Our team
Stéphanie Côté-Marcoux
President and Funeral Director
I’m Stéphanie Côté-Marcoux, a licensed funeral director and embalmer. A graduate of the Funeral and Mortuary Science Program at Collège Rosemont, I have also studied business administration at HEC and project management at McGill University. I have provided funeral services in the West Island of Montreal and the surrounding area for over 20 years, serving hundreds of families and their loved ones.
I founded Voluntas in 2007 in order to have the freedom to serve customers the way they want to be served. Our dedication to be open and transparent in everything we do is greatly appreciated.
I have always believed that my mission is to provide humanitarian support to help grieving individuals gently through the transition period after losing someone they love. With my many years of experience, organizational skills, meticulous attention to detail and network of associates, I can help you to create meaningful and personal celebrations of life. Planning and coordinating a gathering can be difficult at such an emotional time. Rely on me to provide the support you need so that you can concentrate on being with those you love.
I often tell those I serve: “I’ll be your best friend and ally in the days ahead.”
Denis J. Marcoux
Funeral Director
For 40 years, the past 20 on the West Island, I’ve had the privilege of serving grieving families. Over the years, I’ve seen many changes in what families need and want. Families today don’t want a generic funeral – they want a memorial that really reflects the person and is truly meaningful.
I’m a licensed embalmer and a member of the Quebec Funeral Standards Committee. I have been involved in the community for many years, notably as outgoing president of the West Island Palliative Care Residence and leader of a bereavement support group. I believe that the Voluntas concept is an innovative and positive solution, and I’m proud to be part of the Voluntas team.
Gabrielle Marcoux
Customer Service Administrative Assistant & Hostess
Having both my parents work in the funeral industry, it seemed natural to start working at Voluntas. I had seen both my parents, but especially my mother, Stéphanie pour her blood, sweat and tears into founding Voluntas and bringing it to where it is now. Seeing her work countless hours was really inspiring and I aspire to become as invested in my career as she is.
I am currently studying Microbiology and still help out as much as I can, because I have grown fond of the relationships I build while working at Voluntas.
Donna Olinik
Hostess
In May 2018, I was happy to be invited to join Voluntas and become a member of this wonderful team.
Born and raised in Montreal, I have worked in customer-related fields for a variety of companies including a Telephone Company, Butcher Shop, Car Dealership, Church and now a Funeral Service. While travelling along the road of my career, I’ve been very active in the community as I have always loved to help others.
When my Dad suffered from a stroke, I began investigating healing modalities and subsequently studied to become a Healing Pathway Practitioner. This is a Christian-based healing modality with the aim of restoring balance and harmony within an individual’s energy system and thus enabling the self-healing of an individual.
I am also a Registered Certified Reflexologist.
I wear many hats, depending on the time of day or week. I am a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother and primary caregiver for my Mom. I volunteer for Karnak Shriners by organizing drivers to pick up children travelling to Montreal to receive treatment at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children – Canada. I love to sew and watch movies.
Working for Voluntas gives me the opportunity to add you to my list of people that I may have the opportunity to support to the best of my abilities. I look forward to meeting you.
Michael "Mike" Olinik
Funeral Service Assistant
Hi, I’m Mike and I have been working at Voluntas since 2019. This was a big step for me because my Dad died when I was only 11 years old. Death in general was something you didn’t talk about in my family. Donna, my wife, works also at Voluntas. During a staff party, the sharing of sad and funny stories related to funeral service, done with such respect, had me interested in trying it out and I joined the team.
At Voluntas, my responsibilities vary as needed… washing the vehicles transporting your loved ones from place of death, to the crematorium or cemetery. I also assist the funeral director during funerals and I’m also a pallbearer. My nickname is “The Transporter”.
I met the love of my life in February 1977 and married in May 1979. We have two children and two grandchildren. I worked in accounting for forty years for the same company in Montreal East before retiring.
Lynn Brown-Poole
Communication & Customer Service Specialist
Lynn is a Communication & Customer Service Specialist at Voluntas. Her strong interpersonal and communication skills come from her years employed as a Senior Executive in sales and marketing for a large international corporation. She is a respected team leader who nurtures, motivates, and empowers high performing, productive teams. She also possesses solid entrepreneurial skills having built a successful business start-up.
As an avid reader, it was the love of reading that led her to start writing. And, once she started, she was hooked! She writes both non-fiction and fiction, but it is the thrill of creating a story simply from one’s imagination that really excites Lynn.
“It only takes a one-word prompt and my brain is off to the races thinking of all sorts of possible storylines. My best imagining is when I’m driving home after my creative writing workshop. It is not unusual to see me laughing alone in my car as I come up with all sorts of amusing and sometimes twisted ideas. Wink.”
A strong believer in community, Lynn is also an active volunteer with Literacy Unlimited, a community organization dedicated to changing lives through improved adult literacy.
