Jack Lumbard was born in Carnduff, Saskatchewan and his family moved to a farm in the Zion-Forrest District just north of Brandon when Jack was quite young. He was educated at the Brandon Collegiate Institute on 6th Street, where he met his bride-to-be, Joyce Hart. Jack and Joyce were married in 1957 at St. Matthew’s Anglican Cathedral in Brandon. In 1959, the couple moved to Wilkie, Saskatchewan where Jack apprenticed to become a funeral director under his uncle, Bill Reid. In 1962, Jack joined Jack Donovan at Brockie Donovan Funeral Home in Brandon. After many years of hard work, in 1975, Jack and Joyce purchased the funeral home from Jack and Mary Donovan. Since his retirement in 1995, Jack keeps himself busy cooking and staying up to date with the many interests of his children (Todd, Wade, and Becky) and grandchildren. Joyce Lumbard was born Joyce Hart and grew up in Brandon. She completed her normal school at Brandon Collegiate Institute on 6th Street and went on to train as a teacher at Brandon College. After teaching at Fleming school, she moved with her husband, Jack, to Wilkie, Saskatchewan and continued her teaching career. Jack and Joyce relocated to Brandon in 1962 when Jack joined Brockie Donovan Funeral Home. A son, Todd, was born in 1963, followed by Wade, in 1965 and daughter, Rebecca, in 1969. Joyce always enjoyed staying home with her children when they were young, and she worked at the funeral home with Jack as the years passed. Today, Joyce continues to be involved in several community projects with Brockie Donovan. She is past Chairperson of the Brandon Regional Health Authority Foundation board of directors and is currently active as Chairperson of Hobbs Manor. Joyce also remains very busy with her children and her six grandchildren. Wade Lumbard was born and raised in Brandon, Manitoba. After completing a Bachelor of Science degree at Brandon University, Wade became a Chartered Accountant, working with Deloitte & Touche in Winnipeg. Wade joined his father, Jack and brother, Todd at Brockie Donovan in 1995 and in 2001 became a licensed Funeral Director. In 2003, Wade became a partner with Todd and is now the President of the company. Wade is an avid volunteer with various charities in the city, and he and his family are parishioners at St. Augustine's Roman Catholic Church. He and his wife Kelly have two sons, Holden and Jackson. Kelly Lumbard was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario and moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1986 to train with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Professional Division, after training with the National Ballet School in Toronto for several years. After retiring she met her husband Wade Lumbard, and moved to Brandon in 1995. Kelly organizes community events such as the Brockie Donovan Tree of Memories, our Gossip in the Graveyard Fundraising tours, and other such community events. She teaches ballet and is the Director of the Brandon School of Dance and volunteers for various community organizations and charities. Kelly is a Team Leader for the “Look Good Feel Better Helping Women With Cancer” program. The family attends St. Augustine’s Roman Catholic Church and Kelly is a member of the Catholic Women’s League. Kelly and Wade have two children, Holden and Jack. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Ken moved to Regina, Saskatchewan at an early age where he was raised and educated. His career as a professional began with the former Helmsing Funeral Chapel in Regina. In 1994, Ken was awarded his designation as a professional Licensed Funeral Director / Embalmer and received the Ethics Award from the University of Saskatchewan. In 2007, Ken joined Speers Funeral Chapel in Regina. This proved to be a very positive introduction to working with an independent, family-owned funeral home. In August of 2011, Ken accepted the position of General Manager with Brockie Donovan Funeral and Cremation Services in Brandon, Manitoba, continuing to work with the Lumbard family. Ken's compassion and sincere kindness towards the families he serves makes him a wonderful addition to the Brockie Donovan team. Ken and his wife Colleen have 3 children: Jordan, Dallas and Krystal. He attends McDiarmid Drive Alliance Church. Ken enjoys traveling, home renovations, landscaping and, most of all, spending time with his family and friends. John "Sonny" Moroz was born in Dauphin, Manitoba, the oldest of three boys. He attended school in Dauphin and college in Notre Dame, Saskatchewan. While he was attending high school, Sonny enjoyed playing football, rugby, speed skating and hockey. He also enjoyed Ukrainian dancing and singing with the Notre Dame Canadians. He furthered his education by apprenticing at the Western School of Funeral Service. Sonny became a licensed funeral director while at Brockie Donovan between 1984 and 1988. He held Senior Funeral Director positions in Calgary and Kamloops before returning to become Managing Director at Brockie Donovan in 1998. As of September 2000, Sonny became a Director on the Manitoba Funeral Service Association, serving as co-director of government affairs and on-going education. Sonny is married to wife Shirley and has a son, Brayden, and daughter, Avril. Hunting, fishing and enjoying the great outdoors are a just a few of Sonny’s passions. Lisa Hammond was born and raised in Brandon, Manitoba. She graduated from Crocus Plains Regional Secondary High School and enrolled in the R.N. Diploma Program at the Brandon General Hospital. Lisa graduated with honors in 1992. She began working as Office Administrator for Brockie Donovan in September 1995. Lisa loves working with the families she serves. She believes that personalization and special attention to detail add so much value to the funeral service. She is also in charge of producing the touching video tributes that add a whole new dimension to the funeral experience. Lisa is married to husband, Dean, and they have two sons, Benjamin and Matthew. Together, the family enjoys camping, canoeing and fishing. Brittany Smith was born and raised in Brandon, MB. She graduated with Honors from Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School in 2003 with a double diploma in Commercial Art. After graduation, Brittany enrolled in Media Production at ACC and graduated in 2006 specializing in Video/Audio and Multimedia. She then worked at various film/media companies in Winnipeg as an editor. In 2009, she decided to leave the media industry and enrolled at Humber College in Toronto to pursue a new career in Funeral Service. Since completion of her first year, she has returned to Brandon and has received her Funeral Director and Embalming License from the Canadian College of Funeral Service. Brittany firmly believes in the value of the visitation and funeral service. Her caring, gentle nature and attention to detail make her a valuable asset to our team. