Funeral director marks 20 years at Dorset branch
Originally from Sheffield, Marcella McDonagh entered the sector straight after leaving school, inspired by a documentary on embalming
Douch Family Funeral Directors is marking Marcella McDonagh’s two decades of service as a funeral director at the Dorset-based company, reflecting on the changes in a profession that was once “overwhelmingly” male.
McDonagh, who joined the firm’s Ives and Shand branch in Parkstone, Poole, 20 years ago, began her career in the early 1990s when few women entered the industry.
Originally from Sheffield, McDonagh entered the sector straight after leaving school, inspired by a documentary on embalming. Her early responsibilities included vehicle cleaning, coffin preparation, ambulance driving and family support at funerals.
After relocating to Dorset, she qualified through the Salisbury School of Funeral Sciences and the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD).
Since joining Douch Family Funeral Directors, McDonagh has remained at the Parkstone branch, where she continues to support families through bereavement.
McDonagh said: “Each funeral is unique, each story different, and I consider it a deep honour to be entrusted with such a personal responsibility.”
McDonagh noted that the profession has changed significantly during her time in it, with some areas now seeing more women entering funeral work than men.
Nick Douch, managing director of Douch Family Funeral Directors, added: “Like the clergy, funeral directors were once very male-dominated. But as society changed so has the funeral industry and we recognised this in our family business many years ago.
“Marcella has been at our Ives and Shand branch since she began with us and the branch is always busy and the feedback from families is always extremely positive.”
He added that the team now includes “many exceptional female funeral directors who bring diverse experiences and strengths to their roles”.
