Siana Kelly’s passion for funeralcare was sparked at a young age, inspired by her curiosity about Victorian era funeral traditions and their approach to death and mourning
It’s a role that many would be too scared to do – but Siana Kelly believes that arranging funerals is a privilege.
The 26-year-old from Bridlington made the bold decision to leave her nursing job just two weeks after qualifying to pursue her lifelong passion for funeral care. But nearly a year into her role as a funeral arranger at Co-op Funeralcare in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, Siana couldn’t be happier. “Since I was young, around 12 years old, I can remember always having an interest in this field of work,” she says. “I always considered myself ‘different’ from the other kids, so going into a ‘normal’ career path wasn’t something I was interested in – it’s ironic that I then went on to becoming an adult nurse which is a fairly common job role.
“From the age of 17 I worked as a healthcare assistant. In my healthcare work and being a student nurse, I was exposed to people dying every day and I always found myself wanting to care for the families and offering support anyway I can. “I was never scared to approach the subject of death and I often felt a strong desire to provide the best care I could, not only for the person who has died, but for the loved ones left behind.” Siana’s passion for funeralcare was sparked at a young age, inspired by her curiosity about Victorian funeral traditions. “I first mentioned the idea of working in the sector when I was around 12, which raised some questions!” Siana recalls. “I’ve always been fascinated by the Victorian era and their approach to death and mourning, which is where the idea originally came from.
“My interest started when I was a child. I grew up watching films like Scrooge, A Christmas Carol and Oliver! “Watching these films is what first introduced me to the Victorian era…through documentaries, films and searching online I was able to research more specifically about the Victorians and their approach to death.”
Her curiosity only deepened after experiencing the death of her beloved grandmother at the age of 19. “It was the first time I felt scared about death and funerals,” Siana adds. “Co-op Funeralcare made the day perfect for her and I was able to see first-hand how meaningful this work is. It confirmed to me that funeralcare is where I belong.
“When my nan passed away, it was the first time I had experienced a loss that affected me so much. “I had had relatives pass away before this but being 19 years old at the time, I felt this was the first time I was able to fully understand the concept of grief. The funeral staff that looked after my family were amazing.” She added: “This experience really opened my eyes to this industry. For years I had always wanted to work in this field but this really drove me to pursue this career path. “I loved being a student nurse, don’t get me wrong, but I knew it wasn’t long term. It wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. “I always knew that I wanted to provide care, but I realised my passion lay in offering emotional and mental support rather than physical care.”
Siana was just browsing on her phone when she saw a job advertised for a funeral arranger. “For the first time in my life, I can say that I truly love my job.” Siana thrives on supporting grieving families and helping them to create personalised goodbyes for their loved ones. “People often say, ‘I could never do what you do,’ and to me, that’s the biggest compliment. “I love going through the journey of someone’s life with their family. I only get to meet the people we care for once they have already passed and come to the end of their life. “So being able to sit across from their family and re-live their life with them is such a privilege. “Some people probably expect this job role to be a sad environment but they don’t realise how often you will hear laughter in our job role. “Remembering all of the best times with their family and then being able to provide them with the highest quality care and most unique send off, is an amazing thing to be a part of.”
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