Grantham funeral director Robert Holland reflects on five decades of service and community work
A funeral director who has dedicated his life to serving the community with care and professionalism is marking 50 years in the industry.
Born in Grantham in 1958, Robert Holland, now 66, grew up on Robertson Road.
After leaving Boys' Central School in 1974, Robert hoped to join the Grenadier Guards but was diagnosed with Crohn's disease.
He underwent major surgery, and his parents were told he might not live to 20. He later recovered.
This setback led him to pursue funeral directing, a path he’s thrived in for five decades.
Instead of joining the Army, he went to work with his father, who was also a funeral director.
Robert’s mother was also the first female-qualified funeral director in Lincolnshire, and the pair ran the first purpose-built business in the county, starting in 1969. Previously, funerals had been done as sidelines to other businesses, such as furniture shops.
“They laid down the standards for funerals in this town,” said Robert.
Robert’s father insisted he qualify as a funeral director, which he did in 1980.
He also later became qualified in embalming in 1982, making him the second person in Lincolnshire to hold both qualifications after his father.
Robert also joined the air accident identification team run by JH Kenyan, attending major air and mass casualty disasters worldwide alongside his day-to-day work.
This included recovering people involved in disasters, identifying them, and repatriating them to their families.
These included the Lockerbie and Kegworth air crashes, the Zeebrugge ferry disaster, and the Phuket tsunami.
He described some of the scenes he had seen as part of this as “quite horrific.”
He was also sent to Kosovo when a United Nations plane crashed at the end of the Kosovo War.
He stayed with his father’s business after it was sold, later starting his own in 2001.
His new business was successful, handling 400 funerals in the first year, peaking at 540 annually.
“I could never have dreamt this would have been as successful as it was,” said Robert.
Robert has handled over 21,000 funerals in his 50-year career, setting high standards in Grantham.
These include a number of notable funerals, including in recent years those of the Duchess of Rutland, the former Dean of Lincoln Cathedral, and local high-profile and well-known figures such as George Garrett, where hundreds lined the streets of Grantham to pay tribute.
He was also entrusted with the funeral of Kosovo’s President Ibrahim Rugova, flying to Kosovo at the request of the Foreign Office to assist with part of the service.
Robert has also been named a Friend of the City of London following his work during the tsunami and was invited to become a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Upholders, who historically have included not just the manufacture and sale of upholstered goods but cabinet makers, undertakers, soft furnishers, auctioneers, and valuers.
As a Freeman of the City of London, Robert is allowed to walk his sheep across London Bridge, something he has done in the past for charity.
Robert has also been deeply involved in the community, serving as past president of the Rotary Club of Grantham and joining the Freemasons.
Among his awards, he helped raise millions for the RNLI by launching a scheme through the National Association of Funeral Directors, something for which he was given the RNLI Supporter Award in 2009.
He also sponsored the inshore lifeboat at Skegness, “The Holland Family,” which has been in service since 2019. It was named not only for Robert’s father but also to reflect other members of the family who have served the community, including police inspectors and even RNLI Coxswains.
Robert also recovered from his Crohn’s disease, passing the physical requirements to become a retained firefighter in Grantham for eight years.
He is now an authorised lay minister, leading worship at churches in Old Somerby, Ropsley, and Braceby.
If that wasn’t enough, Robert is also the district president for the Grantham and District Scouts and has been involved in scouting for many years.
He owns a miniature railway, which he opens to the public to raise money for charity.
Robert has passed on his high standards to those around him, including his son, now a Royal Navy commander, though he does not plan to join the business.
He has seen funeral practices evolve, noting that in the 1970s most funerals took place in churches, while now many opt for direct cremations, and some are more personalised.
Robert is cautious about certain modern funeral practices; however, he continues to emphasise the importance of a high-quality funeral service for every individual and his belief in maintaining dignity and respect for the deceased.
“I believe that I should be in mourning suit with a top hat, and set a standard that reflects the dignity that the person who has died deserves,” he said.
“No matter how anybody has died, and whatever their station in life, they deserve a dignified funeral, and I will do everything in my power to maintain that standard.”
He thanked his team of “absolutely wonderful” staff for helping him maintain that level of quality.
“I’ve worked by the maxim of ‘would it be good enough for your loved one?’ and it has to be.”
“I’ve had the best job in the world, without doubt. It’s a job where, if you try a little bit harder, you can make an enormous difference to what people are going through.
“Bereavement has many different forms, and to support the bereaved, to be invited into their circle of friends or their family circle at their most difficult time, is a privilege.”
Robert shared that he has been moved to tears by some funerals and acknowledges the emotional toll of his job.
“I’m not immune to emotions, I couldn’t do this job without the support of my family,” he said.
He said there were often tough experiences, including funerals of children and young people.
“I am not ashamed to say that I have come back here sometimes after funerals, and I will be in tears, but I need to be able to be the strong character that people can lean on [during the funeral].”
“I describe it as being the handrail that people use as they go along the journey.”
“If I cross the line and start being with them and sobbing and crying, I’ve stopped being a help to them, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be emotional when I’m on my own.”
However, he believes it is important to be a strong support for the bereaved and to provide a sense of stability and guidance.
He said it was important to acknowledge death and said the role of a funeral was important in the grieving process.
“Not having a service is to deny a family the opportunity to mark the passing of their loved one and, as painful as it is, if you fail to acknowledge the death that has happened, it is possible that you will find it difficult moving on in the future,” said Robert.
“Bereavement is painful, but to pretend it hasn’t happened runs the risk of emotional problems in the future.”
Robert maintains this level of commitment even in cases where a deceased person has no loved ones, or is paid for by the local authority (known as pauper’s funerals).
Robert sold the business to Beverley Funerals in 2019, though said it had been on a strict proviso that he remained as the figurehead for the company. The business has also retained the name.
Robert says he has no plans to retire, as he loves his job and finds it fulfilling.
“Looking back on it, it’s been a wonderful life and a wonderful job and hopefully I’m able to continue for many more years.”
He is proud of his business and the standards he has maintained, despite changes in the industry.
He believes that his legacy will be the high standards he has set and the support he has provided to the bereaved.
* An earlier version of this story did not mention that the business was sold in 2019 to Beverley Funerals, for which we apologise.
