Farewell to one of SAIF’s founders

Paul Bysouth Dip. FD, F.SAIF, Past President, The National Society of Allied & Independent Funeral Directors

Many of our membership will know Paul Bysouth, especially those involved in the earliest years of SAIF and in more recent times will be aware of the challenges that he faced stoically with his wife, Dorothy following his stroke over eleven years ago.

It is with very great sadness that we advise you of Paul’s death peacefully at home in Burwash, East Sussex on Thursday 19^th March 2020.

Paul took over his father’s business in Crowborough, East Sussex in 1962 where it remains to this day, trading under his name.

He was instrumental in the very genesis of SAIF when it was founded in 1989, believing passionately in the need to support the independent funeral sector against the rising proliferation of the corporate funeral companies and their aggressive marketing techniques. He believed instead that family owned funeral directors wanted a trade association that would uphold the highest of values and offer reassurance and comfort to the members of the public.

Paul was quickly recognised for his passionate leadership, his “summarising” capability at National Executive Meetings to ensure nothing was forgotten and he was one of the earliest National SAIF Presidents to take office in 1996 where he led from the front to help SAIF get established.

Further recognition followed and he was appointed a Fellow of SAIF in March 2011 at the SAIF AGM that year in acknowledgment of his work and support over many years; the highest honour to be bestowed on any member. 

He will be very greatly missed and long remembered as a warm, kind-hearted, articulate, intelligent man of great courtesy towards all he met and who spoke with gentle tones and sincere warmth.

Our thoughts and sympathies are very much with his family and his devoted wife, Dorothy who described Paul simply as, “a lovely human being”.

A private family funeral service will be held in due course.