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 Paddys 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 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
Funeral Directors
Assistant. |
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Support staff 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 takes care of financial management. |
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Paddy Day manages the catering service at Marsden House. |

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