Our Stories

A black‑and‑white photograph of a rural roadside scene featuring a large sign for “Beechwood Cemetery” mounted on wooden posts. The sign is positioned to the left side of the image, next to a simple wire-and-post fence. A small tree and overgrown bushes stand nearby, partially obscuring the fence line. Beyond the sign and vegetation, an open field extends into the distance under a clear sky.

Farmer Rocco: From Beechwood Farm to Cemetery Grounds

1934–2021 Beechwood Cemetery Crypt 3092 Level B Before Beechwood Cemetery became a memorial landscape, the property operated as an active farm. During
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Interior view of a Jack Fraser department store showing long display tables stacked with folded clothing, sales signs hanging above the aisles, and staff standing behind counters under bright ceiling lights.

Jack Fraser: A Toronto Retail Icon

a butterfly in the palm of a hand

Annual Butterfly Release: A Celebration of Life

A large, mature oak tree spreading wide branches over a grassy park area, with a wooden bench beneath it. A modern high‑rise building rises in the background, partially framed by the tree’s foliage, and a small white pavilion structure stands to the right under a bright blue sky.

Happy Birthday to Mount Pleasant’s 200‑Year Old Oaks

Black‑and‑white photograph of soldiers seated around tables inside a military convalescent hospital common room, with a nurse standing nearby and a piano against the wall, light streaming in through tall windows.

Irene Pearl Courtice Lambert: A Nursing Sister’s Sacrifice

Black‑and‑white portrait of Eric Clavering wearing a wide‑brimmed hat and dark coat, shown from the shoulders up against a softly out‑of‑focus background.

Eric Clavering: From London’s Stages to Canada’s Screens

gravestone with a table tennis player on it

Zoran “Zoki” Kosanović: A Champion Who Put Canadian Table Tennis on the Map

man in suit with glasses

Dr. Frederick F. Tisdall: Innovator and Controversial Figure in Child Nutrition

Weathered gray stone grave marker with an arched top, partially obscured by pine tree branches, standing in a snowy cemetery; the engraved inscription is faint and difficult to read.

Following the Robinson Family History from Potter’s Field to Mount Pleasant

Margaret Marshall Saunders

Margaret Marshall Saunders: Best-selling Author and Animal Rights Advocate

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Richard John Lucas: The Man Behind Canada’s Sugared Ham

big brick house by train tracks

Allan Royce: From English Roots to Toronto Legacy

Flowering magnolia tree covered in pale pink blossoms standing in a grassy cemetery landscape. Fallen petals scatter across the lawn beneath the tree, with surrounding evergreens and stone monuments visible in the background.

A Living Tapestry: Mount Pleasant’s Arboretum and the Beloved Star Magnolia

grey haired man with microphones in his face

John Turner: A Statesman of Principle and Quiet Strength

black man at the piano

Cy McLean: Breaking Barriers in Canadian Jazz

gallows of the Don Jail with plaque

Arthur Lucas and Ronald Turpin: Canada’s Last Executions

The Eaton Mausoleum, a neoclassical stone structure with tall columns and a triangular pediment, set in a snow‑covered cemetery. Two sculpted lion figures flank the entrance, with bare trees surrounding the mausoleum in winter.

Eaton Family: Pioneers of Canadian Retail

Black-and-white studio portrait of Private Walter Leigh Rayfield, V.C., seated in uniform wearing a service cap and a buttoned military tunic with chevrons on the sleeve, posed against a plain backdrop.

Walter Leigh Rayfield, VC: Hero of Arras

A vintage black‑and‑white portrait of Marion Alice Powell-Orr wearing a peaked cap with an insignia and a dark military jacket. The jacket features a winged badge on the chest and shoulder markings. The person is posed against a softly lit studio backdrop.

Marion Alice Powell-Orr: Breaking Barriers in the Skies

Person sitting on a low stone ledge in front of a red brick building with bay windows, surrounded by grass.

Finding Family, History and Home at Toronto Necropolis

A red poppy placed on a stone, representing remembrance of soldiers who died in the First World War.

Private Bertie Nakogee: Honouring a Forgotten Soldier