J Fraser & Sons Ltd, is Invercargill's longest established family owned and operated funeral home and monumental masons, serving all of the Southland region.
Mr Wilson J Fraser, Managing Director of J Fraser & Sons Ltd, is a fourth generation descendant of John Fraser, a stonemason from Scotland, who founded the business in Invercargill, in 1878. Funerals were conducted from the Kelvin Street premises from 1899, and a new Chapel was completed there in 1935. In 1962 the business moved to its present site, on the corner of Esk and Doon Streets - this allowed the development of the most modern facilities possible, including the largest Funeral Chapel in the country, at the time.
A further, total refurbishment of all facilities, was completed in August 2002. and this received a Civic Award for its contribution to the Invercargill City environment.
Some of the many features of our premises include:
- Modern Chapel with excellent audio system
- DVD screens for reflection presentations, and accommodating 300+ people
- Catering Lounge located immediately adjacent to the Chapel, including childrens' play area, outside garden and water feature
- Family Lounge - a homely area for family to gather prior to the service
- Office and family rooms, offer a pleasant environment for the arrangement of a funeral service
- Modern embalming and dressing rooms
- Large car park with provision for 70 vehicles.
In addition to the support which we offer to families at the time of their loss, the team at J Fraser & Sons have an ongoing commitment to supporting the bereaved in our community. We can provide a referral to our Bereavement Support Co-ordinator who is available to visit those who are recently bereaved, and extend a personal invitation to all our client families to attend our quarterly Bereavement Support Group meetings held in our Catering Lounge.
The development of J Fraser & Sons - Bereavement Support has been a feature of this commitment and we offer a variety of educational and support programmes throughout the year.
The team at J Fraser and Sons Ltd have many years experience of helping families with funeral arrangements. This includes families who have lost a loved one overseas or in another part of New Zealand, and who require our experience to return their loved one back home to Invercargill. In addition, we have developed many friendships with visitors to our country who have appreciated our support during a time of loss through tragedy or unexpected illness. We have wide experience with overseas funeral homes and insurance companies, as well as easy access to international airports.
