Meet The Team
Justin James Burgess
6th Generation Proprietor / Funeral Director
Having been with the family business for nearly 30 years, Justin has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in funerals and bereavement care. He has been SAIF National President, headed up National Pandemic Planning and advises both local and national government. Conducting every funeral personally to ensure that you are granted that personal touch. Alongside this, Justin also co-found the mental health charity JOCA (Just One Click Away), as a response to the rise in mental health amongst men. With its roots cemented in his boyhood rugby club the charity has now sought partnership from the English RFU and has also been adopted by many other rugby clubs throughout Hertfordshire.
John (Jack) Jeremy Burgess
7th Generation / Memorial & Accounts Manager
Jack joined the business after graduating from the University of Gloucestershire with a BA(Hons) in Business Management and has moved the business forward delicately but decisively. Since being involved he has overseen the implementation of a new digital infrastructure, fusing generation’s old methods with modern technology, to ensure efficient delivery of the company’s dignified and traditional service that it has been known for, for the last 200 years. Rest assured the future of the business is in safe hands between him and his siblings.
Eliza Jane Summer Burgess
7th Generation / H&S Consultant
Having not been able to attend university due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Eliza proactively set about enrolling in various remote learning courses in order to develop her knowledge and become a qualified Health and Safety Consultant. Having now graduated from the University of Hertfordshire with a BSc (Hons) in Sports Therapy, Eliza is now splitting her time between her clients and the company, still ensuring that all employee and office health and safety regulations are up to code, to provide a safe environment for both our staff and clients alike.
Arrangers and Administrators
Sophie Burroughes
Funeral Arranger, Hatfield
Coming from a background in both Account Management and with over 10 years in customer service, her wealth of knowledge makes her a brilliant Funeral Arranger. Sophie is a fast learner, having a huge passion for the profession and invaluable to the company, she supports families with great care and professionalism.
Helen Jolley
Funeral Arranger, Hatfield
Helen brings a breadth of knowledge and understanding of customer service from her 30 years with a major high street supermarket which has transferred well into her role as a Funeral Arranger. Helen’s brother Carl has also been part of the Burgess family for several years. Helen puts clients immediately at ease and offers a reassuring and steady point of contact for families.
Linda Dyball
Funeral Arranger, Hatfield
No stranger to the Burgess Family, Linda’s Father, Keith, worked for John J Burgess. Having previously worked for a multi national Funeral Group, Linda sees the value in being part of a family team and being able to provide bespoke funerals to meet family needs and requirements. Linda quickly builds a rapport with the bereaved in her care and is credited with providing the best care possible.
Katie Craven
Funeral Arranger, Welwyn Garden City
Katie has an infectious sunny disposition about her, she is able to use this to not only help support her colleagues but also as a Funeral Arranger, immediately putting families at ease in their time of need. Katie was formerly a carer in a local Nursing Home so is well used to handling situations around bereavement.
Elaine Groves
Funeral Arranger, St. Albans
Having returned from running her own business, Elaine joined the team and was trained as a Funeral Arranger, a role she has taken to very well indeed. She heads up our St. Albans office and has received some lovely letters of thanks from the bereaved families she has supported.
Kerry Jackson
Funeral Arranger, Knebworth
Having worked for a local conglomerate Funeral Director, Kerry welcomes the opportunity to be able to truly tailor the services offered to the bereaved clients in her care to both suit their requirements and wishes. Her soft tone, calming and reassuring nature ensures that families are put at ease and the worry and stress of organising the funeral are shouldered by her.
Becky Woolmington
Funeral Arranger, London Colney
Having spent a great deal of her working life in either Hospitality or care of the elderly, Becky was looking for a change. She knew Jeanie, our stalwart, from her youth working at Simmons. Becky joined us as a Funeral Arranger and has been able to transfer her skills from her previous roles to become an accomplished Funeral Arranger in our London Colney branch.
