REGINA — What began as a casual search through family records has reshaped a Regina business story more than a century in the making.
Adam Reeson thought he understood his place in local history. As owner of Frontier Monuments, he had long carried the identity of a fourth-generation memorialist — part of a lineage tied to Regina’s growth and its most enduring markers of memory.
As it turns out… he was wrong.
“I was doing some research on Ancestry with my mom,” Reeson explained. “And I stumbled on a newspaper article that changed everything. Nobody else in the family knew about it.”
That discovery traced his family’s involvement in the monument trade back another generation, revealing a fifth-generation legacy rooted in one of Regina’s earliest periods of expansion.
A deeper history beneath the surface
The new link centres on Ernest Hancock, Reeson’s great-great-grandfather, who operated Hancock, Sons & Co., a monument business active in Regina as early as 1919 — just as the city was emerging from its first major wave of growth following Saskatchewan’s early boom years.
Until now, the family’s documented story began in 1924, when Thomas L. Reeson founded the Regina Monumental Company. But the newly uncovered connection places the family’s work even earlier, in the years when Regina’s cemeteries were rapidly expanding alongside the city itself.
“It really adds a new layer to the story,” Reeson said. “It’s a good story. It’s an interesting story. And it’s surprising we didn’t know about it.”
That gap in knowledge remains something of a mystery. Reeson said even older relatives were unaware of the connection, raising questions about how the story was lost over time.
A business built on memory
For more than a century, the work itself has remained largely unchanged in purpose, even as the world around it has shifted.
Monuments, by design, are permanent. They mark lives, preserve names and anchor personal histories in physical space. In a city like Regina, where generations have come and gone, those markers quietly document the evolution of the community.
“I think it’s really important,” Reeson told. “What we do is permanently memorialize people’s lives. That’s part of history.”
That sense of responsibility has carried through each generation.
From Thomas Reeson’s early business in the 1920s, to Kenneth H. Reeson’s leadership in the 1950s, to the later stewardship of David, Ken Jr., Holly and John, the family remained tied to the trade until the sale of Regina Monumental Company in 2013.
Four years later, Frontier Monuments was founded — less a fresh start than a continuation.
Old-world craft meets modern change
Despite technological advances, parts of the monument industry remain stubbornly rooted in tradition.
Reeson describes a process where modern machinery and digital design meet techniques that would be instantly recognizable a century ago.
“At the end of the line, it’s still someone with a hammer and chisel,” he said. “That hasn’t really changed.”
At the same time, the business has adapted to a different kind of shift — one driven by changing cultural practices.
Cremation rates have risen significantly across Canada, altering how families choose to memorialize loved ones. While many still opt for traditional monuments, others are choosing alternatives that didn’t exist generations ago.
“There’s definitely been a change in the market,” Reeson expressed. “But there’s still a strong connection to memorialization.”
That balance—between tradition and adaptation—is now part of the legacy itself.
Carrying the weight of five generations
For Reeson, the discovery does not necessarily change how he runs his business. But it sharpens something deeper.
“I’ve always felt a responsibility,” he stated. “When you’re continuing something your family has done for generations, you have to live up to that standard.”
It is a standard built not just on craftsmanship, but on trust — earned one family, one monument, one story at a time.
Looking ahead, Reeson sees the possibility of a sixth generation already taking shape, even if informally.
“It’s kind of funny,” he said with a laugh. “My niece helped me proofread some things. So technically, she’s sixth generation.”
Whether that continues remains to be seen. But the expectation, he says, will remain the same.
“There are no shortcuts in this kind of work. You have to do it right.”
