Our Team

John McDonald

1956-2025

John, fondly known as Jack, JMac, Johnny Mac or Big J, was a beloved member of the McCall Gardens team, serving as a Funeral Director and Embalmer from 2001 until his sudden passing on January 10, 2025.

See full obituary here

David A. McCall

(Chairman)

David was born and raised in Victoria and is a third generation funeral director. He started in the funeral profession in 1977 after graduating from the University of British Columbia with his Bachelor of Commerce Degree. David has been heavily involved with the Funeral Service Association Of BC and was instrumental in the passing of the BC provincial government’s Funeral Services Act. In his spare time David enjoys spending time with his family, including five grandchildren, salmon fishing and golfing.

Trevor McCall

(President/ Licensed Funeral Director)

Trevor was born in Victoria, BC and graduated from Glenlyon Norfolk High School in 1998. He played Junior Hockey for the Victoria Salsa before receiving a hockey scholarship to Iona College in New York. Trevor graduated with honours from Iona College in 2005 with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Finance. He worked for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City for five years before coming home to join the family business in 2009. Trevor graduated with the highest overall academic performance in his class from the B.C. Funeral Apprenticeship Program.  He is extremely proud to represent the fourth generation of the McCall family to be involved in the family business. Trevor is married to Erin Rivelli of New York and together have three sons,  Callan, Grady and Owen.

Dean Freer

(General Manager/ Licensed Funeral Director)

Dean was born in Trail, British Columbia and raised in Victoria where he completed his high school education at Lambrick Park Secondary School. Starting his career with McCall’s in the fall of 1988, Dean received his professional training at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, where he graduated from the Mortuary Science program. In 1998, McCall’s built it’s second location, Sequoia Gardens, where Dean was promoted to Location Manager. Following in the footsteps of his retired mentor, Stuart Carrol, Dean now looks after the overall operations of the company as General Manager.

Dean serves as Vice-Chair of the Shawnigan Improvement District and is a member of Bear Mountain Golf Club.  For many years Dean was an active member of the Saanich Police Reserve Program, Uplands Golf Club, Victoria Harbourside Rotary Club, Royal Canadian Legion and the Shawnigan Lake Fire Department where he attained the rank of Lieutenant.  Some of his hobbies include hunting, fly fishing, golf and hockey. Dean is married and has two beautiful daughters.

Chris Dorrington, CFSP, MBIE

(Director of Operations/ Licensed Funeral Director)

Chris was born in Peterborough, Ontario and raised in Victoria, British Columbia as the second of four children of a clergyman. Chris had the privilege of being educated at St. Michael’s University Preparatory School in Victoria.

Chris began his career at McCall Bros. Funeral Services in 1983, at their original location in downtown Victoria. His formal education as a Funeral Director was conducted through the British Columbia Funeral Association at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver, BC. He is a fully licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer.

Chris has also trained and worked as a Crematorium Operator and has served six years as both an Industry Member and as a Consumer Member of the “Cremation, Interment and Funeral Services Advisory Group” to Consumer Protection BC.

Chris has served as the Funeral Service Association of British Columbia’s Embalming Evaluator for the B.C. Embalmers & Funeral Directors Apprenticeship Program and was one of three trial Funeral Directors appointed as a District Registrar for the Province of British Columbia, pursuant to the Vital Statistics Act. He is the longest serving Funeral Director/Registrar in the Province.

Chris received his CFSP designation from the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice in 2014, and has recently received his MBIE designation from the North American Division of the British Institute of Embalmers. These designations reflect his drive for continuing education and his commitment to the Funeral Service Profession.

Chris served 18 years as a cadet and an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve. During that time, he served as the Air Force Representative to the CIL Branch National Advisory Council to Ottawa, and was twice honoured to be part of the Honour Guard for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during her two official visits to Victoria.

Chris believes in being involved in his community. He has served as the Founding President of the 848 RCACS Support Association in Colwood, is a former Executive Director of the Campbell River Hospice Society, and has served on the Boards of the Nanaimo Oceanside Rotary Club, and the Newcastle Neighbourhood Association. Chris is a former member of the Campbell River Rotary Club, the North Island Cruisers and the Cadillac Club of Vancouver Island. He is currently a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Public Service Branch 127 and serves as the Master of Ceremony for the Provincial Remembrance Day Ceremony, held at the BC Legislature Cenotaph.

Chris’ partner, Elizabeth, is a former member of the McCall Gardens team. Chris is a proud father to his daughter, Kelty and sons, Karl & William.

Robin Heppell

(Advanced Planner & Licensed Funeral Director)

Rob was born and raised in Victoria and is a fourth-generation funeral director. He received early training at his grandfather’s and uncle’s funeral home (Egan Funeral Home) in Bolton, Ontario. Rob has been associated with McCall Gardens since 1986, when he started as an apprentice and then became a funeral director and embalmer and later the manager of advance planning.

After launching the first McCall’s website in 1998, Rob eventually left full-time employment at McCall Gardens to start his own company which assisted funeral homes throughout North America in the areas of technology, strategy and pre-planning. During this time he remained associated with McCall’s as a consultant.  After selling his business, Rob rejoined McCall Gardens and once again is focusing on advanced funeral, cremation and memorial planning.

Rob has obtained the designation of CFSP (Certified Funeral Service Practitioner) and is a Certified Celebrant.   Rob and his wife, Cindy, are proud parents of Haleigh and Noah and have a dog, Charlie, and cats, Jasper and Ellie.  He has coached both children in hockey and lacrosse.

Rob can be reached by email at robin.heppell@mccallgardens.com.

