Dempsey & Forrest
Dempsey & Forrest Funeral Directors have assisted families in Wanganui at their time of bereavement since 1930. The Company is 100% locally owned and operated by Jim and James Forrest. Our commitment is to ensure we provide our families with a very compassionate, high quality professional and personalised service to meet your individual requirements and needs.
Our experienced and qualified funeral professionals, Jim Forrest, James Forrest, Paul Watkins, Julie Kenny and Fleur McNabb are able to guide you through the many facets of a funeral to assist you in making personalised and memorable funeral arrangements to reflect the personality of your loved one.
The Forrest Lawn Chapel
Our modern air conditioned chapel is spacious and comfortable and features a cascading waterfall as a tranquil backdrop, providing a unique and peaceful setting. An electronic organ, Power Point and audio and video facilities are available to record the funeral service. This is particularly useful on occasions when family members are out of the country or unable to attend the funeral. Our chapel can accommodate a small or large number of people.
The Forrest Catering Lounge
Our lounge, we are proud to say, is one of the best catering lounges in the country. It has been built separate from the workings of the funeral home to provide a homely atmosphere and for hygenic purposes. The lounge has been designed in a way that we can cater for 30 people in an intimate environment or we can cater for a large number of people up to 500. It has a fully equipped kitchen and a second servery that can be used as a bar. Bi-folding doors open out on to a large sheltered and private courtyard.
"Agna" - 1935 Austin Hearse
The latest addition to our vehicle fleet is "Agna" our 1935 Austin hearse. We imported Agna from Lancashire, UK. Agna has featured in the popular television series "Last of the Summer Wine" and "The Bill". She has become well known since arriving to us in Wanganui and now assists us on many of our funerals with families often requesting her by name.
Grief Support
As part of our caring service we offer a Grief Support group that may be of use to individuals at their time of loss. This is free service and can help individuals or families in many ways. Our group meets fortnightly and we encourage you to contact us to find out the details of our next support meeting.
Pre-Arranged and Prepaid Funerals.
Pre-arranging a funeral allows you to plan a meaningful funeral service that reflects who you are and what was significanat throughout your life. Planning ahead can also relieve some of the emotional stress.
Dempsey & Forrest Funeral Directors - a continuing family tradition caring for Wanganui families. Our caring and dedicated team are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
| Chapel: |
Yes |
| Capacity: |
200 |
| Catering: |
Yes |
| Women funeral directors: |
No |
| Qualified funeral directors: |
Yes |
| Counselling Referral service: |
Yes |