Funerals, celebrations of life and graveside services
For all faiths and none, shaped at the family's pace. Philip listens first, then builds a service that feels like the person it is for, not like every other service.
Plan a ceremonyCelebrant-led funerals and celebrations of life · Across the GTA and beyond
Some things deserve more than a template.
The Life Story helps families across the GTA and beyond honour a life through ceremony, story and the words that feel true.
Short notice and after hours available · Replies within hours
Philip SmithFuneral Celebrant and Storyteller
1,000+Services led since 2015
1,700+Families supported
40Years in death care
“By the time the service was complete, even if you had never known my father, you would come away feeling like you knew him personally.”
Not built from a template. Shaped through listening.
It doesn't have to be perfect. It has to sound like love.
Tribute writing that carries the weight of a life
Gathered from the people who knew them best and written in words that feel true, whether Philip reads them or hands them to the family to deliver.
Tell the storyWhile there is still time to speak
Guided conversations that become a written life story, a recording, or both. The conversations we avoid are often the ones that matter most.
Begin a conversation
Free eulogy builder · No account needed
Someone asked you to speak. You do not have to do it alone.
Seven guided steps walk you from a blank page to a draft you can stand up and read. It saves as you go and gives you a printable copy or a PDF at the end. You cannot get this wrong.
Write a eulogy
Takes about 20 minutes
Step 3 of 7
Tell me about a moment that was so completely them.
A habit, a phrase, a Sunday ritual. Small is good. Small is usually what people remember.
Every Saturday he was at the rink by six, coffee in one hand, skates in the other…
Saved a moment agoNext step
About Philip
A vocation he has never left.
Death care has been part of Philip Smith's life since he was 17. Over four decades it has run alongside everything else he has done, not as a side interest but as a constant thread. Since 2015 alone he has led more than 1,000 funeral and memorial services and personally supported more than 1,700 families, many of them beyond the services he has led himself.
He works with all faiths and none, with families who want a traditional service and those who want something entirely their own. Families come back. Many have called on Philip three, four, even seven times over the years, because the person who told one story well is the one you want telling the next.
- Funeral Celebrant and Storyteller
- Funeral Director Class 1 (Ont.) Candidate
- Licensed Cremation Operator
- Death Doula
- Non-Denominational Clergy
“What a tremendous burden you take on for us at such a time. What strength it takes to do that. And you do it with such grace, skill and compassion.”
Words from families
Read all the words from families“Our family will always be grateful for the tribute and respect you gave our much loved Tom. It was perfect.”
“Words of thanks are inadequate for the support that you provided to my mother and me.”
“He had a big job to do, but he truly captured the essence of Denis.”
Lives Retold · A new story each week
Ordinary lives, told the way they deserved to be heard.
Each week Philip retells a life he has had the privilege to honour, shared with the family's blessing and without names. Read them for what they are: proof that no life is too small for a story.
Read this week's storyNo. 02
This week
The Willow She Never Hurried
For funeral homes
A celebrant your families will trust.
Philip works alongside directors across the GTA and beyond, from the first call to the last word, trusted by independent and corporate homes alike. Families remember the story. Give them one worth remembering.
- Fully personalised ceremony leadership for every service
- Life story gathering and tribute writing
- After-hours and short-notice availability
- All religious, cultural and secular backgrounds
- Memorial events and Christmas remembrance services
- Keepsake script booklets for the family and the home
- Calm, professional communication throughout
- Four decades of death care experience, FD1 candidate
You don't have to find the words alone.
If it is easier to talk than to type, call. Most messages get a personal reply within a few hours, and Philip is available on short notice and after hours.