Joining the family firm was not originally in Emily Fraser’s career plan.
After school, she studied medical science in university and later changed course to pursue a law degree.
But one summer her father asked if she would help out in the office, and she has been a part of the funeral business ever since.
“I soon found myself carrying out funerals, driving limousines and assisting out of hours”, she said. “That’s how it started.”
Fourth generation of family funeral business
Emily and her sister Francesca are the fourth generation of her family to work for funeral directors Willliam T Fraser and Son.
It is one of the big three family undertaker firms which have served Inverness for decades.
The business was started in 1919 in Kiltarlity by William Fraser Snr and, as well as in Inverness, hosts funerals in Wester Ross and Skye.
William (Bill) Fraser, son of the founder, is still at the helm today, with his son Martin and granddaughters Emily and Francesca as fellow funeral directors.
Emily’s mother Shanea Fraser also works behind the scenes in admin and accounts.
Bill Fraser was responsible for setting up the business’s premises in Culduthel Road in 1985 when it was on the outskirts of town, unlike the city centre location of the two other funeral homes.
It was a risk at the time, but has served the firm well.
Moving funerals online
“Our location in the south-west of Inverness has seen substantial housing and infrastructure growth since our opening”, says Emily.
“With a business like ours, it is only going to grow as the city grows.”
One of the biggest changes affecting funerals in recent years has been the growth of technology.
At the beginning of 2020, and pre-Covid, the company introduced livestreaming in its funeral home, allowing services to be seen anywhere in the world.
“Once Covid hit, livestreaming of funeral services became invaluable and helped families enormously”, said Emily.
“It’s the next best thing to being there in person.”
Covid also saw a rise in ‘direct cremations’, a trend that has also continued post-pandemic.
These are simple, no-fuss and low-cost unattended cremations, with no funeral service or family present.
Other changes include the popularity of eco coffins, with those made from seagrass, willow or wool becoming more popular in recent years.
Planning your own service
And while funerals remain a taboo subject for many, there has also been a rise in the number of people wishing to pre-plan their own farewell.
“The benefit of planning your own funeral is that there are no definite dos and don’ts”, said Emily.
“We can note down all your wishes and you will have peace of mind that your funeral will be carried out just like you have planned.
“You can plan all your music choices, you can come in and select your own coffin from our display and you can view our chapel where your service will be.”
Some people even write their own eulogy. One customer went even further and organised the entire slideshow of photographs for his service.
“After we had put together the slideshow with his chosen music, he came into our chapel to watch it and thereafter approve it to be played at his own service.
“We cater to everyone’s wishes, from a simple direct cremation to a more elaborate affair and are happy to spend as much time as it takes to get it just right.”
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