Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Crieff man who ‘lives and breathes’ job named Scotland’s best undertaker

The 36-year-old's personal touch has helped in all aspects of his role as he makes sure everything happens the way it should.

John Gordon with his award for Scotland's best undertaker. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson
John Gordon with his award for Scotland's best undertaker. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

John Gordon admits he was “that weird kid at school who wanted to be a funeral director”.

Now the 36-year-old has been named Scotland’s best undertaker.

John, who works for Gaulds Funeral Directors in Crieff, said he is still coming to terms with the award picked up at the Scottish Funeral Awards.

Gaulds undertaker ‘lives and breathes’ job

The former joiner and carpenter began his “dream job” in 2019.

Knowing it was a difficult industry to enter, he didn’t hesitate in moving from Glasgow to Perthshire.

Colin Henderson, John Gordon and Stephen Menzies with the two awards as the company was also named Scotland’s best funeral director in the north. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

He was thrown in right at the deep end when Covid-19 hit less than a year after he started.

John said: “It was one of the most mentally straining roles at the time. Even funeral directors who had been in the job for years had told me how difficult they found it.

“I had to isolate from my wife during the period due to the risks and that was tough.

“I think going through all of that proves how much the role means to me.

“It’s everything, I live and breathe my job.”

Why John Gordon is Scotland’s best undertaker

John said the secret to being a good funeral director is making families feel “comfortable, safe and well-looked after”.

He said: “I would like to think I won because I’m good at what I do.

“People find me very personable and I make sure I’m always available.

“A lot of funeral directors will have less involvement than I do. My phone is never off for families.

“If they ever have a question I always let them know they can come to me.”

John’s personal touch has helped in all aspects of his role as he makes sure everything happens the way it should.

John Gordon has said attention to detail is what has helped him win the award. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

He added: “Small places like the towns and villages we’re involved with are built on trust and that’s a key aspect of what I do.

“The process starts right when I first pick up the phone after someone’s loved one has passed away.

“From there, you visit the location where they passed away and get to know the family.

“You have to understand everything they need, what kind of service, what coffin etc.

“You bring them into our care, take it all back to the office and make it happen.

“I can’t count how many families I’m still in touch with. I’ve been through that time with them and they never ever forget that.

“We’re still a small company, so sometimes you may even find me cleaning the office or funeral home.”

Undertaker rewarded for hard work

Work hasn’t slowed down for John since earning his diploma as a funeral director in 2021.

One year later, he was rewarded by being named branch manager for the firm’s branches in Aberfeldy and Pitlochry.

He said: “It’s been an amazing couple of years and now to be named Scotland’s best undertaker shows the hard work is paying off.

“I’m so grateful for how big an opportunity I’ve been given through Gaulds.

“Those who have used our service have put in testimonies and that’s how the business was nominated and won.

“It makes me feel so grateful and it’s good to see us making a difference to people’s lives.”

John said he is looking forward to what the future holds and will continue to deliver his quality.

The business will celebrate its 40th birthday next year and is now run by John Gauld, the son of the founder.

Gaulds was also named Scotland’s best funeral director in the north.

Conversation