About Our Family

Essentials is operated and supported by Krystal and her family. We are a small but mighty team dedicated to caring for our community and serving our families. We are pleased to introduce our family to you!

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Professional Photo of Krystal

Krystal Riddell

Position: Owner | Managing Funeral Director
Email: [email protected]
Categories: Team

Krystal grew up living throughout the Niagara Region. During her high school years, she attended AN Myer, Ridgeway Crystal Beach High and Thorold Secondary School. Immediately following high school, she moved to Toronto and attended Humber College to become a Licensed Funeral Director.

Krystal completed her internship and continued to work at the George Darte Funeral Home, in St. Catharines, for 10 years. During her time spent there, she had an invaluable experience, as she learned and developed an extraordinary level of standards and care that she was honoured to extend to the families she helped.

As Krystal grew into the role of being a funeral director, she proudly contemplated different ways she could effectively give back to her community. Krystal is a Past President of the Niagara District Funeral Services Association. She is a Paul Harris Fellow and a dedicated Rotarian for more than 6 years. In 2022, she completed a term as Club President of the Rotary Club of St. Catharines South. Krystal is past chairperson of spiritual development and a member of the Catholic Women’s League. She also contributes her time and philanthropic support to the Tool Box Project- Niagara, Community Crew, Hospice Niagara, Mobile Closet and other local community organizations.

As an environmentalist, Krystal is an advocate and a leader within her profession for encouraging and promoting eco-friendly death care services.  She is a member and sits on the board of the Green Burial Society of Canada. She has ensured that Essentials has achieved and maintained a Three Leaf Certification with the Green Burial Council.

Through the years, Krystal has had a deep desire to be a leader in her profession and within her community. She is extremely passionate about helping families in their time of need, and is committed to serving all families with the highest level of professionalism and care. For Krystal, this profession has never been “a business”, it has always been about helping and taking care of people in all capacities. Over the past 17 years, Krystal has seen first hand the change in economic times and funeral traditions. She believes in the importance and need to offer an effective and affordable death care service.

Krystal is married to her husband, Dave. Together they have two sons, William and Alex.

We are proud to have created a family owned business, and consider it a great honour to have the opportunity to look after those in need of help during some of the darkest times. Our sole purpose is to always look after our community in any way possible.

Krystal Riddell

Owner | Managing Funeral Director
Kayleigh Peterson Professional Image

Kayleigh Peterson

Position: Managing Funeral Director
Email: [email protected]
Categories: Team

Kayleigh was born and raised in the Niagara Region. Following high school, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Brock University. After experiencing a death in the family, Kayleigh decided to pursue funeral service as a career, and attended Humber College to become a Licensed Funeral Director. She obtained her license in 2012, and would then go on to complete her internship and work for 10 years at the George Darte Funeral Chapel in St. Catharines, gaining invaluable experience. Kayleigh enjoys helping and supporting families. She understands the importance of well-guided death care and providing exemplary service to families in need. She is a natural leader with our team and as a funeral director. Kayleigh joined the Essentials family in late 2021 and is happy to be a part of a team that believes in the highest standard of care for families. When she is not working, Kayleigh enjoys spending time and travelling with her two golden retrievers and her best friend Krystal.

Kayleigh Peterson

Managing Funeral Director

Crystal Laurin

Position: Funeral Director
Email: [email protected]
Categories: Team

Crystal was born in North Bay and moved to the Niagara Region when she was a young girl. Funeral services have always interested her, and in grade 9 she participated in a “take your child to work day” and visited a local funeral home. Crystal was drawn to the atmosphere and sense of honour that comes with caring for families and their loved one. All of the aspects and facets that go into planning a funeral became such a fascination. Throughout her adulthood she worked at Lifetouch School Photography and General Motors, but in 2018, Crystal decided to follow her dreams of becoming a funeral director. She traveled back and forth daily from Welland to attend Humber College and graduated in 2020. When she is not helping families through their difficult times she enjoys: spending time with family; spouse Simon, four children, puppies and friends, as well as native drumming and working occasionally for a local food truck Country Boys.

Crystal is pleased to have joined Essentials Cremation and Burial Services and looks forward to supporting local families.

Crystal Laurin

Funeral Director
Josephine Roy Professional

Josephine Gibson

Position: Funeral Director
Email: [email protected]
Categories: Team

Josephine was born in St. Catharines and raised in Welland, where she resides today alongside her husband Kevin and fur baby Felix. After graduating Ecole Secondaire Jean Vanier in 2013, she pursued her studies to become a funeral director at Humber College and obtained her Funeral Director Class 1 license in 2015. She would go on to complete her internship and work for 8 years at a funeral home in St. Catharines, where she gained valuable knowledge and grew into the funeral director she is today. Josephine joined the Essentials team in June of 2022 and is passionate about helping others. She is honoured to be working alongside her colleagues and assisting families in Niagara.

Josephine Gibson

Funeral Director
Professional photo of Dave Riddell

David Riddell

Position: Funeral Director's Assistant
Email: [email protected]
Categories: Team
From the very beginning when Essentials opened, Dave was an integral source of support and encouragement for his wife, Krystal. Throughout the years, he often lended a helping hand and was able to assist when he wasn’t truck driving. In June of 2023, Dave decided to “hang up his hat” at GFL and he chose to join his family business on a full-time basis. He has been an exceptional addition to the team, ensuring the day to day operations have been well supported. Dave grew up in Fort Erie and in the past decade he has been living with his family in Welland. Dave is pleased to be involved with the Essentials team and is honoured to serve the families of Niagara with integrity, dedication and excellent standards.

