Francis Day (Dip F.S.)
Francis believes in bringing the highest standards of professionalism to his calling. He is mindful of the philosophy, values and tradition of serving Nelson inherited by him down a continuous four-generation line and aims to pass on those values and philosophy through his own family. Francis’ wife Paddy and children Bridget and Patrick are all involved in the business. His other son Michael is a local accountant. Francis qualified in 1966 in Australia as an embalmer and has since tutored for the embalming course for the Central Institute of Technology. He has served as president and examiner for the Embalmers Association and is a life member of that association. Francis is the long serving chairman of the Funeral Services Training Trust.
One of only four Nelsonians qualified with a NZQA Diploma in Funeral Service, Francis strongly believes in providing a warm, professional and supportive atmosphere in which to farewell the deceased. He says funerals are for the living. You pay your respects to the dead, remember them but also reaffirm the faith, creed or philosophy of the living and give them assistance to cope with their loss.
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Alistair Ferguson (Dip F.S.)
Alistair manages the Waimea Richmond Funeral Home. He holds the qualification Diploma of Funeral Services. Born in Upper Hutt, Alistair attended primary school there and also at St Andrew's College Prep School in Christchurch and Kelburn, completing his schooling at Wellington College. As well as following his interests of surfing and rugby he developed an early interest in funeral directing, working for a funeral home near Porirua in his school holidays. He was offered training at that time but as he was only about 15 thought he was not ready to commit himself to that career. So he trained as an auto electrician but eventually moved to Nelson where he started work on 2 June 1976 with Marsden House, initially manufacturing caskets and assisting with funerals. Alistair believes this time was important in gaining an insight to the industry as a whole.
He started training as a funeral director in 1980-81, and followed that with embalming training in 1983-84, also achieving the Certificate in Funeral Services that year. He was amongst the first of his profession to receive the Diploma in Funeral Services in November 2000.
Alistair was elected to the New Zealand Embalmers Association executive November 1993, to the treasurer's position in 1995-97 and was president in 1997-1999.
He and his wife Kathy live in Richmond where Kathy is a primary school teacher. They have two children, Blair and Abbie.
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Bevan Hoult (Dip F.S.)
Bevan is married to Francis and Paddy’s daughter Bridget who also works with the company. They have three daughters - Alice, Laura and Emma. Bevan is a Nelsonian born and bred, with his family originating in the Wai-iti/Wakefield area. He was educated at St. Joseph's School and Nayland College and then moved to Auckland, working at Auckland Hospital for five years. He then studied for the ministry in Dunedin for several years before deciding this was not his vocation and returned to Nelson where he began working at Marsden House.
Bevan is one of the few people in Nelson fully qualified in Funeral Services. He gained a National Certificate of Embalming in 1997, a National Certificate in Funeral Directing in 1998 and completed the NZQA qualification Diploma of Funeral Services the following year.
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Bridget Hoult (Dip F.S.)
Bridget is the daughter of Francis and Paddy Day. She is presently studying for the Diploma in Funeral Services, fulfilling a lifelong ambition to continue the work of three previous generations of the Day family in caring for the bereaved.
To be sure this was the right career path, Bridget first tried something else in life. She left Nelson and travelled to the United Kingdom where she taught in a private school. Her nine years overseas served to cement her desire to be trained in the family industry and she returned to New Zealand where she met and married her husband Bevan, who also works in the family firm.
When not at work Bridget loves spending time with Bevan and their three young daughters. She also enjoys playing and listening to music, walking and sports.
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Patrick Day
Patrick is the son of Francis and Paddy Day and, along with his sister Bridget, represents the fourth generation in the family funeral directing business.
A qualified computer programmer along with a National Certificate in Funeral Services, Patrick now manages the monumental masons G Miller and Sons and is a member of the New Zealand Monumental Masons Association Inc. Patrick was apprenticed to his uncle, Joseph Day, in the monumental mason business and took over management of G Miller and Sons after Joe's sudden death in 1995. At that time the business was located in Vanguard Street but was transferred to its present premises in Salisbury Road in 1996. He also works closely with both Marsden House and Waimea Richmond Funeral Home and is rostered with both those firms to officiate as a funeral director.
Patrick, his wife Tracey and children Christopher, Nikita, Rhyn and Jasmine, live on site in Salisbury Road and Patrick is available to clients 24 hours a day.
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Barry Holmwood (Dip F.S.) |
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Support staff
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Pat Buchanan
Pat has worked for Marsden House since the mid-1990s, bringing with her knowledge and experience in grieving gained through her ongoing work as a registered nurse, specifically with the elderly. She also studied listening and bereavement skills through courses at Sally McCormick House and believes those combined qualifications help her to gain a balance between her two vocations.
Pat is married to Doug, a retired businessman who is now enjoying a new lease of life working on an orchard. They have two adult children and a precious granddaughter and enjoy the shared interests of travel, tramping and being grandparents. Pat is also a “mad, keen gardener”.
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Lois Plummer
Lois takes care of financial management.
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Paddy Day
Paddy manages the catering service at Marsden House.
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