We celebrate life

Every person's life deserves to be celebrated in a unique way. At Bell & Burnaby Funeral Chapel, our imaginative team is skilled at creating one-of-a-kind tributes that celebrate a loved one's passions, personality and individuality. We can find inspiration almost anywhere, whether it's a favourite colour, a cherished photograph or a lifelong hobby.

Did he spend his weekends sailing in Vancouver Harbour? Envision a nautical-themed event with his regatta trophies on display in the chapel and a catered seafood lunch. Did she make the best pasta in Burnaby? How about a catered spaghetti dinner in our reception room? We could even give guests jars of her signature tomato sauce. Of course, if you prefer something more traditional, we're happy to do that too. We are committed to meeting your needs and wishes.

Specializing in Italian Catholic funerals

Burnaby is a diverse city and we are privileged to serve families of all religions, backgrounds and cultures. To better serve the community, our team specializes in providing Italian Catholic services. We’re proud to be a part of our rich Italian neighbourhood, and it’s our honour to be there for those families at the time of need. Our associates are well-versed in providing Catholic funerals and understand all the customs and rituals that make up a traditional Catholic funeral service.

State-of-the-art funeral home facility

Whether you are seeking an intimate ceremony with close family and friends or a large celebration with hundreds of guests, our modern and versatile facility can adapt to meet your needs. The entire building is wheelchair accessible, including our front entrance, rear entrance and elevator. The parking lot has 16 available spaces, but many people park on the residential streets surrounding our buildings.

Located on our main floor, our chapel comfortably seats up to 120 people. The chapel has set pews and a tasteful atmosphere with cream and gold tones. The chapel also has an 80-inch TV monitor to display videos and pictures of your loved one. For Catholic families, we offer a large crucifix as well as kneelers. Many families choose to have the funeral at their church and use our chapel for visitations the evening beforehand. Visitations can be scheduled for family and friends to pay their respects to the family.

We’re also honoured to accommodate other faiths and culture. For example, we can conduct a Buddhist funeral, including the burning rituals associated with a Buddhist funeral ceremony.

Our reception room and casket room

The upper floor of our building has a reception area and casket room. We are also one of the few funeral homes left that still offers a casket room. This room is where families can come and physically view and experience the quality of the caskets and urns while making a selection.

Our reception room can accommodate up to 75 people.

Partners in the community

While we do have a chapel on our grounds, the majority of our families choose to hold funeral services at their churches. We have worked closely with local clergy members to achieve funeral services that follow Catholic customs. Our staff is able to work at any church a family chooses.

Wherever you choose to have the funeral service, our team can make all service arrangements at your place of worship, our funeral home, a cemetery or alternate gathering place.

Cemetery partners and transportation

Bell & Burnaby Funeral Chapel has a close relationship with many cemeteries in the Lower Mainland. We work hand-in-hand with Ocean View Burial Park and Forest Lawn Memorial Park for many of our families. If you’d like to conduct burial services at any particular cemetery, let us know and we’ll assist in coordinating such arrangements.

We are also able to help with transportation of your loved one’s earthly remains to other places in Canada or abroad. Many of our Italian and Croatian families use this important service.

Cremations and West Coast Crematorium

In addition to funeral and memorial services, we also coordinate cremations. We do not have an on-site crematorium, but we work closely with our affiliate, West Coast Crematorium.

If your family chooses a cremation, we can finalize arrangements and coordinate without your ever needing to contact West Coast Crematorium. Our aim is always to handle the logistics, so your family can focus on supporting one another.

For Buddhists or other cultures that would like a cremation viewing, also known as witness cremation, we are able to coordinate. Simply let our staff know.

Obituaries, Book of Memories and print memorials

Our staff can assist with writing obituaries to honour your loved one’s life experiences and social connections. Obituaries are placed on our website for friends and family to read, and we can also assist in publishing obituaries in the newspapers of your choice.

We also offer the Book of Memories, a beautiful, perpetual online memorial where people can build a legacy by sharing treasured photos and memories online.

Additionally, we offer print materials, including memorial folders, prayer cards and memorial books. There are also thank-you cards for you to acknowledge the emotional support received from friends, co-workers and community members.

Professional, compassionate staff

Bell & Burnaby Funeral Chapel is not just any funeral home. With our years of experience and professional, friendly and compassionate staff, we are the first choice for hundreds of Burnaby-area families each year.

We are proud to embrace traditional values, diversity and innovation in honouring the spirit and life of each person we serve.

When you choose Bell & Burnaby Funeral Chapel, we will strive to ensure you get your own funeral director who will stay with you throughout the entire process. This one person will be a familiar face to help your family through every step of the process, from the arrangement to the funeral ceremony. That same funeral director will also be available to assist your family after the services with any follow-up questions or needs you may have.

Trusted funeral provider

We are a member of the Dignity Memorial® network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers, offering compassionate care and personalized service you can trust.

If you believe Bell & Burnaby Funeral Chapel might be able to assist you or your family, please reach out and find out what we can do for you.

History

Burnaby Funeral Directors

On June 1, 1934, John Edward (Ted) Slavin founded Burnaby Funeral Directors. Ted, his wife, May, and his parents, Margaret and John, established North Burnaby’s first funeral home. The original building was purchased from the Royal Canadian Legion and located at 4259 Hastings St. in North Burnaby.

The Slavin family operated the business and became a large part of the newly forming Vancouver Heights area. In 1949, Burnaby Funeral Directors moved across the street to its current location at 4276 Hastings St. This new location would also become the residence for the family.

A family-run business

Ted’s son, Ron, became the Slavin’s third-generation funeral director in 1952. In 1959, Ted’s nephew, Charles Bonner, also joined the business.

In 1982, Ron’s wife, Nancy, assumed the administration role within the funeral home, and Ron’s son, Tony, became the family’s fourth generation funeral director in 1985. Tony’s wife, Roslynn, would later become the co-administrator until her passing in 2006.

Expansion and Bell Funeral Chapel

With expansion in mind, the Slavin Family purchased the business of Bell Funeral Chapel from the Armstrong family in September 2004. They operated Bell Funeral Chapel in East Vancouver for 2 years until the property was sold to make way for a new development.

Merging to become Bell & Burnaby Funeral Chapel

In 2007, Bell Funeral Chapel merged with Burnaby Funeral Directors to become the new Bell & Burnaby Funeral Chapel in North Burnaby.

Renovation

We finished a renovation to our concourse area in 2017. Our concourse is enclosed and directly off the chapel to house our hearse and limousines and allow families to move from the funeral services to limousines or their cars without having to endure the elements.

Treating every family like our own

Bell & Burnaby Funeral Chapel continues the tradition of exceptional service with compassion, dignity and respect. We pride ourselves in offering every family the utmost respect and our full attention. We are a proud member of the Funeral Service Association of BC, Funeral Service Association of Canada and the Better Business Bureau.

We care about Burnaby

At Bell & Burnaby Funeral Chapel, we are always looking for ways to make a positive impact on the Burnaby community.

We support local religious organizations, including Our Lady of Sorrows, Holy Cross, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Helen’s. We regularly volunteer and support at fundraisers for these Catholic churches, such as their events.

We also love participating in Hats Off Day—one of the biggest festivals of Burnaby. For the first Saturday in June, we open our doors to provide cookies, drinks and coffee.

During Christmas time, we hold our Christmas mass where families can hear the name of their loved ones read during a mass. Then, after the mass, we hold a reception for people to gather and share fond memories of their loved ones.