Leigh Ann Stephenson

(Sequoia Catering- Manager)

Leigh Ann was born and primarily raised in Alberta, where she earned a degree in psychology from the University of Edmonton. With over 40 years of experience, she has honed a diverse skill set in the hotel, restaurant, catering, and hospitality industries. In 1994, Leigh Ann and her family relocated to Victoria, where she has spent the next 30 years producing and executing special events and weddings throughout Victoria and Vancouver Island. She joined the McCall Gardens team in 2012, finding a passion for catering Celebrations of Life and Funeral Receptions. Leigh Ann believes that food and beverages have the power to bring people together.  Whether it’s an hors d’oeuvres reception, a special tea menu, or serving a loved one’s favorite cocktail, catering creates opportunities for guests to share memories and begin the healing process together.

Cathy Dunfield

(Licensed Funeral Director)

Cathy was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick and moved to Victoria in 2002 due to a military posting. She has been in the funeral industry since May 2002 gaining a wide range of experience in all areas. She obtained her Funeral Director and Embalmer licenses in 2015 from the Canadian College of Funeral Service. She enjoys playing any sport and riding bicycles. She has participated in the Hospice Cycle of Life Tour four years in a row, raising funds for Hospice on Vancouver Island. She is also a big hockey fan. She is married to Peter and they have two children, Caitlin and Alexander.

Nikki Seewald

(Licensed Funeral Director)

Nikki was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She has close to 20 years of service in corporate government where she developed business knowledge and strong customer service skills. She joined the McCall Gardens team in 2022.

In 2016, Nikki and her husband moved to Salt Spring Island, BC where she developed and operated a successful bed and breakfast for five years. During the five years she was also employed at a local funeral home. Working at the funeral home fueled her long-held desire of working in the funeral profession. Her dream of becoming a licenced funeral director and embalmer came true when she graduated from the Canadian College of Funeral Service in 2022.

Nikki is sensitive and empathic, which is evident when taking care of families and their loved ones. She has a keen sense to detail and understands the importance of relationship building. Nikki’s passion for helping is reflected in how well she cares for families during their difficult time of loss.

Nikki has an insatiable desire for education and learning. Her current educational accomplishments range from law enforcement studies, first responder, Aboriginal Studies, business, human resources, and death care. Having married into a Metis family, Nikki has developed a love of learning about diverse cultures and their funeral rituals, which she believes has enriched her professional and personal life immensely.

In her spare time, Nikki and her husband, Joe, enjoy spending time with family and friends and being outside in nature whenever possible.

April Switzer

(Licensed Funeral Director)

April was born in Edmonton, Alberta and was raised all over Alberta as well as the Northwest Territories. She has three amazing sons who keep her on her toes.

Riley Acciaroli

(Licensed Funeral Director)

Riley was born and raised in Red Deer, Alberta, to a very close knit family as an only child. At 19 years old she began her career in the funeral profession, and once she got in, she knew that she had found her calling. Riley began and completed her apprenticeship in Red Deer, graduating from the Canadian College of Funeral Service in 2019.

In 2021 Riley transferred her Funeral Director License to British Columbia and made the leap to Vancouver Island.  She joined the team at McCall Gardens in 2022.

Riley has a deep passion for helping families through the difficulty of losing a loved one and being able to help them carry the weight of funeral arrangements. She has a keen eye for detail and loves being able to give families the options they need to create a truly personalized and meaningful memorial.

In her spare time, Riley enjoys walking and playing with her dog, Olive, basking in the outdoors, listening to music, painting and photography (especially of Olive and the West Coast).

Hanna Beamer

(Funeral Director Apprentice/ Creative Designer)

Deanne Bienert

(Executive Assistant)

Deanne was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and has lived most of her life on the West Coast of BC.  She attended Kwantlen College for Marketing, worked in Customer Service roles for Tourism BC, IBM and Great-West Life.  She met and married her husband, John, and then moved to Whistler, BC, where they together ran a successful business for many years.   In 2005, they moved to Victoria and soon after Deanne joined the McCall Gardens family where she continues to enjoy a gratifying vocation helping to serve families.

Eren Holman

(Executive Assistant)

Eren was born and raised in Victoria, with her second home being Salt Spring Island. She attended the University of Victoria where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Sociology.  Eren was very happy to join the McCall Gardens team in early 2022 and is honoured to serve our communities’ families.

In her free time, Eren loves exploring all the natural beauty that the West Coast has to offer, spending as much time as she can at the ocean or one of the many beautiful lakes, going for walks with her pug, Milo, and reading.

Carolyn Duncan

(Office Manager – Accountant)

Carolyn was born in a small town near Spokane, Washington and moved to Canada as a child. She is proud of becoming a Canadian citizen in 2014. Her parents were both teachers and taught in several small towns throughout BC before finally settling in Sidney, BC.

Carolyn spent her early teens at St. Margaret’s School where her passion for horseback riding and sewing began.  She finished her high school years at Parkland Secondary School in Sidney where she was fortunate to have met lifetime friends.  After graduating high school she attended the CGA School of B.C. and started working in the accounting field.  Throughout her career she has worked as an accountant for several construction companies and at a local CA firm.  She made McCall Gardens her permanent home in 2012.

While pursuing her career she raised four wonderful children who are all flourishing and starting families of their own.  Her journey has led her to beautiful Brentwood Bay where she lives with her husband William.   They enjoy spending time with their 6 grandchildren, 2 border collies and renovating (constantly!).

Hatrick (Hattie)

(Greeter and Comfort Companion)

Meet Hattie, our lively comfort dog who brings boundless energy and comfort to our funeral home. Still in the early stages of training, Hattie embodies a spirit of enthusiasm and compassion, making her a cherished presence for families we serve and a loyal friend to our staff.  Hattie is a two year old, 16 pound, Australian Labradoodle.