Ana-Maria
Attitudes have changed a great deal in the time Ana-Maria Richardson has been in the funeral business.
The Hamilton East funeral director can remember when folk always dressed up and mostly wore black for funerals, when cars slowed to allow a cortege to pass, and families didn’t have as much input into the funeral planning as they do today with the greater use of technology.
Nowadays, she says, funerals have become more personalised, even informal affairs – it is about celebrating life and honouring the wishes of the deceased person.
As for a funeral cortege – well, more often than not, the procession of mourners’ cars following the hearse will be broken up by the increased number of motorists, traffic lights, and roundabouts.
Ana-Maria smiles as she remembers the occasion when she was asked to arrange the funeral of a bike club member who had died in a car accident. On that occasion the cortege did remain in one piece – but only after a member stopped his motorbike in the middle of the roundabout and stared down any
would-be interlopers.
But, while society’s attitude to funerals may have changed, one thing has not – as she has done from the outset, Ana-Maria still lays the same emphasis on a respectful care and compassion for the bereaved.
“For many people,” she says, “the funeral is the first time they have experienced the death of someone close to them. They don’t know where to turn or what to do. Bereaved families need to feel that they can place their trust in you to carry out their wishes and know that you will take good care of their loved one in a dignified and respectful manner.”
And it was this commitment to personalised care that decided Ana-Maria on her new “offices”. Number 82 Grey Street is a heritage-protected home built in 1932 in the Spanish Mission style by noted Hamilton architect Terrance Philip Vautier.
Visitors will find no reception area, no artificial flower arrangements, no dimmed lights, and no canned music.
Instead they will be greeted at the front door by Ana-Maria and invited into the sitting room with its exposed wooden beams, art deco stained glass, and ornate pressed ceiling.
It is all part-and-parcel of Ana-Maria’s ethic of helping clients feel as comfortable as possible by providing peaceful, familiar surroundings in stressful times.
“I knew I wanted a place that was more like a family home, I wanted something that was warm, friendly, and welcoming. Because of resource consents for funeral businesses these days many are situated in industrial/commercial areas. I didn’t want that, even though I did look at a number of prospective buildings. I thought the Grey Street home was worth the possible complications of a resource consent application.”
Ana-Maria took over the lease of the building in December and moved into the house in January.
Already she is well established, with just a few touches, such as the fountain in the courtyard, that husband Peter is reconditioning. He also assists Ana-Maria when needed in the various aspects of the
funeral business.
“The house is a unique and private place, with good disabled access. There’s a garden that families can retreat to mull things over. I hope to be a little like the old-fashioned country funeral directors who often did business over a cup of tea. I want families to feel they are in a warm, homely, and safe environment – that they can trust me to take good care of their loved one and their
needs and wishes.
I want people to feel they are coming to a home where they will receive a bespoke service, one tailored exactly to their needs.”
Rotarian Ana-Maria started out as a school secretary at St Paul’s Catholic School in Ngāruawāhia and was appointed as a Justice of the Peace during that time.
“I loved the job, caring for the community and while there I used to do pastoral care work for the church helping families, doing the service sheets.”
When she felt a need for a change, Ana-Maria knew her second career had to involve helping people, so she approached a Hamilton funeral parlour.
“They told me to come back with a one-page CV and offered me a couple of days’ experience so I could trial the job. Death has never worried me, and they put me in the mortuary the first day and I helped to dress and casket a deceased person. I knew then that funeral directing was for me. “I started work training a few months later, and immediately wished I had done it sooner.”
Ana-Maria is grateful for the training and experience she gained when working for two of the larger funeral homes in Hamilton. Seven years ago, she started working as an independent funeral director, but with changing circumstances she decided it was time to operate from her own premises.
Family has always been important to Ana-Maria and Peter. The couple has two adult children, Sam and Lucia, son-in-law Phillip, and three grand-daughters – Isabella, Emily and Ava. Ana-Maria believes this love of family and the understanding of the joy involved means she can better care for the bereaved. “I am honoured and privileged to be entrusted with the care of a loved one and their family at a time when they are most vulnerable and in need.” Ana-Maria smiles when she reflects on her years in the industry.
“When I started, we usually only had contact with the family once or twice before the funeral. “Now I have a lot more contact with families as they often have specific needs around music, slideshows, visual/audio recording, live streaming to other countries, the way the casket is presented, poems/readings, colour of the flowers for the casket, memorabilia to be displayed and deciding on pallbearers.
“I like to reassure them that I have covered all their wishes so that the funeral will run smoothly – family is important to me, I believe in strong family values.”