Pierre Fontaine
Funeral Assistant & Event Director
Brigitte Taillefer
Customer Service Assistant & Hostess
Faye Gagné
Customer Service Administrative Assistant
Hi, I’m Faye. I began working at Voluntas in the fall of 2022.
As a student studying Criminal Psychology, I have always been passionate about finding a career where I could make a positive impact on the lives of others. When the opportunity to work at Voluntas, alongside an amazing group of individuals, arose, I knew I had to take it. I had long wondered about working in funeral services. Could I handle the grief that accompanies each family in their time of loss? Working at Voluntas, I have found that supporting families has been a privilege for me. At Voluntas I utilize my organizational skills, my attention to detail, my clerical duties but most importantly my empathy for every family that we have the honour of serving.
Maddox Gagné
Property Maintenance & Funeral Assistant
I’m Maddox Gagné. I have been working at Voluntas since 2022. My principle duties are to oversee the smooth running of all things pertinent to building and grounds. I take great pride in my work always making sure that everything is in top shape both structurally and aesthetically. I am someone who pays particular attention to detail; therefore, I derive great pride in working for Voluntas.
Since am one of 11 kids, I have learned how to focus on my tasks at hand even when distractions and noise can surround me. A helpful trait since I am currently attending University and plan to graduate with a law degree.
I love sports and have been playing hockey all my life. Working out at the gym doing CrossFit is part of my regular routine. Of course, I am competitive and am thinking that it might be time to start learning how to play golf so I can challenge my Dad. That could be a lot of fun!
Roxanne Nicol
Funeral Director Apprentice
Annie-Rose Marcoux
Funeral Service Assistant
Jacques Côté
Handyman
Johanne Brunet & Serge Aumais
Janitorial Team
In loving memory of Carol-Lynn Chayer
1965-2018
There are people who make a major impact when they enter into our lives. The relationship began in 2002 when Carol-Lynn and Stéphanie met at the funeral of a family member. It was winter 2012, at another memorial service this time for the mother of her friends, they renewed their acquaintances.
Stéphanie then asked Carol-Lynn to join our small Voluntas team. At first, she assisted the fledgling organization by accomplishing various tasks around the office. Her ability to greet and connect with families at the office and especially at commemorative events became an indispensable attribute. With her warm and contagious smile, her compassion, her listening skills, her impeccable appearance, her joie de vivre and sense of humour, grieving families were immediately put at ease and comforted in these difficult circumstances.
Following her first bout of cancer, she returned to work with renewed energy as she embraced her role by bringing peace in our work environment and an increased desire to accompany grieving families.
Carol-Lynn, you brought much joy in our lives. When we think of you, we can’t help but smile even as we shed tears. We think of you often, especially when we walk in the forest, when we enjoy salt and vinegar chips, when we read environmental and health related articles, but especially when we are serving families in need. Every year when clearing spider webs in front of our office, we recollect the day, when hundreds of little Spidermen descended upon you. You’ll be pleased to know that we have discovered a new and more ecological alternative solution to the spider problem. You will always be in our thoughts, as we share stories and sometimes laugh at those comical moments we experienced together, as we continue to serve grieving families as you would, with affection and compassion. Be assured we will continue to maintain ties with your family, Guillaume, Nicolas and Alexandre.
Your Voluntas friends forever
Here is a text written and read by her husband, Guillaume Hervé, at the celebration of her life.
…As an introvert, Carol-Lynn picked one of the most difficult jobs: working with families and large groups to ensure their funeral or commemoration services were done with the utmost respect and compassion and occurred without a single glitch. To truly understand Carol-Lynn, you would have to assist to one these events – like this one – when she was hosting. Which I did on two occasions when they were short on staff.
If she had been running this event, she would have prepared well ahead of time and rehearsed all the steps to ensure everything was well prepared in advance. She would show up early for the set up to make sure the space represented the wishes of the family. She might have prepared the transfer of the ashes into the urn as if it was her most beloved person that had been cremated.
Then, Carol-Lynn would have greeted us all with a warm and compassionate smile, as if she had known these strangers all her life, she would spot a grieving person and quietly walk over and kindly offer a Kleenex, a hand or a hug, she would stay and listen to the ceremony and eulogy to understand the life that was lived and give her own goodbyes to this stranger she had adopted for the day. She would wait until the very last person left before touching anything to ensure all had the time to grieve.
She would come home and speak to me about these ceremonies and how grateful she felt of being a witness. She would insist on taking part in the most difficult events: The passing of a young child or a suicide or a tragic death. I guess she knew this is where people would need the most support.
When I or her colleagues or the family she served told her how great she was, she would be embarrassed and say she did what anyone else would have done. She was humble to a fault.
To see her eulogy published in newspaper: https://voluntas.ca/fr/necrologies/chayer-carol-lynn/