I have been working in the funeral profession for 20 years, although it has been part of my life since I was born. Living on the premises and having your grandfather, father and uncle working in the profession meant that I got an education in bereavement from a very early age. I can always remember families turning up at the door and having to deal with enquiries at the weekend.
My first experience of working for the business was as a bearer when I was at college. My father would get me to carry on funerals in the afternoon once I had finished lessons. I then started to go on removals, out of hours, and was able to see how my father spoke and comforted bereaved families. Quite a lot of responsibility for a 17 year old! The language and the empathy that he used to reassure people made a vast impression on me and gave me the basic principles of how to deal with the bereaved. To me it seemed like an obvious choice to join the business for my gap year. Little did I know that I would never leave!
My first role for A.H. Cheater was as a Funeral Assistant, which involved working in the workshop furnishing coffins, participating in transferring the deceased, preparation for viewing, driving and bearing on funerals, and washing the vehicles. I believe this gave me a great appreciation of how all the funeral profession works behind the scenes. It’s all the important roles, like caring for the deceased, that the family don’t necessarily get to see happen. As a funeral director I can fully inform clients about the processes that happen, as I have performed them myself.
Gradually, I became more involved in the office side, until eventually I was thrown in at the deep end to arrange a funeral. From there the rest is history. At 21 years old I passed my Diploma in Funeral Directing and was already arranging and conducting over 100 funerals a year. When I look back at this period, I remember feeling under a lot of pressure to get things perfect for my families. I really didn’t want to let anyone down. With knowledge, experience, and a few life lessons, I have become able to handle the pressure better and not worry so much.
I have had the privilege to work with great staff, who have helped me gain all the experience I now have. No more so than my father Simon, whom I consider to be the best funeral director I know. The respect and friendship he has within the local community is somewhat due to the professional services he has provided for over 40 years. I am sure he would have said the same thing about his father Peter.
Now, as Managing Director, I am responsible for the complete operation of the company. Inevitably that has meant a small shift away from arranging funerals, although I am still an active funeral director and it is the part I enjoy the most. It has been rewarding and humbling to have been able to guide bereaved families for the last 20 years. As we continue to offer a traditional family service, with honesty, integrity, transparency at the heart of our beliefs, I look forward to taking the business forward, perhaps to the next generation!
Michael Peace
