Riverside Funeral Home welcomes new funeral director

Janet Fotheringham is the newest funeral director at Riverside Funeral Home and Cremation Centre in Lindsay.

From a young age, she would often tell people that she was going to be a mortician one day. However, at the time the industry was very male dominated so she felt it wouldn’t happen.

In her early 20s, Fotheringham worked as a birth doula. In that role she also supported families who experienced infant loss. From there she became a death doula, helping individuals and their families through the dying process.

“To walk with families from life’s first breath to its final farewell is not just my work, it is my calling. I believe every life deserves to be honoured with presence, compassion, and a farewell as meaningful as life itself,” Fotheringham said.

Wanting to support families even more throughout their time of grief, she began the transition into the funeral service industry. Fotheringham has recently graduated from Humber College’s funeral director program where she obtained her class one license.

Being a class one director, she is there for every step of the process from transportation, to prepping the deceased for a casket funeral if they aren’t being cremated, to filling out paperwork for the city. She is also there to support the family and discuss with them all the details of a service.

The day of the funeral she’s there with the family making sure everything runs smoothly. “I don’t want a family to walk in and have to ask, ‘can you please move this,’” she said.

Fotheringham is also a non-denominational minister which allows her to be able to offer personalized ceremonies that honour someone’s beliefs, values and life story. It’s very humbling to her to be able to help a family when they’re in a very vulnerable and emotional position. “It’s always family first for me.”

In her work, she’s seen firsthand how overwhelming these moments can be for families. That experience has shaped her belief that thoughtful preparation can ease some of that emotional weight.

Fotheringham highly encourages people to start thinking about planning about what they want after their death. “It is nice for family that you leave behind to know your wishes,” she said. It’s also one less thing for family members to have to worry about after a loved one has died.

Having your wishes laid out can also prevent family members from having arguments about what the deceased would have wanted. While she’s just started her time at Riverside, Fotheringham has enjoyed getting to know the area and loves how beautiful the grounds are. She looks forward to serving families in Kawartha Lakes with compassion, dignity and care.