Death is not something that anybody really wants to talk about but unfortunately it’s coming for us all. When the time does come it’s amazing how few people are prepared or have even discussed it with family. What can happen is a panicked fluster to make arrangements and somebody left feeling that they “don’t know what they are doing”. This is where a good funeral director helps. How do you find a good funeral director on the Isle of Man? For the most part for Manx families they go with whoever the family has always used, regardless of any previous experiences. However if you don’t have any family ties or wish to shop around where do you even begin?
The most common question new people on the island have with this is: If you live in a certain place (Douglas, Ramsey, Castletown, Peel, Port Erin, Port St Mary) do you have to use a certain funeral director? The answer to that is an emphatic no. The island is small and although territories may be “claimed” there is nothing to stop you picking a Funeral Director from anywhere on island, no matter where you live. It is a free market and you are free to choose the funeral director that best meets your needs.
The next question that comes up a lot is: My relative has passed away in a home, do I need to use the services of the funeral director recommended by that home? The answer again is an emphatic no. Hopefully you will have discussed your loved ones wishes with them before and there is nothing to stop you choosing a Funeral Director at the time of those discussions to deal with the passing and any arrangements that need to be made with the home.
The last question that gets asked a lot relates to our status as an island nation. Many people move to the Isle of Man with family off island, a number of these are beyond retirement age, the island is an amazing place to retire to. I’ve been tasked with making arrangements for my family member who passed away on island but I live elsewhere? This ties back into the first question. Any Funeral Director on the Isle of Man can make arrangements across the whole island. The key here is to find a funeral director that is both responsive and has many ways to communicate with. It is no good if they only deal by phone (call costs could be enormous) and only at certain hours.
At this point we understand that any Funeral Director on the Isle of Man can care for your loved one no matter where on the island they lived, you live or where they passed. So what should you look for?
Locality – This can be important, however the island is generally a small place and easy to get around. It’s understandable that if you and all your relatives live in Castletown you may not want to use a Funeral Director based in Ramsey purely for logistics. However you shouldn’t discount the idea purely on that, they may offer services that your local Funeral Director doesn’t which could help honour your loved ones wishes. Only one funeral director on the island to date has multiple offices and that is Corkhill and Callow. They have been established in the north of the island for over 100 years and have recently opened a new first for the island state of the art funeral home in Ballasalla to help make life easier for families in the south, including Castletown, Port Erin, Port St Mary, Ballasalla and Colby. The Ballasalla premises is only a 10 minute drive away from Douglas as well and includes ample parking, something not always a feature of the traditional funeral homes on the island.
Compassion & Flexibility – This should be a given for any funeral director and you’d hope that any that you choose will show an abundance of both. From a personal point of view what I would say is that I’ve never had any issues with the funeral directors on island that I’ve dealt with. However you can still tell when somebody is going that extra mile, almost as if they begin to treat your family as their family. The extra compassion does stand out and it’s what separates a good funeral director from an outstanding funeral director.
Communication – Exceptionally important. With so many family ties to funeral directors it can be easy for the business to not consider this a priority. As long as they have a phone number they are happy. If you are off-island or if you have no ties to a funeral director on island then how they communicate should be as important to you as any other consideration. Are they responsive to e-mails? Do they have options for you to communicate directly for free? Does their website give you options? How do you get your loved ones wishes to them long before they have passed away? Corkhill and Callow have recently added a great option to allow people to submit no obligation funeral wishes with an easy to use online form allowing you and your relative to fill in together in a matter of minutes.
Facilities/Fulfilling Wishes – Not all funeral directors are created equal in this respect. Some (virtually all) island funeral directors rely on the facilities provided by the location the service is to take place in. This may be fine in most cases but there are limitations. What if you wish to have the service live streamed but the facility doesn’t have that option? Has the funeral director invested in a robust streaming service? Music choices, how pro-active is the funeral director in sourcing the music that was requested? It is very common to want to have a slideshow of family photographs during a service, does your funeral director give this option? Cars. Not everybody wants a black hearse and limousine. How prepared is your funeral director to offer you options? These are all questions you should ask yourself when looking for a funeral director on island.
Isle of Man Funeral Directors List And Where They Are Located
Corkhill & Callow – Ramsey – 813114
Corkhill & Callow – Ballasalla – 855354
David Lancaster Ltd – Peel – 842945
Direct Cremation Services – 478422
Eric Fargher Ltd – Onchan – 673109
Kingswood Funeral Home – Douglas – 661611
Kissacks of Crosby – Crosby – 480795
T.S. Keggen & Son – Port Erin – 833133
Which Funeral Director Would We Personally Recommend?
As with any recommendation on this site it comes with the huge disclaimer, it’s based on our personal opinion and we don’t get anything in return for it. Our choice is simple, looking at all the criteria above and based on our experience all things being equal we would choose Corkhill and Callow. Established for over 100 hundred years and no business survives that long without having a great reputation. Their 2 locations cover the whole island so should circumstances change arrangements can be made to make you and your families lives easier. The new facility in Ballasalla is state of the art (phone 01624 855354 to talk to the staff there), unlike anything else on the island. They have invested in technology, they are the only funeral director that allowed for funeral wishes to be submitted easily online via a form. Phone systems are professional and manned at all times. E-mails are responded to quickly. They have sourced their own streaming and display facilities so no matter where the service location you are sure to have the access that you need. They have even invested in silver vehicles (whilst maintaining traditional black as an option). Finally and most importantly, all the staff care deeply, it is obvious when dealing with them how much they do care and Tim the Managing Director will clearly do whatever it takes to make sure you get the service you deserve.
Disclaimer – Your experience may differ. You may have a funeral director you prefer and that’s fine. But for us this is who we recommend.