Our History
The Guenette Funeral Home was founded by Charles Guenette in the early 1930's. He received his Ontario license at the Canadian School of Embalming in Toronto in 1934. Five of Charles's children worked with him, François, Jean-Jacques, Jacqueline, Maurice and Paul, operating funeral homes in Kapuskasing, Hearst, and Timmins as well as a hardware store, a lumber yard and some other small businesses that Charles had established in the area. In the 1950's, Jacqueline and her husband, Jean-Noël, purchased the funeral home in Hearst and began Lafrance Funeral Home. His sons formed a corporation to operate the businesses as Guenette Brothers when their father retired. In 1974 the brothers went their separate ways, with one operating the hardware store, the other the lumber yard, François operating the funeral home in Kapuskasing and Paul operating the funeral home in Timmins.
In 1986, Jules Joly was approached by François to purchase shares of the Kapuskasing funeral home, which he did, and four years later he acquired the balance of the shares to become sole owner. Over the next few years, Jules did extensive renovations to the interior of the building, and built an addition to make the building accessible to all.
Over the years, Guenette Funeral Home has continued to evolve by bringing in new technology, implementing new policies and staying current with families' needs. This is evident in the awards we have received; the Kapuskasing & District Chamber of Commerce awarded the Guenette Funeral Home in 1997 with Business Person of the Year, Jules Joly; in 2003 with Best Business Website; and in 2004 with Best Customer Service, Allain Dandenault. In 2005, the funeral home was the recipient of the Prix Phénix Ontario Nord from the Chambre Économique de l'Ontario for entrepreneurial excellence in French.
In 2015, the funeral home was purchased by Allain Dandenault, whose vision was to not only continue its legacy, but to maintain the standard of services and care provided to the community. With that goal in mind, he undertook extensive renovations to modernize the facility, while preserving its welcoming, comforting atmosphere. A new garage was built, as well as a crematorium, and many updates were made to ensure families felt supported in a space that was both functional and respectful of their needs during times of loss.
Allain served countless families with compassion, professionalism, and heartfelt care —building trust and lasting relationships throughout the community. His dedication helped shape the funeral home into a place where people felt truly supported and understood.
In 2025, after more than 30 years of service, including a decade of ownership, Allain made the decision to retire. The funeral home was then purchased by Patrice Lambert and Karelle Bélanger, who share the same passion of helping families through some of life’s most difficult moments. With a deep respect for the legacy they inherited, Patrice and Karelle are committed to continuing the tradition of excellence while also bringing new energy and ideas to the future of the funeral home.
Their vision includes not only maintaining a high standard of care, as provided by the funeral home for many years, but continuing also to improve and renovate the premises in thoughtful, meaningful ways. With every family they serve, Patrice and Karelle remain focused on compassion, respect, and community — ensuring that the funeral home remains a trusted and comforting place for generations to come.
