Shone & Shirley exists to serve the families who request our assistance, offering sympathetic, understanding and caring guidance, which is cost competitive. Our purpose is to help each family tailor a funeral for their loved one which is unique and personal - a service which is true to the person who has died and which reflects their life, personality, beliefs and culture. Therefore, we focus on taking our instructions from the family.

We treat the deceased with the same dignity and honour that we would want to offer our own family members.

It is our sincere wish that our families will look back to the funeral period with a sense of peace and satisfaction, knowing that they were able to experience a special and fond farewell.

Thomas Shone senior began his business in 1862 as a cabinet maker, upholsterer and undertaker in Bridge Street. It was common for cabinet makers who were the main suppliers of coffins, to branch into other funeral related business.

On his death in 1890 his two sons, both cabinet makers, carried on the family business. About 1900 Alfred relocated the business to the present site in Collingwood Street.

The business was sold in 1922 to John Bredbury and then to F S Campen in 1936. Shone & Co., as it was known, bought out the Richmond based funeral operations of W E Wilkes Ltd.

Shone & Shirley expects the absolute best from all its staff. Only people with a genuine sense of calling to their work are offered the privilege of joining the team, which will serve the families who request our assistance.

Ted Shirley acquired Shone & Co in 1970 adding his family name to the companies names. Ted’s sons operated Shone & Shirley Ltd as a family business until 2000 when the MacDonald family purchased the business.

In May 2005 the business was sold to Ian and Suzanne Bell and Craig and Tracey Hames of Christchurch. Ian and Suzanne own and operate Bell, Lamb & Trotter Funeral Directors Limited in Christchurch and together with their love of the Nelson and Marlborough area, considered the link between Nelson and Christchurch to be advantageous to the families that these two old established funeral companies serve by working together to provide very competitive pricing along with a high standard of service.

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