Ottawa Valley Stonekeepers

11/09/2026

The Pakenham Cenotaph has continued to brighten beautifully following its restoration in October. A heartfelt thank you to Ottawa Valley Stonekeepers for their care, and to our neighbours at Pilon Family Funeral Home in Arnprior for generously covering the cost of the project.

The Pakenham Remembrance Day Service, presented by Pakenham Public School - UCDSB, will take place on Wednesday, November 11. Folks are welcome to assemble in front of the school at 10:30am. The service begins at 10:45am. Refreshments will be served in the school gymnasium afterward.

As Remembrance Day approaches, the renewed cenotaph, together with the poppy displays and veteran banners throughout the village, is a powerful reminder of the people and stories we honour each year.

We will remember them. 🇨🇦

11/09/2026

We were honored to have been asked to tend to the Cenotaph in Pakenham. ❤️

Preserving History. Honoring Sacrifice. Remembering Together. ❤️

In the Heart of Pakenham, some places hold a significance that goes far beyond the stones from which they were built. Our Cenotaph Memorial is certainly one of those places. It stands as a lasting tribute to all the men and women who served, to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and to all those forever touched by war, past, present and future.

Recently, our treasured memorial received some much-needed care, thanks to the remarkable work of Angela Yach of Ottawa Valley Stonekeepers, Andre Pilon of Pilon Family Funeral Home in Arnprior, Councillor Denzil Ferguson and our Pakenham Gardeners Group team.

This happened thanks to the generosity and collaboration of people who care deeply about our community.

❤️ Councillor Denzil Ferguson helped bring all stakeholders together, coordinating the effort to see the memorial restoration completed.

❤️ Andre Pilon of the Pilon Family Funeral Home generously covered the cost of the restoration, making this important work possible. Without hesitation he offered to help.

❤️ The team from the Pakenham Gardeners Group thoughtfully tending to the yard ensuring this sacred place is a beautiful and dignified setting for our community to gather, honour and remember. And to the Poppy blanket project team, beautifully done.

❤️Angela Yach brought her specialized skills, dedication and respect for our community history. Chatting with Angela you will quickly learn her work is about so much more than cleaning stones. It is about preserving history, honoring legacies and ensuring that the names and stories our monument represents remain visible for generations to come. She has a profound sense of honor for these types of projects. Each deeply meaningful for her.

To Angela, Andre, Denzil, and the Pakenham Gardening and Poppy blankets project teams — THANK YOU. Thank you for recognizing the importance of honoring this special place in our community.

Service Nov 11th organized thanks to Pakenham Public School (UCDSB) at 10:45 and refreshments to follow in school gymnasium.

Together We Will Remember Them. ❤️

10/24/2026

Was an honor and a privilege to work on the Pakenham Cenotaph today! It will continue to brighten over the coming days and should be beautiful by Remembrance Day! ♥️🇨🇦

10/20/2026

We are beyond Honored to have been asked to restore the Pakenham Cenotaph. These are the most meaningful cleanings one can ever possibly do. Lest we Forget. * Photo by Andrea MacFarlane-Grieve* More photos to come!

09/27/2026

Was a beautiful day to be at Scotch Pine Cemetery In Lanark today! ♥️

09/20/2026

Standing in the warm fall breeze and can literally feel the history and stories around me. Anyone that knows me, knows if you talked me about my work too long, I will start to cry. Not because of the people I have lost, but because of the stories, the history, the hard times they endured so that we could have a better life. We are all inter-connected and need to learn these stories and make them our own. Someday, someone else will be sitting here and I hope they feel the same thing I do. ♥️

09/13/2026

The process of raising and re-levelling can be a long and sometimes difficult one. From using the correct substrate mixture to re-level, to lifting footstones that can have all sorts of surprises! If you have a sunken footstone, not all is lost and bringing it back to it's glory can be very rewarding and allow you to visit peacefully again! ♥️

09/06/2026

The life cycle of a Headstone. The Mielke Family contacted me last year to clean their family headstone up in Zion Cemetery in Ladysmith Quebec. After cleaning, the stone did a "blushing" which is the eco-solution pulling out the years of dirt and contaminates. The process can take days to weeks. Today the stone looks beautiful, so the family decided it was time to re-do the lettering. It's truly an honor to see the life cycle completed and I hope they enjoy their visits for years to come!

09/05/2026

Let's take a look at the full cleaning of Harry & Clara! Lots of moss and lichen attached to the sides and base! Elbow grease and the right tools can bring any stone back, and honor those that rest there ♥️

09/05/2026