Funerals have been helping those most in need. Your decision to use Salvos Funerals will support this valuable work in the community and be a part of a long-lasting legacy of care for others”.

Recompose — (United States) — The original Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) firm operates as a Public Benefit Company (PBC). As part of their mission, Recompose operates a “Community Fund” and offers a “Land Program” “which partners with non-profit conservation groups to use the soil in ecological restoration and rewilding projects”.

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