Bowra & O'Dea / Leanne O'Dea - Cottesloe

Heartfelt thanks to all the lovely ladies @ Leanne O'Dea, in particularnKaren,Paula,Christine and Jodie.nRespectful, knowledgeable and personal assistance with arranging our Mother's funeral was greatly appreciated. Happy Memories

Zero stars. Office staff were generally friendly but it can't make up for the unpersonalised service we received from the assigned Funeral Director Teresina Brown. We experienced the sudden death of a teenage family member at the start of 2018 and selected Bowra & O'Dea on the basis of its reputation in WA - we also wanted to bury the family member as quickly as possible so as not to prolong what was guaranteed to be a very painful experience. But its all down to the Funeral Director assigned to you. We were assigned a Director who was rude, devoid of any emotional intelligence and didn't respect the deceased's family's wishes. Our family rallied together and created a running sheet of the service because the immediate family of the deceased was in shock and needed structure for the day of the funeral. Even though this was shared with the Funeral Director days before the service, it wasn't followed - our request for the parents of the deceased to be taken to a room to compose themselves after the service was not respected, causing the parents to be swamped by (well-meaning) attendees, which then led to one of the parents experiencing a panic attack in front of attendees - a nightmare. Tip: After a funeral, you will not remember whether you waited an extra two days for the service to take place - so if you are not satisfied with the Director you are assigned, take a little extra time to find someone that is attuned to your family's needs, so that insensitivity of those who are paid (a lot) to soften the blow, is not felt months after the event. Also, if you decide to go with Bowra & O'Dea and you're assigned Teresina Brown, be warned.