Gordon McKean (74) and his wife, Myrtle (72), will no longer direct and assist at funerals in Palmerston and East Otago.
Their Palmerston Funeral Services business has been sold to Hope and Sons funeral directors of Dunedin, and Hopes say they will maintain, at least initially, a base in Palmerston .
The McKeans have served the East Otago area for 36 years. Their involvement with funerals began in 1972 when Mr McKean first assisted Forrest Funeral Services owner Jim Forrest, of Palmerston, to direct a funeral.
He ran Forrest Funeral Services for 10 years before buying the business in 1982.
Mr McKean earned a reputation for carrying out his work in a caring and professional way. When he needed to, he could talk things over with a close friend who was also a funeral director.
Sometimes, dealing with several funerals in a short time could be demanding, both for the funeral directors and for the Palmerston and East Otago community. This was particularly so when young people were involved or when people were killed in road accidents.
Being a funeral director meant always being close to the phone, Mr McKean said, and cellphones had made contact easier.
The relatives of a person who had just died often needed to talk. If they rang during the night, it was often useful for them to talk things over.
He never minded talking at night. People often wanted to know about the funeral procedures as fast as possible.
The liaison between Mr McKean and the local doctors, district nurses, hospitals, rest homes and clergy had always been very good, he said.
More young people - and more women - were becoming funeral directors these days he said, and there seemed to be no shortage of funeral directors in Otago.
Mr McKean also operated a butcher's shop in Palmerston for more than 40 years. He retired from the butchery business almost three years ago.
He agreed that he did get a little teasing about his two roles in the town. But his shoulders were broad and he could put up with occasional teasing, he said.
The two roles were quite different. He was usually very jovial in the butcher's shop but when he was called away to arrange a funeral, he became serious and people noted his changed demeanour.
