Heppell's Family Heritage
Robin Heppell's family background is comprised of individuals
who have been active in many different areas of community service
and who have displayed integrity and great care in their work.
Robin’s maternal relations have been involved in the funeral profession
since 1912 (Egan Funeral Home, Bolton ON) and he represents the
family’s fourth generation in the business. His mother, Lois and
grandmother, Frances Egan are both registered nurses who have
practiced in Victoria and Ontario respectively.
After immigrating from England, Robin’s fraternal family settled
in Victoria in 1929. His grandparents, Edward and Jane Heppell,
had three children, Michael, Mary and Thomas. Michael was the
general manager of the Victoria & Island Publicity Bureau (now
Tourism Victoria). His son, Michael Jr. (Rob’s cousin) is the
former Fire Chief of Victoria and also achieved the rank of Brigadier
General in the Reserve Forces of Canada after commanding the Canadian
Scottish Regiment of Victoria. Mary married Clarence F. Tayler
and together successfully operated C. Tayler Home Appliance for
many years. Robin’s father, Tom was a teacher in Greater Victoria
for 25 years and retired in 1990. He served a term as President
of the Alumni Assoc. of the University of Victoria.
Heppell's Immediate Family
Rob has two sisters, Janice and Patrice. Rob’s older sister,
Janice Vogel worked throughout the Far East and now resides in
Germany with her husband, Klaus, son, Lorenz, and daughter, Victoria.
Rob’s younger sister, Patrice was a coordinator for the Vancouver
Grizzlies / Ministry of Environment “Grizz Ed” program, which
educates elementary school students throughout B.C. about grizzly
bears and the environment. Patrice is married to Fred Patterson
and have a son, Troy. Patrice is now a high school teacher for
the Saanich School District.
Heppell's Personal Background
Rob grew up in Cadboro Bay and attended Frank Hobbs Elementary,
Arbutus Junior High and graduated from Mt. Douglas Senior Secondary.
He was active in sports, particularly hockey and rugby. After
graduating, Rob spent the summer at his grandfather’s and uncle’s
funeral home in Bolton, ON, where he was first introduced to the
funeral profession. He returned to Victoria in the fall started
working part-time for McCall Bros. in 1986. After eight months
he started his apprenticeship. He became a licenced funeral director
and embalmer in 1989. Rob became the pre-arrangement consultant
for McCall’s in 1996. After obtaining his life insurance licence,
he formed Heppell Funeral Planning Ltd. in 1998, which enabled
him to better serve those wishing to fund their funeral services
in advance. In 2004, Rob received his Bachelor of Commerce degree
from Royal Roads University. In the Spring of 2006, he was awarded
the designation of Certified
Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP),
by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice (www.apfsp.com).
Rob is the first recipient of this designation in Western Canada.
Rob still represents McCall Bros. for their advance funeral planning
in addition to Hayward’s, Thomson & Irving, and Sequoia Gardens
Funeral & Memorial Services.
A
native Victorian with a four generation family legacy in the funeral
profession, Robin M. Heppell is a licensed funeral director and
an independent funeral consultant. Robin began his career at McCall
Bros. Funeral Directors in 1986. He completed his education and
became a funeral director and eventually the pre-arrangement consultant
for McCall Bros. Robin started Heppell Funeral Planning Ltd. in
1998 and operates as an independent funeral consultant. 