Blackawton-based Susi Glaister who is also known as Susi G runs both a mobile taxi business called Merlin’s Taxi and a funeral home called South Hams Family Funerals.

Susi spent twenty years bringing up her two children as a single mother working part-time and says she wanted to start paying tax and putting something back in the pot.

After starting up and running her taxi business for several years she thought about going into the wedding car industry, but the closer she looked into it the more she was put off.

Everyone involved, whether they were working in catering, in dresses, in cars all had at least one horror story to tell of things that go wrong, of people being highly stressed.

Susan wanted to buy a classic 1958 Austin Princess and the dealer said she would need to find someone who could make parts as they are often no longer available.

She called a friend who is a mechanic and he told her he worked on classic cars and was currently fixing a hearse.

When he said the word ‘hearse’ she had an epiphany and thought of funerals as she explained: “I am a Christian woman and for me, it was like a message from God.

Susi’s mother, who had dementia, was living in Bishop Auckland was no longer happy there so she moved her down to a care home in Strete to be nearer to her.

Unfortunately it was found she had an aggressive form of cancer and she died after only three months.

Susie decided that she would conduct the funeral herself and as she didn’t at that stage own a hearse decided to buy one which she named ‘Old Ann’ after her mother.

At first Susi didn’t know where to buy a coffin so she went on the internet to find one for sale and by huge coincidence found the seller was from Penshaw village near Sunderland where her mother and grandmother were born.

A friend in Newton Abbott asked if she could organise her mother’s funeral.

Susi took up the story: “I told her I can organize and do everything,

I've got the hearse but I'm not a funeral director yet.

“You can pay my disbursements but I can’t take a fee.”

Susi rang around the funeral companies and Simon Savage of Otter Valley Funerals gave her plenty of advice.

Susi continued: “Simon invited me back and I did some work experience with him.

I shadowed him on, on burials, funerals, etc and he has really been my mentor since then.

“I've had eight families, seven of which have been direct cremations.

“All the families have been incredibly happy.

“I've got seven reviews, although the last one came from a lady who just needed a coffin for her cat which I provided.”

Susi then explained her philosophy: “When I get a deceased person in my care, I treat them like as if they're just asleep and they get all the respect and the love in the world that my mother got from the morticians at Torbay Hospital.

When I walked into the mortuary, the feeling of calm and peace was unbelievable and the kindness of these people, it radiates.”

Susi carried out several other funerals before she found her premises at The Forces Tavern in Blackawton.

She also runs Merlin’s Taxi which she uses to subsidise the funeral business.

You can contact Susi on 07726 367598.