Inga Vilkeviciute
Funeral Arranger, Pepper & Phillips, Hoddesdon
Working for Pepper & Phillips prior to J. J. Burgess’s merger, Inga has stayed on as a valued member of the team looking after Hoddesdon and the surrounding area. Inga previously came from a customer facing role, meaning she is at ease conversing with the families she interacts with.
Samantha Sheridan
Funeral Arranger, Collins Funeral Services, Enfield
Formerly a Funeral Arranger with a large group, Sam appreciates the freedom of choice she can offer to the families in her care and the back room support offered by the team and facilities. Sam very quickly puts families at ease and give reassurance. Sam heads up Collins Funeral Services a small Independent Funeral Directors that joined the Burgess family in December 2021.
Julie Wilkinson
Accounts Manager
Julie previously worked with us as a Funeral Arranger at our St. Albans office, where she was known for her professionalism, compassion, and dedication to the families she supported. She later chose to step away from the role in order to spend valuable time with her growing family. Since welcoming Julie back to the business on a part-time basis, she is responsible for looking after accounts, administering charity donations, and managing our pre-paid funeral planning services.
Katherine (Katie) Garnish
Marketing and Social Media Administrator
Graduating with a BA (Hons) in Media and Creative Writing, Katie initially joined the team to help bring our company up to date within our social media platforms and advertising. She has also proven herself to be a fantastic help with marketing, and a crucial member of the team. Since 2023, Katie has also helped build our in-house printing company Lasting Impressions and continues to run it’s day-to-day operations.
Funeral Operatives
Tom Barclay
Funeral Operative
Tom’s former roll as a Canal Barge Restorer / Painter became untenable due to
the Covid Pandemic. As the husband of our former Funeral Arranger Chantelle, we offered him a position as a Funeral Operative, and he has since grown into the role of Mortuary Manager. Tom is quietly dependable and has adapted well to his new career and is a valued member of the team.
Michael West
Funeral Operative
Michael was formerly part of the Transport and Logistics team at Ocado. He wanted to take a change in direction and find a position that was more rewarding and fulfilling. His knowledge of the local area and logistic skills from his former job have been applied well to our business.
Simon Whellams
Funeral Operative
Simon spent most of his working career in a customer facing role at Sainsburys, and has brought with him a wealth of knowledge as well as his impressive interpersonal skills. With his previous job being so customer orientated, Simon was able to adapt easily into his new role as a funeral operative. As a familiar face in the community, he is often recognised on funerals and appreciated by those who he has helped and served over the years.
Gary Giffard
Funeral Operative
Having previously worked for the company in the late 90’s, Gary left to pursue a different career which saw him work for most of the major supermarkets in the position of duty manager. Having spent the 25 years in retail, Gary decided to rejoin the business, bringing everything he knew from his previous time at J J Burgess as well as new skills he obtained in retail. He has also acclimatised to the changes that had happened within the funeral profession in his absence.
Dean Wright
Funeral Operative
Having previously work alongside J J Burgess and its sister companies in his role as grave digger and grounds maintenance at a local cemetery and crematorium, Dean already had a good understand of the company and the attention to detail that goes into every funeral. With a desire to deal more closely with families, allowing him to apply the same compassion and care he showed whilst looking after the grounds, it was a natural transition, and he has taken to the role effortlessly.
Winter
Company Cat
Coming to J. J. Burgess & Sons as a stray, Winter quickly found himself settling into life at our Hatfield premises. With failing attempts to find his original owners, Winter now spends his time sleeping in the garage, watching over the day-to-day running of the business.
Burgess Memorials
Carl Nash
Funeral & Memorial Operative
Carl worked for us a few years ago. He left to find a new role with more suitable hours to allow him to spend more time with his young children. Carl came back to J.J.Burgess & Sons in 2019 and was welcomed back for his experience, especially in his role as a Memorial Operative. His skill in cleaning, repairing, and maintaining memorials has been credited and appreciated by many families.
Jenny Burgess
Memorials
Having previously worked for the Local Authority dealing with disability claims, Jenny has great interpersonal skills. Although new to the role, she has quickly adapted and uses her skills to great effect assisting clients to interpret their wishes and liaising with our master Stone Masons to create beautiful memorials that rightly suite their loved ones.
