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History

Eulogy was founded in 1999 by Shane Wells and Dave McCullroy, two men from New Zealand.

Shane Wells has always been interested in death. As a boy, he thought that this was something dark and sinister. Books, movies and stories about death appealed to him enormously, especially when zombies and skeletons made an appearance.

He never lost this fascination, but as he grew older his interest also matured. Instead of enjoying "Hollywoodesque" stories, he started to find real beauty in death. He started thinking about his own mortality and his final goodbye.

Over time this led him on a quest to find a funeral service that could help him turn his own wishes into a ceremony that he would be content with, something he felt he could use to say his final thanks to those he cared about and who cared for him. After much searching in his native New Zealand and abroad it became clear to Shane that there were simply no services designed to cater for his, and, as he discovered, others' wishes. So he decided to start his own company, one that specialized in arranging funerals the way each person desires: however extreme these may be.

Soon he found, in the person of Dave McCullroy, someone who was willing and suited to team up with him. McCullroy, an eccentric artist, had been working on the topics of death and funerals in his own sculpture. Together they started Eulogy in January 1999. A company that allows people say their last farewell in the way they want, however unusual this may sometimes seem.

At first, they only worked on small ceremonies, but soon demand rose and by 2002 Eulogy turned into the company it is today: a company that can manage complete funerals. In time, Shane and Dave could not handle the demand, so the team expanded. Rob Clark, and not long after Susan Busby joined the company.

Today, despite this increase in size, the operation is kept simple and the communication personal. Both Shane and Dave believe that a funeral is one of the most important events in a person's life story and by keeping things small-scale Eulogy is able to listen to the wishes of their clients and arrange an event that will be seen by the friends and family of the deceased as a fitting celebration of their life.