David Riddell

Funeral Director's Assistant
Professional Photo of Melaina

Melaina Gava Barkhouse

Position: Co-Founder and Team Support
Email: [email protected]
Categories: Team

Through her young life, Melaina grew up in Chippawa. She was raised in a family of seven; Phildean and Sergio Gava were the parents of five, David, Melaina, Andrea, Rick and Steven. Her time is spent with her husband Gary Barkhouse and being a mother of three; Krystal (David) Riddell, Brittany Rea (Ada) and Xandinn Barkhouse.

Melania is also very proud of her title “Nonna” to William, Alex, Desmond, Dean and Emmy. Melaina contributes her experience to planning, marketing and day to day operations of Essentials. You will find her friendly smile as sometimes she provides assistance as a receptionist, and also assists Krystal and the team during funerals and memorial services.

It is with great pleasure she joins her daughter, Krystal in starting our own family business.

Melaina Gava Barkhouse

Co-Founder and Team Support
Professional Photo of Cathie

Cathie Cretney

Position: Family and Team Support
Email: [email protected]
Categories: Team

Cathie joined the Essentials family as a supportive team member, in February 2020. She has a passion for serving families who are grieving the death of a loved one. Cathie and her husband, Bob, have been the chaplains at Lookout Ridge Retirement home in Fonthill since it opened in 2008. In her spare time, Cathie enjoys spending time with their 9 grandchildren and playing the piano. It is a privilege for Cathie to be part of such a compassionate team, who serves Essentials’ families with great care, honour and respect.

Cathie Cretney

Family and Team Support
Rebecca Hagglund Professional Photo

Rebecca Hagglund

Position: Bookkeeping Administration and Celebrant
Email: [email protected]
Categories: Team

We first connected with Rebecca in her role as a Funeral Celebrant, as she walked alongside families in their time of loss, creating personal and meaningful end-of-life ceremonies. She joined our team at Essentials in November 2019, assisting us in the office, and she found that she enjoyed learning the different aspects of funeral care.

Rebecca is a graduated from Humber College’s Funeral Pre-Planner program and she helps Krystal with her small business bookkeeping. Rebecca’s husband Steve and their two sons, Jeff (Shelby) and Zach, have been an encouragement to her as she has grown within her role as both a funeral and wedding officiant. As a family, they make special memories each summer when they go camping and they always enjoy playing their musical instruments together.

Rebecca is so pleased to be a member of the compassionate and dedicated team at Essentials, doing what she loves to do best – helping families.

Rebecca Hagglund

Bookkeeping Administration and Celebrant

David Tyminski

Position: Family and Bereavement Support
Email: [email protected]
Categories: Bridge to Hope, Team

David cares deeply about providing empathetic presence and compassionate support to people who are experiencing loss and grief. He believes that mourning the loss of loved ones is a journey that no one should have to undergo alone. Over the years, David has provided bereavement support through a variety of grief support programs hosted by Hospice Niagara. He is passionate about lifelong learning and has completed the certificate program in Loss, Grief, and Bereavement Studies at the University of Western Ontario. He is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology Program at Yorkville University. David feels honoured to be able to provide grief support to individuals and families at Essentials and to facilitate the “Bridge to Hope” bereavement program.

David Tyminski

Family and Bereavement Support

Elizabeth Williams

Position: Family and Bereavement Support
Email: [email protected]
Categories: Bridge to Hope, Team

Elizabeth was born in St Catharines and has spent her entire life in the Niagara Region, residing in Niagara-on-the-Lake for the last 25 years.
Elizabeth’s bereavement journey began when her youngest sister passed away at the age of 30. While working through her own grief, she began facilitating Grief Recovery classes at a funeral home in St. Catharines. During this time Elizabeth realized her passion for helping people and pursued this as a special role spending 32 years serving people during their time of grief. A certified grief specialist, Elizabeth has participated in numerous talks and clinics on grief and loss. Elizabeth spent 28 of those years working at George Darte Funeral Home as a receptionist, office and administration manager. Elizabeth has volunteered with Hospice Niagara and with the reading program at St.Michael’s school in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

She has been married to her husband Gary for 49 years, with 2 married daughters, and a 12 year old granddaughter. In her spare time she loves to garden, craft with he granddaughter and travel with her husband and family.

Elizabeth is proud to assist families at Essentials by providing grief support and co-facilitating our upcoming bereavement program “Bridge to Hope”.

Elizabeth Williams

Family and Bereavement Support

Carolyn Roy

Position: Family and Team Support
Email: [email protected]
Categories: Team

Carolyn was born in St. Catharines and has spent her entire life in the Niagara Region. Residing in Welland for the last 28 years with her husband Normand and raising their three lovely children into adults.

Joining the team of Essentials in September 2022 as a family and team support member, Carolyn comes to us with a long career within the office administration vocation; to provide support to all and to serve our families of Welland and surrounding area with compassion and dedication.

Carolyn Roy

Family and Team Support

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