About Us ….
Sue & Marcus Wilkinson
Originally established in 1811, Alfred Smith & Son have been serving the communities of West Cornwall for over 200 years.
Now in our fifth generation, we are proud of our history and the business remains family owned and managed by Sue and Marcus Wilkinson. Sue is the Great-Granddaughter of Alfred Smith.
Our funeral service team is headed up by Marcus. Marcus has been arranging funerals for over 30 years and has a wealth of experience and personally oversees all aspects from the initial call to the conclusion of arrangements.
Marcus has a distinguished career in the funeral profession. He is a holder of The Diploma in Funeral Directing and was awarded The Scales Award for the highest marks achieved in his professional examinations. In 2011, he was elected an Honorary Member of The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) in recognition of his service to the Association. Marcus is only the 26th person to receive this rare accolade in the Association’s 115 year history.
He served as the NAFD’s Honorary Treasurer from 1996 until 2008 and again from 2018 to 2020. He was a Trustee of the Association from 2008 until 2018 and served as a Director of Perfect Choice Funeral Plans from 1997 until 2016. He is also a Past President of the Cornwall Area Federation of the NAFD having served as Secretary and is currently their Treasurer.
Since February 2020 he has represented Cornwall’s funeral directors on Cornwall Council’s Emergency Planning Committee for the Covid 19 Pandemic.
He is also a member of the Panel of Examiners for the Diploma in Funeral Directing.
Furniture and Funerals?
We are often asked “what is the connection between furniture and funerals?”
As the picture opposite shows we have been (and remain) a very diverse business. The connection with funerals dates back to the days when we employed cabinet makers and upholsterers and, much in the same way as the local carpenter would make coffins in the countryside, in town the work would often be undertaken by these trades.
So, while we don’t directly employ these craftsmen any more, we continue to arrange funerals alongside the other aspects of our business.
If you would like to know about other aspects of the business please visit www.alfred-smith.co.uk