Judy Cole says the family business of William Cole Funerals will go to almost any length to help personalise a loved one’s send-off. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Even by today’s standards, it was an unusual request for a funeral director.
Judy Cole vividly recalls the man coming in to the funeral home to discuss a specific wish for his wife’s farewell.
“He wanted a traditional church service but he didn’t want to use a coffin,” Judy says.
“He wanted his wife laid out, almost like Snow White, on a board made up and surrounded by a bed of flowers.”
It was some years ago, but Judy also remembers her father Bill (founder of William Cole Funerals) was a bit unsure about whether this was, in fact, possible.
“So he rang the health department who said ‘It’s fine by us’ and rang the church who also said yes,” Judy says.
“We did wonder what people might think when they turned up and saw a body lying there – but it was absolutely beautiful and exactly what the man wanted for his wife.
“At the end of the service, she was placed in a coffin for cremation.”
When it comes to helping farewell a loved one, William Cole Funerals will go to almost any length to personalise preparations and proceedings.
“Provided it’s legal, we’ll do it,” says Judy, who joined the business at a young age to become the youngest female embalmer in Australia.
“We don’t just do traditional funerals, we do everything …”
The funeral home has traded hearses for horse-drawn carts, the back of utes and log trucks. It’s overseen services in lounge rooms, backyards and even at sea.
You could say, making it personal has been the over-arching philosophy of Bill and his wife Christine since they founded the family-based Canberra business 35 years ago.
Bill, 74, believes his is a “feel-good occupation”.
He says the satisfaction lies in knowing you are helping grieving families get through “a hell of an experience”.
“They arrive to us in a bit of a fog and our job is to help provide the options that will ensure they can plan a funeral reflecting the person they loved,” he says.
From delivering coffins to a home for family members to paint and decorate together to organising the silhouette of South American activist Che Guevara to be screen printed across a casket lid, the options are truly endless, Bill says.
One of the big changes he has noticed in recent years is a move towards cane-woven caskets. He says they not only look “softer”, but are seen as a more eco-friendly option along with cardboard coffins and biodegradable urns.
Judy says William Cole Funerals encourages families to be as involved – and inventive – as possible when it comes to preparations.
She says sometimes there is a fear to ask what is possible or what is allowed.
“I don’t think Australians do death really well,” she says.
“Other cultures know what to do; they grieve really differently and do it well.
“If people want to come in and help with the dressing or the washing (of their loved one) … we say yes, yes, and yes!”
Judy loves when the “beautiful Māori” come in and sing as part of their farewell rituals.
“It gives you chills down your spine to see them embrace each other and sing together,” she says.
The team of 18 staff at William Cole Funerals is well versed in guiding families and friends through the often daunting process of organising a loved one’s final farewell.
“We can brainstorm ideas together and have as little or as much involvement as you want,” Judy says.
“We want to hear all about the person, their likes, their dislikes, and their personality so we can celebrate them properly and give families what they need to be able to grieve.”
Judy says she has met so many amazing people at the very worst time.
“Sometimes I wish I had met them in different circumstances,” she says.
“But to be able to walk that journey with them and to provide something so incredibly special … well, there is huge satisfaction in that.”
For more information visit William Cole Funerals.