In Memoriam
Mrs M E Burgess (1939 – 2025)
Matriarch
Affectionately known as Mrs B, in her later years, whilst she was no longer involved in the day-to-day front of house operations, Margaret still offered wise counsel as a consultant to the business, using her knowledge of over 50 years in the Funeral Profession working alongside and supporting her husband John James Burgess (Deceased 1987). Continuing to run the business after his death in a male dominated profession, she was able to pass the business onto her son, the 6th Generation Justin James Burgess.
Sadly Mrs B passed away, on 8th November 2025, she is sadly missed by her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Iain “Burnsie” Burns (1948 – 2018)
Funeral Operative
Originally from an Engineering background, Iain came to us wanting a more sedate career. Iain took to the role incredibly well, he was respected by clients, clergy and colleagues alike. Always a steady hand on the tiller and the voice of reason using his years of life experience. Iain looked forward to his retirement with equal measure that we didn’t want to loose him, so he remained in a part time capacity.
Sadly Iain was not to fully enjoy his retirement due to declining health. He will be forever missed but his life lessons and legacy lives on within J. J. Burgess & Sons.
Jean Henderson (1953 – 2022)
Funeral Arranger
Jean was a long time manager at Simmons Bakers in the Town Centre before making the switch to J.J.Burgess & Sons. Jean was a well-known character in Hatfield and surrounding areas and families find it a great comfort to meet with her familiar face to arrange a loved one’s funeral.
Jean sadly passed away on 22nd December 2022. She was such a huge part of J.J. Burgess & Sons that we feel we are not ready to remove her from the team at this time.
Jon Stratton (1980 – 2025)
Funeral Operative
Grandson of Ted Crouch, founder of E. H. Crouch Funeral Directors, Jon grew up around the profession and spent his formative years working alongside his mum and aunt in the family business. After the company was bought by Dignity, Jon became a Chapel Attendant at a Local Crematorium, before joining J. J. Burgess. Jon’s caring and uplifting personality allowed him to make the bereaved in his care feel at ease.
Jon sadly passed away 5th November 2025, his kindness and sense of humour is hugely missed after 8 loyal years at J. J. Burgess & Sons.
Associate Support
Luke Slater
Part time Pall Bearer
A former Funeral Operative with us here at J. J. Burgess & Sons Luke left to pursue other paths in the Funeral Service. He now offers a comprehensive support when we need an extra pair of hands.
Paul Purse
Part time Pall Bearer
Our Full Time Part Timer, Paul is an intricate part of our Pall Bearing team. Offering support daily throughout our duties across the Home counties and North London.
Brett Collins
Part time Pall Bearer
Brett offers outstanding Funeral support when we need additional staff, always reliable and fits in seamlessly with our busy team on a day to day basis throughout our duties in the Home Counties and North London.
Anne Thomas
Part time Accountant
Mother of our employee Katherine, Anne, a Chartered Accountant, joined the team upon retiring from a full time career based in London. Anne has come on board to help with our accounts and bookkeeping.
Vicki Maddison
Maddisons Florist
One of the finest florists we have worked with. Vicki’s flowers are simply outstanding, and she can tailor anything to suit the needs of the bereaved or to reflect the life and loves of the deceased. She is able to deal with bereaved families in her care in a calm, sensitive and reassuring manner.
Alec Smith
Probate and Estates Expert
Alec offers us an extension to the services offered to the bereaved in our care, finding a clear path through the minefield of paperwork that a family are faced with following the loss of a loved one. He makes clear sense of the confusion and is a welcomed member of the team.
Where to next?
Request A FREE Guide
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Get in touch
We offer a high quality service, caring staff and compassion for those who need it. If a death occurs please contact us at any time, 24 hours a day.
Contact your nearest branch
Hatfield (Head Office)
Codicote
Knebworth
London Colney
St Albans
Welwyn Garden City