Park Memorial Funeral Home
Local business legacy spans three generations
Park Memorial Funeral Home has hosted an astonishing range of funeral ceremonies.
Families have said goodbye to their loved ones with funerals that are highly religious and completely atheist. Its chapel has rung with the varied sounds of traditional hymns, chanting, rap music and hard rock.
But while every ceremony hosted is unique, like the life it celebrates, Park Memorial brings the same empathetic professionalism to each one.
“The plan is always to exceed expectations with our service level,” says Kirstie Smolyk, Park Memorial’s vice president. “We treat every deceased and their family with the highest level of respect and compassion. And no matter the family’s request, we aim to ensure they have a good funeral experience.”
That’s not always an easy task. Park Memorial’s staff has developed a talent for dealing with unusual requests to personalize a funeral, like the time they filled the entire garage with Harley Davidson motorcycles for a biker funeral, or when they strung up model airplanes from the ceiling in honour of a pilot. They take pride in accommodating these curveballs and pleasing the family.
More challenging is guiding grieving families, often struggling to come to terms with their loss, through the logistics of planning a funeral. Doing business with people in the grip of strong emotions can require extra special sensitivity, Smolyk admits.
Yet the staff at Park Memorial are talented eggshell walkers. The business has won the Northern Alberta Consumer Choice Award for excellence in funeral service every year since 2010.
Experience also plays a role. Park Memorial recently celebrated its 75th year serving Edmonton. It was founded by Tod Smolyk, Kirstie’s grandfather, opening for business on the day of his wedding.
Tod taught his son Jerry the funeral service business from an early age, eventually passing Park Memorial on to him. Jerry repeated the process for his daughter Kirstie, making Park Memorial a third-generation family business.
It’s a point of pride for Smolyk, as is the difference Park Memorial makes in the lives of families.
“You get to help people in their darkest hour,” she says. “At their worst time, you’re there to help.”