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, travelling and working out at the gym. Bianca Vergunst was born and raised in the Netherlands and immigrated to Brandon, MB in 2009. She graduated from High School with specialization in Commerce, and College with specialization in Freight Transport. Bianca graduated with University level programs in International Planning and as a Human Resources Officer. After volunteering in palliative care in the Netherlands for over 3 years, she continues this passion at the Brandon Regional Health Centre. Starting in September 2010, Bianca is eager to apprentice at the Canadian College of Funeral Service to become a licensed funeral director/embalmer. She really enjoys working with families and is looking forward to helping them arrange the perfect farewell for their loved one. Bianca is married to husband Rudy and she has two wonderful stepdaughters Shirley and Ashley and a Sheltie named Loïs. Her biggest passion is travelling and she also enjoys nature in her spare time. Ashley Fordyce was born and raised in Brandon, Manitoba. She graduated with honors from Robertson College where she received certification as a Health Unit Clerk. She also obtained a certificate for Clinical Procedures for Medical Office Assistants from the Academy of Learning. Ashley began working for Brockie Donovan in December 2010 as an Administrative Assistant. Her friendly personality and compassionate manner make her a valuable asset to the Brockie Donovan team. Ashley is truly an animal lover, and she enjoys spending her days with her two cats, Oliver and Zoe and her chocolate lab named Charlie. Bruce was born in Hamiota, Manitoba and grew up on the family farm south of Cardale, Manitoba. He attended Brandon University and received a degree in Education. Bruce started teaching in 1972 and has spent 34 years in the education field - the last 22 years as Principal of Forrest Elementary School. He is married to wife Vicki and they have one son, Mitchell and one daughter, Erin. Bruce has been a volunteer coach for over 35 years in hockey, baseball, fastball, volleyball and basketball. Ralph was born and raised in the Brandon area and went to school at Powerville and then Forrest High School. He married Beverley (Anderson) in 1961 and began farming until 1971. After farming, Ralph worked for Agriculture Canada until 1996. Ralph and Bev have one son Darren (Shannon), one daughter Brenda (Neil Cristall) and three grandchildren. After a move to Brandon, Ralph began working for Brockie Donovan as a Funeral Attendant in 2003. In his leisure time, Ralph enjoys helping out on his son’s farm, attending auctions and volunteering at the Brandon Regional Health Centre. Lawrence was born in Winnipeg but has resided in Brandon since 1974. He practiced Law for 30 years as a Crown Attorney with the Province of Manitoba. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1998. In addition to B.A. and LLB degrees he also holds a Certificate in Administration Studies from Assiniboine Community College and a Certificate in Religious Studies from the University of Winnipeg. He has taken numerous courses at the Calling Lakes Centre in Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan. He is a licensed Lay Worship Leader with the United Church and has been a member of Central United Church for many years having served on many committees. He is active in the Masonic Fraternity and has served on many community oriented boards including The Brandon General Hospital, The Westman Lab, Big Brothers of Brandon and Big Brothers of Canada, The Law Society of Manitoba and The College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Manitoba. He took his training to become a Certified Funeral Celebrant with the In-Sight Institute in May of 2007. Lawrence is married to Kim Lewarne and has two children Shannon and Sean. In his spare time he likes to do odd jobs around his home which is affectionately known as the money pit, make wine, cook and do stained glass work. Jamie was born and raised in Brandon where he attended both school and university. Jamie completed his Celebrant training in 2010 and finds the work he does as a Celebrant very rewarding as he helps his families start their journey through grief. When Jamie is not helping families as a Celebrant, he works with families in the social services field. Jamie has previous volunteer experience at the Brandon Regional Health Centre with the Spiritual Care Department as a Spiritual Care Associate/Chaplain. He and his wife, Kerry have a son, Casey, who keeps them on the go with hockey, karate and all kinds of other activities. Jamie is a life long Wheat King fan and is slowly converting his wife and son into fans as well; Blue Bombers are next on the list. He is also an avid fan and spectator of Westman High School rugby and Brandon rugby clubs. Jamie attends and supports First Presbyterian Church. He enjoys reading about theology, religion, pastoral care and biographies when the opportunities are available. Jamie is continuing studies to work towards a Masters Degree in Divinity and future ordination into ministry.