Cremation, Burial and Funeral Services

The day the hospital notified us that my father was being placed in palliative care and that my family needed to start making arrangements for once he passed, I had googled funeral homes in Niagara Falls and stumbled across the website for Essentials. Having never had to go through the process of making such arrangements or even really knowing what I should be doing, I was impressed with both the services Essentials offered as well as the family testimonials I had read on their site. It was not until that night when I had a chance to speak to my mother that we realized without knowing it that we had both found the same funeral home and had decided to use same, feeling that they would be the best fit for our family.

“My father passed on August 19, 2020 and my husband contacted Essentials to assist in removing my father’s remains from the hospital as with the pandemic the hospital was very short on space, and were insistent that his remains be removed promptly. Hannah contacted us and we were very impressed with how quickly they arranged to take possession of my father’s remains, helped us to make arrangements and assisted in the preparation and publishing of the obituary to their site. Due to the pandemic, we were unsure if we would be able to have a viewing before cremation took place but Essentials was able to accommodate us and the service was beautiful, down to the smallest details such as playing my father’s favorite band during the service.

Their warmth, compassion, integrity and the way they personalized my father’s service especially during these uncertain times went way above and beyond expectation and we are incredibly thankful for the team at Essentials.

I would highly recommend Essentials Cremation and Burial Services Inc.”

“My Mother passed away on April 20, 2020 at a nursing home in Niagara Falls. As per her wishes, we had planned to donate her remains to McMaster University for medical science. On the day of her death, we learned McMaster has suspended their body donation program due to the covid-19 pandemic and they were unable to accept my Mother’s body.

I then contacted Essentials Cremation and Burial Services Inc. and within an hour had a call back from Krystal Riddell. She outlined their full range of services which was precisely what I was looking for.

Essentials was able to remove my Mother’s remains from the nursing home within a few hours of me contacting them. Arrangements were made for cremation, which happened shortly thereafter and on April 24th, I took delivery of my Mother’s cremated remains.

Throughout this entire process, Krystal was very professional and extremely compassionate. She continually offered to help me through a difficult time. On the day I took delivery of my Mother’s remains, I met with Krystal. She had already notified the Federal and Provincial Agencies of my Mother’s passing. She had issued the death certificates, applied for the CPP death benefit and cancelled Mom`s health card and SIN card. She then assisted in the preparation and publishing the obituary in the local newspapers and posted it on Essentials` website.

I would highly recommend Essentials Cremation and Burial Services.”

“The service was excellent and the personal help and guidance of Krystal was way beyond my expectations. She was always there when I had any concerns. When she says “I am there for you” she really means it.”

Krystal and her team did an outstanding job. All aspects of the procedure were handled with dignity and respect. I was treated in a very professional manner. Krystal took care of all paperwork and went the extra mile to ensure paperwork was done so my friend could be buried in his homeland of Japan. A first-class operation. Krystal, please say thank you to your staff. A tough time was made easier because of your professionalism. I will be very happy to recommend your services in the future.

Krystal made the process easy and not stressful. She was kind, thorough, patient and went beyond our expectation which will always be remembered.  We are grateful to have chosen your services over any other. You will be recommended to everyone we know. Every aspect was well done. Thank you Krystal!

My experience with Essentials Cremation and Burial Services is overall excellent! I couldn’t have picked a more wonderful place. Always there and they work hard. They made the celebration of life “so so perfect.” Excellent staff! Love all.

“Krystal and her staff were very professional and easy to work with. Very caring, and an extremely nice facility. I would highly recommend them!”

“We found funeral director Krystal Riddell and her staff to be very compassionate, helpful and caring. We found Essentials’ services to be exactly what we needed and would like to reiterate that the amount of care and compassion shown to our family was exceptional.” 

“Krystal gave us kind and compassionate support throughout the entire process. I know Essentials Cremation and Burial Services was the right choice for our family at the first contact with Krystal. She is a credit to her profession, amazing service. We appreciate this family owned/operated funeral home- lovely people. We will use this awesome service again.”

“Krystal and her team were caring, compassionate and supportive throughout the entire process. Our family is grateful for the care my aunt was shown as well as the attention to detail that was given to ensure her wishes were carried out. Thank you!”

“Exceeded our expectations during a very difficult time. Provided exceptional support and understanding. day or night Krystal was only a phone call away!”

“Excellent service, caring and compassionate. Made everything so easy!”

“I found the staff courteous and informative and the services rendered to be excellent. I was treated professionally and efficiently, not coldly. Thank you for helping us at this tragic time in our lives.”

