Humphrey, Newbigging funeral homes to merge

Intense competition in the funeral industry in Toronto is seen in an announcement from the Murray E. Newbigging and the Humphrey Funeral Home that they will merge effective August 15, 2014. A tip-off to a rationalization of the industry in South Bayview was the sale last year of the Newbigging property at 733 Mt. Pleasant Rd. where the Newbigging family has served the community for nearly 65 years. The land obtained a price of $5,500,000. The operations of both companies have also been touched by the emergence of the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery visitation centre in recent years. There is said to have been some hard feeling among traditional funeral directors that a cemetery should move into the funeral service business. The Humphrey Funeral Home — A.W. Miles Chapel — is located at 1403 Bayview Ave. at St. Cuthberts Road and has been in business under the Humphrey name for 135 years. Here is the news release

Humphrey Funeral Home – A.W. Miles Chapel Limited and Murray E. Newbigging Funeral Home today announced the amalgamation of their operations to form Humphrey Funeral Home A.W. Miles – Newbigging Chapel Limited, effective August 15, 2014. “Major redevelopment on the Newbigging site at 733 Mt. Pleasant Road provided us with the opportunity to merge our firms,” says Paul Newbigging, second generation President of Murray E. Newbigging Funeral Home, “We’ve found the principles, staff, and facilities at Humphrey Funeral Home – A.W. Miles Chapel to be of the highest order. Together, we will continue to serve Toronto’s families for years to come.” Wayne Hamilton, Managing Director at Newbigging’s, and a valued staff member for more than 40 years, will join Humphrey’s as a Director. Paul Newbigging will also join Humphrey Funeral Home as Past President of Newbigging’s in a semi-retired capacity. “This is the finest example of two Toronto families working together into the future, to better serve our community at a responsible cost – and we are pleased to enter into this new chapter of our business with Newbigging’s,” says Bruce T. Humphrey, fourth generation President of Humphrey Funeral Home – A. W. Miles Chapel Limited. Both longstanding family operations, with Humphrey Funeral Home – A.W. Miles Chapel Limited and Murray E. Newbigging Funeral Home having served Toronto families for 135 and 64 years respectively (199 years combined), this historic move will carry their common tradition of family service into the future at 1403 Bayview Avenue (at Davisville Avenue) – the current location of Humphrey Funeral Home