‘James Reid Funeral Home’s professional and dedicated staff provides compassionate service that helps families heal. Led by the James Reid family since 1854, we are part of the Kingston community.’
For us as a funeral home, being part of the Kingston community means we care for our neighbours when a death occurs. It means that they trust us to do this intimate work. This in turn means that we know our community on a deep level and hold a valued role in their lives.
How did we become part of the Kingston community, and how do we keep our community connection?
In my great-great grandparents’ generation in the mid to late 1800s at our original storefront at 252 Princess Street, community included trading with lumber yards for building coffins, employing men who mucked out stalls for the horses, and running a family of 12 children living off manual work in the basement of a converted tavern.
In the first half of the 1900s, the youngest of those children, my great-grandfather Fred Reid, walked from his home on Clergy to church at St. James on Union and to “the store” on Princess, chatting with everyone, while his wife Ethel volunteered with the V.O.N. Their son James W. Reid served in the army, raced sports cars, and socialized as an ever-more respectable business owner as the funeral home expanded to Counter St in 1973.
In the last fifty years, my father Jim F. Reid joined Jaycees, Rotary, and the Masonic Lodge to name a few community organizations he has enjoyed spending many evenings at. Personal pursuits such as singing in choirs, raising sheep, and working out at the YMCA have led to many other connections. Serving as the Honourary Colonel of 21 Electronic Warfare Division over 13 years brought him rewarding experiences in the military community.
We are a quarter of a century into the 2000s and as I co-manage with Dad, community participation is changing. Global Kingston video ads, blog & Facebook posts, and our monthly Examined Life events connect us to our community through story-telling, sharing about what we know. However, organic community-building continues for me through coaching kids’ sports, serving on Boards, attending church, and chatting while walking Milo the Comfort Dog.
The core of the relationship of businesses to community is its circular interconnectedness. Through my and my family’s involvement in Kingston and area, people have come to know and trust us. Through the funeral home we have come to know our community as we care for them. We are all connected.
Sarah Reid, Co-Manager, James Reid Funeral Home
Article published in the January 2026 issue of the digital magazine We Are Kingston - Read it here!