Our years of service will serve you well

Gary Staker established his own company in 2007 building on his 25-year track record of serving Tyneside communities as their local funeral director and earning their trust. Aged only 19, Gary stumbled into funerals accidentally having applied to be a driver at a local independent funeral director. He quickly realised a passion for caring and supporting families who were facing loss and bereavement. This was the start of a 17 year long period with a major chain during which he worked up to branch manager for a number of sites.
In 2007, Gary set up his first branch in Monkseaton, joined swiftly by Janet Smith who between them, were offering families a combined 50 years experience of funeral support. Business grew steadily and by 2014, Gary has set up his second branch in Shiremoor and the team of four full time funeral staff were well established.
In 2018, Gary sought out another family business with ethics and experience to take on the legacy of his own. William Purves, with its five generations and reputation for premier funeral services was a natural fit. Today our values of compassion, dedication, integrity and respect are at the heart of Gary Staker as the team continue providing first class support to bereaved families in the North Tyneside area.

William Purves history

Helping you honour their life

As the final ritual of life, a funeral is our way of saying goodbye, honouring a life lived and a life loved. Funerals play an important role in our grieving process and often we can feel a huge responsibility to get it right. Which is why we start with the view that every funeral is unique and every funeral is special. In years to come we want you to look back without regret and take comfort from the way you laid your loved one to rest.

We have has been guiding and supporting families through bereavement for many generations. Let our family help your family by sharing with you the wealth of understanding and experience we have gathered over the years.