Our People

Bevan Hoult

Funeral Director

(JP, Dip FS MNZEA)

Bevan brings 20+ years of experience in funeral directing to Waimea Richmond Funeral Services. With a Diploma in Funeral Services and qualifications in embalming, Bevan approaches his profession as a true calling. Bevan enjoys being active in the community and believes that it is vital to give back to the community that you live in. He feels very privileged to serve as a Justice of the Peace, and has also spent time serving as president of a brass band and as a trustee on a school board.

Spending time with his family is the most important thing for Bevan. With his 3 daughters grown he and Bridget relish any opportunity to spend with them and their grandchildren.
Bevan feels honoured and humbled to be invited into people’s lives at such a difficult time. He is dedicated to making the journey a little easier for grieving families, providing support and compassion when it is needed most.

Bridget Hoult

Funeral Director

(Dip FS MNZEA)

Bridget Hoult (nee Day) is the fourth generation to step into the shoes of running Days Funeral Services along with husband Bevan, having taken the reins from her father Francis.

Bridget’s journey in funeral services started as a young child, and while she was still at school she cleaned the hearses and helped her grandmother with the catering. She is proud that the company was the first in New Zealand to introduce catering at funeral services. Following school, Bridget headed overseas for 10 years teaching in England. Fast-forward a few decades, Bridget loves being back in Nelson and spending precious time with her and Bevans 3 children and 2 grandkids. Bridget is dedicated to continuing the family commitment to serving families with care and dignity in their time of need.

Marchella Persico

Funeral Director

After working as an Orthodontic Auxiliary for the past 15 years, Marchella decided it was time to look into the dream I had of becoming a funeral director.

Marchella started working for Days Funeral Services in 2021. She finds it very rewarding being able to care for the deceased and provide them with dignity and respect in their final journey and helping support the families in my care while they navigate through such difficult times.

Outside of work, she is raising 3 sons with her husband and enjoying family time, while fitting in study for the New Zealand Diploma in Funeral Directing and being secretary for the Nelson Italian Club.

Liz Dennis

Funeral Director

(Dip FD)

Born and raised in Gore, Southland, Liz had owned and operated her own funeral home in Gore for the last 11 years, she has now just relocated with her family to Nelson and joined the team at Marsden House.

Liz obtained her Funeral Directing Diploma in 2014.

I enjoy meeting people from all sides of life, often at a time when they are vulnerable and in need of guidance – it is a privilege to help and support families, and to develop a relationship with every family. Liz finds one of the most rewarding aspects of being a F.D is helping to facilitate families in saying goodbye to their loved ones and help them to create a meaningful farewell.

In her downtime Liz enjoys going to the gym, gardening, her mainecoon cats, spending time with family and taking one of their cars to the car shows with her husband.

Kirsten Lineham

Receptionist

After finishing her career with the BNZ where she had been for 17 years, Kirsten decided it was time for a change.

“Having grown up in Motueka with the Day family, I knew when I saw the position of Funeral Director advertised that it would be an opportunity to serve the community I knew well and work with a great team”

Kirsten started as a casual funeral assistant on services both in our Nelson and Golden Bay Motueka areas.  During this time she also learnt and covered the office administration duties, so when the time came it was natural for her to step into this position full time.

Kirsten is also fast proving her graphic skills by designing wonderful service sheets and memorial books for the families we support.

Outside of work, Kirsten is Club Captain for the Nelson Speedway where her husband races in the Superstock class.  They both have a keen interest in classic American cars and on weekends when not at the track can be found maintaining their extensively planted lifestyle property.

Brenda Skurr

Brenda was looking for a new challenge after working for Nelson Tasman Kindergartens for 14 and a half years. She saw the advertisement for an administrator at P Day & Son Ltd and pictured herself working as the administrator alongside funeral directors. After being an administrator primarily in community-based workplaces for 24 years, Brenda felt that even though funeral homes are not community workplaces, they are helping the community at a grassroots level.

“Working with Bevan and Bridget at the start of their journey with Days Funeral Services Ltd is a privilege, and with my accounts experience and ability to connect with families, I am really enjoying being part of a team that continues to help and assist families through an often-tough time in their lives.”

Brenda has recently purchased her first home and is enjoying the ability to plan and plant her own garden. She wishes for her garden to have mainly edibles and is becoming a passion to research and learn about different fruit trees and vegetables.

Francis Day

Consultant

(FBIE, Nat Dip FS)

Francis believes in bringing the highest standards of professionalism to his calling. He is mindful of the philosophy, values and tradition of serving Nelson, inherited by him down a continuous four-generation line. Francis aims to pass on those values and philosophy through his own family, with his wife Paddy, children Bridget and Patrick, who are all involved in the business – his youngest son Michael has a career in Accounting and Business Management. Francis qualified in 1966 in Australia as an embalmer and has since tutored for the embalming course for the Central Institute of Technology. He has served as president and examiner for the Embalmers Association and is a life member of that association. Francis is the long serving chairman of the Funeral Services Training Trust.

One of only four Nelsonians qualified with a NZQA Diploma in Funeral Service, and holds a Fellowship Degree of the British Institute of Embalmers, Francis strongly believes in providing a warm, professional and supportive atmosphere in which to farewell the deceased. He says funerals are for the living, where you pay your respects to the dead – remember them but also reaffirm your faith, creed or philosophy and give you assistance to cope with your loss.