“My wife was nearing end of life in her fight with breast cancer and from our first meeting with Krystal in early spring of 2018, my wife and I both felt Krystal was genuine in her passion for helping people through this very difficult and emotional time. We left the meeting with a good idea of what to expect and the confirmation that our wishes would all be followed. We put our decision on hold for a few months to make sure this was the service we wanted. As we both talked about our funeral arrangements and the various options we had, we felt cremation was what we wanted. We looked at conventional funeral establishments as well and felt that not only was the price most affordable from Krystal and Essentials but we received the utmost assurance of care and compassion. My wife passed away September 8, 2018 and everything that we talked about and expected came to be. Krystal came right away as soon as my wife passed away providing comfort to the family. She took the best care of my wife. The viewing was sad but a beautiful gathering by the immediate family and grand kids. The service was professionally handled. Krystal was there for my family for the whole process and remains a friend. Thank you Krystal Riddell, Sylvia Rezonja and everyone that helped out at Essentials Cremation and Burial Services.”

“I could not have asked for better treatment than I got, Essentials made it all simple from beginning to end, so much so that I will be buried by them. Krystal did all we asked and more, making a difficult time easier than expected.”

“Essentials Cremation and Burial Services was absolutely wonderful. Sylvia and Krystal were very friendly, sincere, courteous to our feelings through the devastating loss of our husband, father, grandfather. They went well beyond what was expected of them. I will recommended this establishment to anyone who has a loss. Great care was taken in the handling of our beloved as well as picture boards provided for the memorial boards. The aftercare provided was so helpful and Krystal made sure I understood what was being explained to me. I cannot thank her enough for all the help given before and after our loss.”

“Recently my mother passed away from Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately, my mother failed to plan for her passing, however we were fortunate to have chosen Essentials Cremation and Burial Services to assist during this trying time. We were truly amazed with the quality of service that Krystal Riddell provided us right from our first conversation. She took care of everything… from dealing with the retirement home… the cremation process and the paper work required by the government. Krystal’s professionalism and caring demeanor made this experience as painless as possible and we are sincerely appreciative of her services to our family.”

“You were extremely accommodating and helpful through a really difficult time. Essentials has been a Godsend to our family” 

“Krystal at Essentials made an upsetting time feel less stressful. Very kind and professional service. My mom was treated with the utmost respect and dignity. Thank you so much.”

“Words simply do not convey our experience. Krystal is amazing, she demonstrated extreme thoroughness, compassion and professionalism. She made a very hard time more manageable, taking the business on so we could mourn and we knew our loved one was in excellent hands.” 

“On Easter Saturday morning March 31st my wife Audrey passed away. We had been married 54 years. She was in the oncology ward of the St. Catharine’s hospital. Although we all knew that her cancer would shorten her life we were hoping she might have one more summer with us. It wasn`t to be. Although we had not pre-planned her funeral, fortunately I was recommended to call Krystal Riddell of Essentials Cremation and Burial Services here in Niagara Falls. Krystal met us on Easter Sunday morning at our home and took control of everything. She arranged for the cremation and for the use of a beautiful room at the Best Western hotel in Niagara Falls for a “Celebration of Life” ceremony. She also took care of notifying government departments and advised us on all aspects of Audrey`s passing.”

“I cannot praise Krystal enough for her outstanding professional help and courtesy. It helped me to get through the devastating loss of my wife and partner.”

“Feeling at a total loss after losing my spouse, I felt picked up and taken care of as if I were a family member. Very warm atmosphere and compassionate setting, not the cold feeling of a large funeral home. I thank Krystal for all her attention. ”

“I met with Krystal in advance and made most of the arrangements for my mother so when the time came it was a simple phone call. Krystal is extremely caring and knowledgeable, she made it as painless a process as one could ever expect. As our family members did not know what to expect they all felt that the graveside internment went perfectly. Krystal’s ability to capture in words our thoughts was very well done. Thank you again Krystal for a great experience.”

“Krystal and her staff welcomed us and made us feel comfortable from the time we arrived until we left. Her caring and professional manner made us confident that all the arrangements for my husbands brother would be taken care of properly. The office is bright and welcoming. It made us feel that one was in the home of a friend rather than a business.” 

“When our father/ husband passed away; we wanted to plan a celebration of life instead of more traditional funeral services.  When we first stepped into Essentials Cremation and Burial Services, Krystal’s and Sylvia’s caring and professionalism immediately made us feel very comfortable. Krystal took the time to listen to what we wanted and, leveraging her experience, we ended up with a wonderful florist and beautiful location. Krystal and Sylvia were very accommodating with our special requests and with their tremendous help, the celebration of life turned out to be a great success. It also gives us a great deal of comfort to know in case any questions arise after the memorial, their compassionate care continues. As such, we want to thank Krystal, Sylvia and everyone else at Essentials CBS for the outstanding service and making this very difficult time in our lives more bearable.”

“We appreciate Krystal’s help and understanding at this difficult time. She went way above board to make this as easy as possible.”