Our story begins in the early 1930s with founder Alfred Dallaire. Entrepreneur at heart, Alfred acquires his own barber shop in Montreal. However, destiny will soon strike and lead him to become a funeral director.

This new chapter of his life begins with a gesture of great human solidarity following the tragic death of a very poor young girl for whom no undertaker accepts to hold a viewing. Shocked by this injustice, Alfred then transforms his barber shop into a funeral home. It is the beginning of a new adventure for Alfred and his wife Aline.

In 1952, having greatly succeeded in business, Alfred Dallaire now involves his son-in-law Paul-Émile Légaré and his daughter Thérèse in managing the family business. The construction of the funeral home on Rouen Street in Montreal marks one of the first milestones in their collaboration.

In 1955, Alfred and Aline turn over the management of the company to their daughter Thérèse and their son-in-law Paul-Émile. In just a few years, this visionary entrepreneurial couple will grow the business to own some thirty funeral homes, a cemetery as well as several mausoleums and columbariums.

In 1967, in a context of profound changes in values, the visionary Paul-Émile Légaré anticipates his clients’ new expectations and comes up with an innovative idea to simplify the process following a death. Thus is born the concept of prearranged funerals in Quebec. It is now possible to make your own funeral arrangements in accordance with your own choices and wishes.

Paul-Émile Légaré and his wife Thérèse reinvent the concept of “viewing rooms.” They are the first to convert their funeral homes into large funeral complexes. Since then, the complexes have housed under one roof not only viewing rooms, but also columbariums, reception halls and viewing rooms among many other services.

Over the years, the company has recorded sustained growth and continues to broaden its horizons through the acquisition of banners and the inauguration of new funeral homes:

• 1983: Inauguration of the Rive-Sud Complex and the Près du Fleuve Cemetery
• 1989: Acquisition of the complexes of the J.F. Wilson banner in Pierrefonds and Châteauguay
• 1992: Inauguration of the Saint-Christophe Mausoleum at the Près du Fleuve Cemetery
• 1995: Inauguration of the Angrignon Complex in LaSalle
• 2002: Inauguration of the Sainte-Dorothée Complex in Laval

Over the years, the company has recorded sustained growth and continues to broaden its horizons through the acquisition of banners and the inauguration of new funeral homes:

Embalmer by training, but also a manager involved for many years in the company founded by his grandfather Alfred Dallaire, Yves Légaré, son of Paul-Émile Légaré and Thérèse Dallaire, ensures continuity by founding his own company. Yves Légaré Funeral Complexes is born.

The Papineau Cemetery and the Du Ruisseau Mausoleum are separated from the Sainte-Dorothée Complex by the Papineau stream, a small stream lined with tall grasses that runs through Laval. The five hectares of the Papineau Cemetery are a magnificent place of meditation in the heart of nature.

The Anjou Complex is a building that is at once peaceful, luminous and conducive to meditation. Its modern architecture, its open glazed areas as well as its sober and refined rooms offer harmonious spaces to meet and pay homage to your loved one.

Present in its community since 1983, the Rive-Sud Complex located in Longueuil underwent a makeover in 2014. A brand new building with modern architecture and equipped with the latest technology now welcomes families in bright and warm spaces.

The former building today houses the register’s office of the Près du Fleuve Cemetery.

Located in an entirely natural environment and adjacent to the Papineau Cemetery and the Sainte-Dorothée Complex, the new mausoleums are home to outdoor crypts and niches that are accessible rain or shine.

The Du Ruisseau Commemorative Centre is located in a natural environment near the Papineau Cemetery. It is designed to accommodate all cultures and traditions. The centre features a crematorium and serene spaces for families who wish to attend the cremation or say a final farewell to their loved one.

Present in its community since the 1990s, Complexe Pierrefonds located at 14370 boul. Pierrefonds at Pierrefonds underwent a facelift in 2022/2023. A brand new look with modern architecture and the latest technology now welcomes families in bright, spacious and warm spaces.

Located in a completely natural environment and close to the mausoleums Lazarus and Our Lady of Fatima, the new mausoleum shelter accessible enfeus in good or bad weather.

Alfred Dallaire’s legacy lives on. Yves Légaré, president and the founder’s grandson, along with his wife Diane Laberge and their son Eric, who represents the next generation, manage six funeral homes, two cemeteries as well as several mausoleums and a memorial centre. Today, Yves Légaré Funeral Complexes is not only one of the few funeral service companies in the greater metropolitan area that is still owned by a Quebec family, but its success and initiatives have made it a leader in its field for nearly 90 years now.