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Local History

Oliver’s Funeral Home – 109 years of Service

Sep 4, 2024 | 8:53 AM

Oliver’s Funeral Home has been serving the Peace Country since 1915. Through it all, the funeral home has remained an independently owned and operated funeral service company dedicated to caring for the families of the Peace Country.

JB Oliver arrived in Grande Prairie in 1914. By 1915, he had started the Peace Country’s first funeral home. Prior to the start of the JB Oliver Funeral Home, Edmonton had the closest funeral home. Services were occasionally paid for with chickens, garden produce, pork, or labour.

In 1923, Oliver built a shop on 100th Ave & 100th St in downtown Grande Prairie. Both the Funeral Home and Furniture store operated from this location. In 1929, Oliver started the area’s first ambulance service, driving patients to the Grande Prairie Municipal Hospital. Oliver’s Funeral Home continued to operate the ambulance until 1973 when the hospital took it over.

In 1951, Oliver built a new building at 10130 101 Ave, separating the funeral home and the furniture store. This building is still standing and is now the GP Shorinryu Karate Club.

In 1970. The funeral home was moved to a new building on 102 St.

In 1994 the Grande Prairie Funeral Chapel opened as a second location, and in 2000 the two locations merged as Oliver’s Grande Prairie Funeral Chapel. In 2015, as the funeral home marked its 100th anniversary, the name was changed to Oliver’s Funeral Home.

Recent years have seen renovations and updates to the current building, as Oliver’s adapts to the changing needs and wants of the community.

For over 100 years, Oliver’s Funeral Home has helped families design memorial celebrations that uniquely honour and reflect their loved one’s life. To learn more about our history, visit https://www.oliversfuneralhome.com/about/our-heritage/.

Written by Oliver’s Funeral Home
780-532-2929

info@oliversfuneralhome.com
www.oliversfuneralhome.com