Albert County Funeral Home

Albert County Funeral Home is celebrating 90 years in business this year! Founded in 1921, this family-owned business has spanned the greater part of one of the most exciting centuries in history. The past nine decades has seen this enterprise move forward from the era of the horse-driven hearse to embrace huge progress in the funeral industry, including the establishment of online condolences through their website at http://www.albertcountyfh.com/. What has remained a constant through the many years Albert County Funeral Home has seen in business is the presence of the Bishop family and their abiding commitment "to be of help to grieving families in a difficult time."

Located at 4130, 114 Hopewell Cape, Albert County Funeral Home serves a wide area of communities from Hillsborough to Alma. It is a full-service establishment offering funeral services onsite at their own facility, at local churches, and even at the home of the deceased if requested. Also offering cremation services and pre-planned funeral arrangements, Albert County Funeral Home is a valued member of the Funeral Association of New Brunswick, embracing all the policies and programs as laid down by the Association.

Albert County Funeral Home facilities are housed in a home-like setting which is a refreshing departure from the sometimes impersonal and institutional atmosphere of some funeral homes. Recently renovated and refurbished, the funeral home overlooks the panorama vistas of Hopewell Cape. A wide, furnished verandah offers a welcome retreat in warm weather for quiet contemplation, and a step into the ample kitchen and reception area with plenty of wrap-around seating offers a place to mingle and partake of refreshments. The only funeral home in the Greater Moncton and Surrounding Areas to have a special children’s play area, it’s the perfect spot to keep children attending the funeral of a loved one entertained while being a part of the celebration of a loved one’s life.

A serene visitation room with plush seating is just off a consultation room which leads to one of the finest onsite chapels in the vicinity. Built by Audbur Bishop with the help of the community, its 135-person capacity can be augmented by an adjacent room with stackable chairs to absorb any overflow of attendees. An HD widescreen TV is mounted in the chapel for video presentations of the deceased’s life, and a speaker system throughout the building ensures that everyone can take part in the service. Lovely wooden beams accent a vaulted ceiling and handworked, wooden posts date from the Tuttle family’s involvement in making caskets almost 100 years ago. Elegant, antique, wooden, newly upholstered pews were purchased from a local church, and, in fact, antique accents throughout the funeral home add an air of a bygone era to the ambiance. The chapel’s podium came from the Point Wolfe United Church at Fundy Park, another podium in the consultation room came from Hopewell Cape Baptist Church, and two lovely chairs came from Caledonia Mountain Baptist Church. A lower level preparation room, a casket selection room, and offices at the top level complete this handsome facility which overlooks some of the most scenic views at Hopewell Cape. Albert County Funeral Home is an Agent for Classic Memorials. Visit their website to link to this monument company.

Albert County Funeral Home is presently served by Funeral Director Lisa (Bishop) Henderson who, together with her husband Sean, twin sister Lana (Bishop) Duffy, father Audbur who is still a licensed Funeral director, and mother Faye, form the all-family member team that staffs the funeral home. All are members of the Bishop family that purchased the business from previous owner Whitney Calhoun in 1921. This family has roots that run deeply into the local community, having gained the respect and trust of generations of community residents whom they have helped in their time of grief over the past 90 years. Semi-retired, Funeral Director Audbur Bishop is the person in whom the past and the present come to bear. A gracious and gentle man, his anecdotes, stories, and memories of the history of the region make the story of the Albert County Funeral Home come alive.

According to Audbur Bishop, his grandfather, Edmund Bishop, made caskets and prepared the deceased in those early days at their own homes, placing huge ice blocks under the stand which held the coffin during visitation. Not only did he transport the deceased to the churchyard to be interred using a sled pulled by four black horses, he also dug the grave. Edmund and his wife, Inez, ran the funeral home then known as C. E. Bishop & Son. When Edmund died in 1947, Inez continued to work in the business, joined by son Donald who had apprenticed for his Funeral Director’s license with the Tuttle Funeral Home in Moncton. In 1970, Donald and Inez retired, leaving Audbur who had apprenticed with his father, Donald, to run the business. "I grew up helping my father with every aspect of the business," says Audbur, "so it’s only natural I would gravitate toward it as a career." A move from its original site two miles down the road to its present location, as well as a name change to Albert County Funeral Home Ltd. to avoid confusion with a Fredericton firm of the same name, occurred at this time. Later on, the chapel was built, a double garage added, and a casket selection room and preparation room completed the facilities as it exists today. "The first funeral service held in our chapel was that of a 102-year-old, retired, sea captain whose ship plied the waters off the Fundy coast," says Audbur. In 1988, Lisa, who also grew up helping her father in all aspects of the business, apprenticed with her father, Audbur, also gained her Funeral Director’s license. In the future, Lana’s daughter, Casey, hopes to take the reins at Albert County Funeral Home, thus continuing in the footsteps of her venerable ancestors.

Albert County Funeral Home has seen many changes in the funeral industry throughout its history. There has been a greater interest in cremation services since the 1970's. There has also been a greater awareness amongst their customer base of the importance of pre-arranged funerals, and funerals today have less to do with mourning and more to do with an actual celebration of the deceased’s life and accomplishments. Also, along with an apprenticeship for those entering the funeral industry, courses are also required from either King’s Tech Community College in Nova Scotia or the Canadian College of Funeral Services in Manitoba.

For Albert County Funeral Home, one of its greatest assets has been its involvement in the community. "I’ve grown up amongst many of our customers, so serving their families is easy. I know how Mrs. Smith wore her hair, for example, or how Miss Brown did her makeup, so I can make a good presentation to their families," says Lisa. "Families are our number one priority. We do everything for our families in need, from contacting the minister, arranging ceremonies at the church, flowers, hiring a caterer, and doing all the required paperwork, including Canada Pension forms. I don’t want my families to worry about a thing in their time of grief." It is that personal touch filled with compassion and empathy that has earned Albert County Funeral Home the reputation it enjoys today.

For more information on Albert County Funeral Home, contact them at (506) 734-2780, fax at (506) 734-2260, e-mail at lisa@albertcountyfh.com, and visit their very comprehensive website for photos of their facilities, information on grief counselling, the benefits of planning ahead, what to do in the event of a death, and more. Congratulations to Albert County Funeral Home on achieving 90 years in business with Best Wishes for many more to come!

A Funeral Director's Prayer

Lord, give me the patience needed to serve Everyone as my own;
The wisdom to understand other's feelings;
The knowledge to learn as well as instruct;
The kindness to treat everyone equally at all times;
The strength to endure long hours and hard work;
The desire to serve others as I would my own family;
The humility to accept words of thanks and praise;
The compassion to touch another's soul;
he pride and the right to smile when I have served a family well;
And Lord, most importantly the right to shed an
Honest tear when my heart is touched;
Lord, make me thankful that
I am a Funeral Director

~ Anthony J. Asselta III ~