Our History

Walter Cyril Parson

It was Richard Walter’s great grandson, Walter Cyril Parson who would be among the first to challenge this way of working. Walter was the fourth generation of Parson to go into the family concern and, weary of finding himself overseeing the last funeral of a lengthy number being dealt with in one day, he asked the Minister what would happen if he arrived late for a funeral.  The Minister replied that he would fine the firm half a crown (12.5p).

Not withstanding inflation this was still a comparatively modest amount and Walter took the view that it would be better to pay the fine, keep the Minister waiting and effectively have the Minister’s undivided attention rather than one that was effectively lost in the melee. Thus it was that, thanks to Walter Parson, the idea of individual funerals for all, rather than just the landed gentry was born in Plymouth.  The notion went national very quickly.

Walter Cyril Parson had bought the firm from his father, Oscar Walter Parson, in 1932 and kept a steady hand on proceedings until he was called up in 1940 to serve his country as a pilot in the RAF.

Stephen Ware - Sixth Generation

By this time another of the four children, Pat Ware, had entered the fray and she too was to become a partner, in 1980. Walter senior maintained an involvement with the family firm right up until his death in 1987. Later that same year, Pat’s son, Stephen Ware, who had first joined in 1982, and Graham May, who had joined in 1973, both became partners.

Stephen’s appointment brought the Parson connection into its sixth generation, and Wally himself sold his shares and retired in 1999. Over the next decade or so, Pat, Graham and Stephen embarked on a programme of expansion that has seen the firm treble in size from four offices (Plymouth, Plympton, Crownhill and Ivybridge) to twelve, with outposts now in Plymstock, Tavistock, Callington, Saltash, Torpoint, Newton Abbot, Torquay and Exeter.

180th Company Anniversary

Little could Richard Walter Parson have imagined in 1842 when he set up business in Stoke Climsland, Cornwall, that some 180 years later the enterprise would still be running under the same family name.
The succeeding generations consisted of his son – John Walter – and his son – Oscar Walter – and his son – Walter Cyril – and his son and daughter – Wally and Sylvia Parson (known as Pat). Today the business is under the custodianship of Pat’s son – Stephen Ware, her husband – Graham May and her Grandson – John Ware.

Today we have 12 offices, 18 funeral vehicles included in the total of 40 vehicles in our fleet and conduct nearly 1,300 funerals annually across the South West Peninsula. In today’s cut and thrust business world – there are few companies left who can look back on a history of more than a century and three quarters. Fewer still whose business has stayed in the same family for seven generations.