Grace Gasson DipFD (Mrs) – Company Director & Funeral Director

Originally pursuing a career in Forensic Science, Grace was first introduced to the funeral profession during work experience at the age of 15. Following this, Grace realised her vocation and was lucky enough to have a position made for her as Trainee Funeral Director in 2001.

Her role meant she worked closely with the full time chauffer bearers, assisting over 300 funerals per year. The role included, removals from private residence, nursing homes and hospitals, coffin furnishing, preparation of the deceased for chapel, vehicle cleaning and office administration.

Grace progressed to Funeral Director in 2003 and in 2006 was duly awarded the Diploma in Funeral Directing.

Grace has been serving Lewes and the surrounding area since 2006 and she has gained a large amount of experience within the profession. Grace has excellent local knowledge and understanding of her role. She has not only built an excellent reputation within the community, but she is well respected by her fellow professionals. This was demonstrated during her year as President of the Sussex County Association of Funeral Directors (a sector of the National Association) in 2009.

Grace has become accustomed to the diversity of the community within Lewes and the surrounding areas and is able to recognise their needs. Her experience is vast, and varied which has lent itself well to broadening the minds of families and offering a bespoke and truly personal funeral service which is flexible enough to cover the traditional and the un-conventional.

Grace founded the company in January 2017 at her first office in Springett Avenue, Ringmer.

In November 2023 she relocated the office to larger and more private space at Broyle Place Farm, Ringmer and is still enjoying the independence of running her own family business.

She lives (and now works) with her husband Lee and their children Louis and Meredith.

Lee Gasson - Funeral Operative

Lee was born and bred in Ringmer, attending both Ringmer Primary School and Ringmer Community College.

Following a long career in retail, Lee is accustomed to running his own business. From 2007-2021, Lee was co-owner of The Outdoor Shop, Cliffe High Street, Lewes where he was very happy for many years, giving excellent customer service to Lewes community and beyond.

Lee’s unwavering encouragement and confidence in Grace was the driving force to start the company.

Following Covid, and being treated to more time with his family, Lee decided to break from retail and ‘bridge the gap’ by temporarily joining Grace to support the family business and care for their growing family..…..(he’s still here!)

Lee was instrumental in the build at Broyle Place Farm and overseeing the vision while Grace continued to work from her original office in Springett Avenue. This was hastily followed by the deconstruction of the original office.

Now he can be found doing anything from maintenance, to preparing ashes graves in the churchyard!

Lee is keen on fitness and enjoys coaching the under 10’s Ringmer Rovers, playing 6 aside football, and surfing.

Nicola Clarke - Receptionist/Administrator

Nicola (neé Hughes) enjoyed growing up in the village of Firle throughout her childhood and young adult life, before moving to Lewes in 2006.

She completed her NVQ Level 3 in floristry while working for Riverside Flowers in Lewes - a career that she loved and which spanned over 14 years. During this time, she refined her ability to manage a mixture of emotions and organise her time in a calm, efficient manner whilst creating unique and beautiful floral work.

Following her time here, Nicola was offered the opportunity to train and work locally with Grace in 2013. Initially part time, she coupled this with working for Glyndebourne in reservations and other departments. She began a full-time career as a funeral directors receptionist/administrator in 2014 until November 2017 and then moved to join Grace once again.

Bonfire celebrations have always been an important time of year for Nicola. Marching for Firle and Cliffe, her costumes have included a Valencian, Viking and pirate, just to name a few!

Nicola enjoys her spare time with her husband Neil, Chelsea-Mai, her family and friends. She is a doting Auntie to Daisy and super Godmother to Louis.

Phoebe Sawyer - Receptionist/Administrator

Born and raised in Rodmell, Phoebe has always loved living in the Lewes area and is proud to be part of the local community.

She began her career as an apprentice at Lewes Register Office before following her passion for care work. She spent several years at the Phoenix Centre in Lewes supporting those with neurological conditions, before moving to Chailey Heritage Foundation, where she cared for children and young adults with complex needs.

From a young age Phoebe felt drawn to work alongside a funeral director. This had long been an ambition of hers, but she wanted to find the right team before taking the next step in her career. In fact, during her time at the registration office, she even applied for work experience with Grace!

Outside of work, Phoebe lives with her daughter Ottilie and loves spending time with her walking along the seafront and sharing a portion of chips on the beach! Family is at the heart of everything she does. She spends much of her free time with her partner Max, her mum and caring for her Granny.

Design

People have asked about my logo and have commented on my stationery – so here’s the thought process behind it.

My dandelion paperweights have always sat and continue to sit in my arranging room and are often a welcomed distraction to the families I meet. The fragile, delicate seed head encapsulated in acrylic without so much as a feather out of place, is fascinating.

The more I thought about the dandelion, the more symbolic it became to me – the seed head representing the world and the single seeds floating away representing the people I care for. It was clear to me that my focus therefore needed to be the single seed. The dots around the seed were then used to symbolise the seed head and all those caring for and arranging the funeral.

Letters regarding a loved ones’ funeral are usually kept by the family – it’s something tangible which reinforces that the person existed in their life. I therefore knew it should look and feel special. By working closely with Andy at Spiel Design we created the designs below. The finishing touch of embossing certain elements with cooper foil gives it the special touch I felt it needed.