Tompkins Funeral Home

10/27/2025

10/24/2025

Amid the grief of losing a loved one, it can be difficult to articulate the impact that person had on your life and…

10/20/2025

Supporting Those who Grieve, at Their Place of Work

Losing a loved one is never easy, and it can be especially tough when the person grieving is also trying to balance the duties and responsibilities of their job with the emotions they are experiencing.

Firstly, it’s important for managers and leaders in the workplace, to recognize when someone on their team is grieving. Some signs of grief in the workplace include a drop-in productivity or motivation, difficulty concentrating, changes in behaviour i.e., withdrawal or acting out, or physical signs such as fatigue or exhaustion. If someone attends work regularly and starts taking more days off than usual, it could be a sign that they are struggling personally.

Providing compassion and support, demonstrates that a safe environment is available to those who are grieving. When supervisors show empathy toward a person who is experiencing loss, this helps them understand that they are not alone in the workplace. Discussing with them what they may need will create an environment of trust, with long term benefits for all parties.

Depending on how difficult the grieving process is for the bereft, additional time off to help process their grief may be necessary. Providing flexible working hours if needed, to attend necessary appointments may also be helpful.

If those who grieve are comfortable talking with colleagues this may help them better process their loss. Just knowing that they have people around them who care can help lessen the burden of grief. Everyone grieves differently, so some will be more open to this idea than others.

Long term, it’s important for those grieving to feel that they still belong as part of the team, even if they may be struggling with their own emotions at times. Supervisors need to be patient if someone grieving appears overwhelmed by tasks. Remind them that they have additional support if needed and let them know their contributions are valuable. Equally important is recognizing other team members who may be picking up additional work in support of their colleague.

Grieving is never easy but with some empathy and understanding from supervisors and colleagues, grievers can and will want to remain part of the team. When we create environments where grieving employees feel supported, our workplaces are stronger and everybody feels valued regardless of personal situations outside their work life!

Anne DeButte
Grief Coach and Podcaster
“Let’s Talk About Grief with Anne”

© Tompkins Funeral Home/CFHC Online

10/16/2025

Throwback Thursday: Did you Know?

In the mid 1900s, in smaller towns funeral directors often provided ambulance services. This was true for Gananoque… and Tompkins Funeral Home, at one time, offered this service. Here is an ad that we ran, circa 1960. As I look back on this, it’s interesting to see how straight-forward our messaging used to be.

Times have changed and though we are no longer have an ambulance, we continue to care for many in our community in many ways, at their time of need.

Dave Tompkins
Managing Funeral Director and Owner

10/15/2025

View Matt James Mallen's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

10/13/2025

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is the perfect day to express our attitude of gratitude. Let’s put any worries on the backburner and enjoy the companionship of those who are part of our inner circle. Though sometimes in our lives we face challenges, there are many, many things to be thankful for.

We hope you have an enjoyable day, spending special moments with loved ones. From all of us at Tompkins Funeral Home, we wish you a day filled with peace and happiness.

10/07/2025

Cremation Interment Options

Today we will explore four cemetery cremation interment options.

1. Urn Garden. With this option, the urn or urns are interred in the ground. A small hole is dug and each location will typically accommodate one or two urns. Memorialization is usually achieved with a flat marker.
2. Columbarium Niche. This is above ground placement of an urn or two urns into a wall. Each niche location has a ‘compartment’ behind the surface of the wall where urns are placed. Memorialization is achieved in various ways depending on the location. Niches are constructed with granite for outdoors locations and marble or glass faced for indoor locations.
3. Interment in a Family Plot. If space permits, graves in a family plot can also accommodate urns. There are regulations that need to be abided by when choosing this option. Permissions to use a family plot for interment and memorialization may be required. Sometimes there is room for an inscription on the existing monument, alternatively, sometimes an additional marker is needed for memorialization.
4. Family plot for urns. With this option, a new burial plot that will accommodate more than two urns is purchased. Perhaps it allows for the placement of an upright monument. This location can be used to inter a number of urns and memorialize all family members on the upright headstone.

Please note that each and every cemetery provides different options to the communities they serve. Checking with them to see what options are available is the place to start.

© Tompkins Funeral Home/CFHC Online

10/06/2025

View Richard Kenneth Allen's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

10/01/2025

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

10/01/2025

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

With origins dating back to 1985, the objective of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to bring awareness to this disease, to promote screening and to foster prevention of breast cancer. Early detection is essential to receiving timely treatment. Healthy lifestyle choices are also a factor in preventing this disease.

Some facts:
Estimates from the Canadian Cancer Society:
• Approximately 28,600 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, or about 25% of all new cancer cases for women.
• Approximately 5,500 Canadian women will die from breast cancer in Canada, or about 14% of all cancer deaths in women.
• Also, about 1 in 8 Canadian women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime and 1 in 34 will die from it.

To learn more: https://cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-types/breast/statistics
To donate: https://cancer.ca/en/ways-to-give/breast-cancer-awareness-month

© Tompkins Funeral Home/CFHC Online

09/24/2025

View Merna Ruth Price's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

09/24/2025

Have you given any thought to planning your funeral?

If you have ever pondered what is involved with making funeral arrangements in advance, we recommend setting up a meeting with one of our directors where, in private, we can present to you the choices that today’s families have.

Generally, a meeting will last between 30 to 60 minutes. At this time, we will explain options, we provide details on different scenarios and we provide pricing based on the decisions you make. We’ll show you what works well and help you arrive at decisions that meet the specific needs of your family. We can also view our facilities and explain how they fit into the overall arrangement plan.

It starts with a call. If you wish to receive information on funeral planning, please contact us.

© Tompkins Funeral Home/CFHC Online