“Service is what makes us grow,” says Douglas Porter, President of Ontario’s largest independent firm of Funeral Directors. And growing is what Turner & Porter has been doing since its establishment in 1874, during which time six generations of the Porter family have recorded more than a century of uninterrupted service to the community.
In 1870, Frederick William Turner emigrated from England to Canada in his fortieth year. The young Turner apprenticed as a house painter at the age of 14. But shortly after his marriage some eight years later, he joined a London firm of undertakers, subsequently spending 13 years as a supervisor before sailing to Canada. The Toronto of 1870 that Frederick Turner discovered was a far cry from the bustling city that welcomes today’s immigrant. Its population was a scant 50,000 and, indeed, fewer than four decades had passed since the capital of Upper Canada had been officially known as the town of York. An opportunity came to Mr. Turner as he secured a job with Luke Sharpe, who carried on business as an undertaker at 9 and 11 Queen Street West. The operation was located immediately next to the famous Knox Church, the present site of The Hudson’s Bay Company.
Four years after he was hired, he bought the business and operated it with a newly acquired son-in-law, Joseph Crossman Lealman, under the name of Turner & Lealman. Following his son-in-law’s death in 1878 and his daughter’s subsequent remarriage, Frederick Turner was joined in business in 1881 by his new son-in-law, Thomas Porter, the great-grandfather of the President of the Company today, Doug Porter.
When Frederick Turner died at the end of the nineteenth century, Thomas Porter assumed full control of the business, and its destiny has been guided by successive generations of Porters ever since. Thomas’ son, Fred W. Porter, succeeded his father on the latter’s death in 1927. In turn, Fred Porter’s son, F. Ray Porter, joined the family business in 1934. Ray Porter was to have a historic influence upon the destiny of Turner & Porter, for he ushered it into a new era, overseeing the expansion and setting a level of professionalism that was to distinguish Turner & Porter going forward. Even today, Ray Porter is spoken of with enduring respect within the profession and among all who knew him. Upon his death in 1965, two of his sons, Doug and Rick, followed their father’s footsteps into the business. When Rick died in 1984, Doug Porter became President and sole owner of the Company.
Today, Turner & Porter serves families annually from four western GTA locations, making it the largest company of its kind in Ontario. In 1957, the Yorke Chapel was purchased at 2357 Bloor Street West, in Bloor West Village, West Toronto. Ten years later, Peel Chapel, was built in Mississauga, to the personal specifications of Ray Porter. In 1988, the Butler Chapel in Islington Village was acquired; and in 2008, the Neweduk Funeral Home – Mississauga Chapel in Mississauga was brought under the Turner & Porter banner. While the company’s growth has been impressive, it has been growth with a difference, prompted more by the Porter family’s long tradition of providing service to a growing community than by a desire to grow for growth’s sake. “In the 1950s,” explains Doug Porter, “my father found that many of the families he was serving in Parkdale were moving westward. Our purchase of Yorke Chapel on Bloor Street was intended to provide them with a convenient funeral home. Similarly, Peel Chapel was established to service the growth of families we have come to know on Bloor Street who were moving west to Mississauga.”
While each of Turner & Porter’s meticulously maintained locations differs in detail, they share many common characteristics. Private family rooms and lounge facilities are also provided. Each location has its own chapel with adjoining family room. The term “funeral home” has a special significance for Doug Porter. “We never forget”, he says, “that we are, literally providing a temporary home for the families we serve, and we spare no effort to provide a home environment.”
In 2015, we opened "Pet Cremations by Turner & Porter" extending our services to ALL family members. "It has been truly amazing and humbling at the response we've received from our community," says Jeffrey Porter, Vice President (6th generation). Eventhough 'Pet Cremations' is operated separately from the funeral homes, you can expect the same care and service as you would receive at the funeral homes.
Contact Turner and Porter Funeral directors in West Toronto for your funeral services.
