Our History

Celebrating life since 1927
A family tradition for four generations, today, the Brome-Missisquoi Funeral Complex is owned by Mathieu Baker, who follows in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, Joseph Dion, his grandfather, Bernard Dion, and his father, Kenneth Baker, who were all thanatologists.
1927: The Early Days
The brothers Ludger and Joseph Dion launched their business careers in Bedford, in 1927, with the purchase of two businesses owned by John William Cockerline, located at 54 rue de la Rivière. While Joseph took charge of the furniture store, Ludger saw to the funeral parlour. With much courage and perseverance, the two brothers learned and perfected their trades by working tirelessly to satisfy the needs of the local population, even introducing an ambulance service.
After Ludger’s death in 1937, Joseph found himself alone at the helm of both businesses. He called on his son Bernard, who was still pursuing his studies, to help—and by 1946, Bernard was president of the company now known as Joseph Dion & fils.


1927: The Early Days
The brothers Ludger and Joseph Dion launched their business careers in Bedford, in 1927, with the purchase of two businesses owned by John William Cockerline, located at 54 rue de la Rivière. While Joseph took charge of the furniture store, Ludger saw to the funeral parlour. With much courage and perseverance, the two brothers learned and perfected their trades by working tirelessly to satisfy the needs of the local population, even introducing an ambulance service.
After Ludger’s death in 1937, Joseph found himself alone at the helm of both businesses. He called on his son Bernard, who was still pursuing his studies, to help—and by 1946, Bernard was president of the company now known as Joseph Dion & fils.

1952: Expansion
The business grew quickly and 1952 marked a turning point in its expansion. The two enterprises separated, and Joseph decided that he would concentrate his efforts on the funeral home. Up to this point, the funeral home was located behind the furniture store and offered only a single visitation room. In 1964, Bernard purchased the property at 215, rue de la Rivière. The former location of the Guthrie & Miller saw assembly factory was then completely renovated by the renowned architect R. Robillard, who won a prize for architecture at Expo 67.
Following these extensive transformations, the new funeral home, now featuring four visitation rooms, was inaugurated. During this time, Bernard’s daughter Monique, an accomplished pianist, was dating Kenneth Baker, an engineer by trade who was greatly influenced by his future father-in-law. In 1980, Bernard passed the torch on to his son-in-law, who most notably oversaw the funeral services of former prime minister Adélard Godbout, in Frelighsburg. Kenneth opted to close the furniture store in 1993 to fully dedicate his efforts to the funeral home. In 2004, after many years spent outside of the province, Monique and Kenneth’s son, Mathieu, returned to Bedford to join and fully invest himself in the family business.


Following these extensive transformations, the new funeral home, now featuring four visitation rooms, was inaugurated. During this time, Bernard’s daughter Monique, an accomplished pianist, was dating Kenneth Baker, an engineer by trade who was greatly influenced by his future father-in-law. In 1980, Bernard passed the torch on to his son-in-law, who most notably oversaw the funeral services of former prime minister Adélard Godbout, in Frelighsburg. Kenneth opted to close the furniture store in 1993 to fully dedicate his efforts to the funeral home. In 2004, after many years spent outside of the province, Monique and Kenneth’s son, Mathieu, returned to Bedford to join and fully invest himself in the family business.

In 2009, Joseph Dion & fils took the opportunity to buy the Funérarium Denis Meunier, which operated for twelve years at 402 rue de la Rivière in Cowansville. Following this acquisition, the company changed its name to the Complexe funéraire Brome-Missisquoi.
Today, the Brome-Missisquoi funeral complex is a significant part of the region’s history and a pioneer in the funeral service sector thanks to our outstanding reputation for discretion, respect and quality services. Mathieu and his team are able to quickly respond to the needs of families with an innate sense of empathy, putting the Complexe funéraire Brome-Missisquoi in a class of its own.
With the inauguration of a new complex in September 2017, we’ve now brought our expertise to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Mathieu has long hoped to reconnect with his city of birth by establishing a funeral complex in the Haut-Richelieu area and he intends to serve the people of this region with the same professionalism for which his family has been recognized for nearly a century.


With the inauguration of a new complex in September 2017, we’ve now brought our expertise to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Mathieu has long hoped to reconnect with his city of birth by establishing a funeral complex in the Haut-Richelieu area and he intends to serve the people of this region with the same professionalism for which his family has been recognized for nearly a century.
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