Our funeral home

Situated across the street from Gage Park, our funeral home is a beautiful, historic building on well-manicured grounds. In fact, we have received the coveted Trillium Award multiple times for our commitment to our landscaping and community beautification. The funeral home has a large chapel that seats up to 100 guests and room for overflow to watch services on a flat-screen television. We also have 2 comfortable visitation rooms, plenty of on-site parking, wheelchair access, a coffee lounge and full reception facilities.

Our compassionate staff

We know losing a loved one is hard, and our experienced staff is here to guide you through planning a funeral or memorial every step of the way. We can help you with everything from a cremation and traditional church funeral and cemetery burial to a modern celebration of life with live music, catering and a farewell that captures the personality of yourself or your loved one. Whatever your or your loved one's wishes, we are here to see that vision fulfilled with flair and expertise. From brass horns to big Harleys, puppies to golf putters, we take the things that mattered to someone and combine them to create a heartfelt celebration like no other.

Community involvement

As engaged members of the Hamilton community, we work closely with Hamilton AIDS Network, Hamilton Wentworth Heritage Association, Wesley Urban Ministries, the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hamilton and other organizations. You will find us at events such as the AIDS Walk, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes (in support of the YWCA) and our very own toy drive.

Your funeral and memorial needs

As a member of the Dignity Memorial® network, the largest provider of funeral, burial, cremation and cemetery services in North America, Truscott, Brown & Dwyer Funeral Chapel gives you not only the warm, familiar attention you expect from a locally operated funeral home, but the value you deserve. We have staff at your service 24 hours a day. Please call us if you need immediate help planning a funeral or would like to talk about planning ahead.

History

The history of Truscott, Brown & Dwyer Funeral Chapel unites the stories of 3 families and spans more than a century.

Dwyer provides funeral services

James Dwyer Undertaker and Embalmer opened for business at 124 James St. N. in 1870, in an era when an undertaker would go to a deceased person's home to prepare the body, then return with a custom-built casket for visitation and a funeral service in the family parlour. In 1908, James Dwyer evolved the business, building a handsome 2-story stone and brick building at 16 Cannon St. E. and opening it as a funeral home. It had a number of visitation rooms and a smoking lounge. When James died at the age of 52, his 2 sons and a son-in-law kept the business going—until 2000, when the funeral home closed and its records were transferred to what is now Truscott, Brown & Dwyer Funeral Chapel.

The Brown brothers open a funeral home

Meanwhile, in 1919, brothers Luis and Gordon Brown opened Brown Bros. Funeral Home in a 3-story brick mansion at the corner of St. Clair Avenue and King Street East. Luis eventually left the partnership. Gordon and his wife, Winnifred, continued to live at and operate the funeral home, along with Winnifred's cousin, who was a licensed embalmer. Along with raising 3 children, in 1926 Winnifred, became the first woman to be licensed as an embalmer in Ontario. In time, Gordon and Winnifred's sons, Irwin and Bertram, would take over their parents' business.

The Truscott brothers get into the funeral business

Around the same time that Luis and Gordon opened their funeral home, J. Gordon Truscott and his brother, Harry, purchased a large brick house at the corner of Barton Street and Birch Avenue. They opened Truscott Bros. Funeral Home in 1920. In 1950, they branched out to the east end of Hamilton (known to locals today as "The Delta") and bought 2 houses that were originally part of the James Gage farm, converting them to our current location at 1309 King St. E.

Serving a legacy of excellence

In 1978, we added a chapel and changed our name to Truscott Brown Brothers Funeral Home Memorial Chapel. When the Dwyer Funeral Home closed in 2000, we changed our name again, to Truscott, Brown & Dwyer Funeral Chapel. We are proud to continue the legacy of the 3 families who worked so hard to build our reputation. We honour the principals of those who came before us and extend integrity, respect, compassion and service beyond expectation to every family who comes into our care, as well as every member of our beloved community.