If you want a personal funeral that reflects the unique life of the person who has died, call – and come in and talk to us.
Down to earth, simple, traditional, or an all-day event – it is the life of the person who has died that guides us, and for this we’ll be led by you and your family.
As you tell us about what you want, about the life and times of the person who has died, the funeral plans will emerge. No matter how simple, it will be a unique and characterful event that they themselves would have been pleased to attend.
You no longer need to follow the ‘default’ model of funeral that we’ve all attended and sometimes felt isolated from. Nor should you have to choose a range of services in a prescribed package format.
From our wide experience, we can help by knowing the procedures, the choices, the many sensible, practical ways in which the funeral can reflect the life and character of the person who has died; this way the funeral can create new – even wonderful – memories, and leave you, your family, and all who were there feeling fulfilled – even uplifted.
So how exactly are we different?
Continuity of care: We are a small team and the same individual will be involved in looking after the person who has died from the time you first contact us until after the funeral. This is not the case with all funeral companies. In some, roles are split between the staff who collect the person, those that look after the person’s body, those that arrange the funeral and the funeral director on the day of the funeral.
Language: We are careful about the language we use. We talk about ‘the person who has died’ – not ‘the deceased’. We say ‘died’ and not ‘passed’ (unless we sense you are not comfortable with this.) We say ‘visit’ or ‘spend time with the person who has died’ not ‘viewing the deceased’. And we talk about ‘collecting the person from home or place of death’, not ‘doing a removal’.
Involvement: You can have as much – or as little – involvement as you would like at every stage of the process. You can wash and dress the person who has died, be the one to place the lid on their coffin, create a nameplate for it, be involved in carrying the coffin. Plus many other ways which evolve as we plan the funeral.
Appearance: We don’t attend funerals in ‘traditional’ Victorian-style clothing. We dresss smartly and appropriately. Our premises are modern and comfortable, not like business premises. We are able to offer a dark blue Mercedes estate car as the funeral car on the day as we find many families don’t want a traditional black hearse. But if you do want a black or burgundy hearse, these are available.
Contacting us: We encourage families to make contact with us before the person has died; this way we will already have a relationship in place and you won’t be phoning a stranger.
Outreach: We are actively involved in our community in various ways, normalising the role of death and dying in our culture.
Independent: We are independent! We are not part of a large corporate group of funeral directors.
You can contact us at any time for funeral assistance
Contact us any time for funeral assistance. We can be contacted on 01453 767 769, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Family Tree is central Stroud's only independent funeral director. We offer all types of funeral, and every one is personal and memorable.
Our aim? To work with you to plan something special, and then make it all happen smoothly.
Thoughts and news from Family Tree Funerals
Guest blog – Reflections on a not-so-direct direct cremation
Introducing our first ‘guest blog’, this piece has been written by Roger Vincent-Silk whose wife Barbara died almost a year ago in February 2021. Barbara’s funeral was not conventional in that Roger opted for an ‘attended direct cremation’ and a shroud, not a coffin....
Covid update January 2021
Happy New Year to all our followers. Following the lockdown announcement last night, this is how funerals are looking in England now. As before, a maximum of 30 friends and family can attend a service but only six people are permitted to attend a wake. Crematoriums...
Coronavirus – September 2020 Update
As we head into September, the funeral world is looking more like its old self but still with some significant differences. Face to Face: We are now holding socially-distanced arrangement meetings in our office. The option remains to use Zoom or the phone if family...