A FUNERAL company which grew out of furniture business Rowland, Son and Vincent is celebrating its 85th birthday.
Marsha Vincent has run Rowland’s Funeral Services in Petersfield for 15 years but the family firm was founded in 1934 by her grandfather Percy Vincent and Fred Pullinger – both cabinet makers – and taxi driver Tim Lamport.
At the time Percy was working for William Rowland at Rowland, Son and Vincent.
Opened around 1882 by William’s father Charles Rowland, it was a haberdashery which also sold boots and later moved into furniture and fabrics.
Marsha said: “Rowland’s Funeral Services came about when Percy tried to encourage his father-in-law, William, to do fabrics, but he said no.
"So Percy decided ‘I’ll start a funeral directors instead’. Percy used the skills of the cabinet makers to make coffins.”
Rowland’s now has four Chapels of Rest, a Service Chapel, and a coffin and memorial showroom.
Modern services tend to celebrate life and often include photos, different vehicles and a variety of music – but making funerals perfect remains the priority.
Marsha said: “We just try to lift the burden a little and enable families to do the last thing for their loved one and be able to say ‘I did right by them’.”