With their backgrounds — Gary having over 30 years’ business experience in Dunedin, and Diane’s over 20 years’ experience working with the deceased and their families for the Otago District Health Board — they make a good team.
Gary and Diane are both focused on the same thing, and that is looking after families and their loved one with dignity and respect, but at an affordable price.
Caskets are handmade on the premises with natural products, right down to the stain, which is waterbased. The caskets can be drawn on by family members. This is a positive aspect of the caskets, as often the bereaved are unable to say what they would like to, and this way they get to
leave a message on the casket which goes with the deceased. Children often benefit from this too, and their last memory of a grandparent can be a more pleasant one.
Exit Funerals now has its own premises at 9 Buller St, with undercover parking for families. At the premises, they have a comfortable viewing room where families can come to see their loved one and spend some time with them in a pleasant setting.
Previously they had only been involved in cremations, however, they are now able to provide burial services too. Exit Funerals are guided by what the family wants. They hold services not only in the Crematorium Chapel but also in a place of someone’s choosing.
They have had occasions where the family just wish to spend time with their family member at home, sometimes instead of a funeral. Being family-oriented, Gary and Diane treat loved ones with the same care and respect they would want for their own family.
They are a non-embalming funeral service, preferring to use cool storage as a method of preservation and 99% of the time this works well and, in their view, people look more natural.
Exit Funerals covers the Otago area, including Oamaru and Southland. They welcome phone and email enquiries, and visitors to their premises.
