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R S Johnson & Sons Funeral Directors

South Shields

About our South Shields funeral home

Johnson Family Funeral Directors in South Shields was built in 1969. We set out to provide our local community with chapels of rest, so bereaved families could pay their final respects to loved ones before saying farewell.

We help families by continuing to provide the highest standards of funeral care, service and facilities. Our funeral home is equipped with premium facilities, including our three chapels of rest.

We can organise all kinds of funerals, whichever you feel is most fitting for your loved one. We will work closely with you to make sure that every single detail is just the way you want it to be.

We are dedicated to providing uncompromising levels of service. This means that you can always get in touch with us, whenever you need any help, support or guidance. We will never be more than a phone call away. Putting your family first.

What we offer

  • Advice and guidance at every step, including registering the death
  • Arrangements that are tailored to meet your family's needs
  • Local expertise and knowledge
  • Cremation or burial at any local crematorium or burial site
  • Funeral services of all faiths and cultures
  • Viewing of the deceased in the chapel of rest
  • Hearses, funeral vehicles and bespoke transport options
  • Memorials and tributes
  • Prepaid funeral plans

Meet our team

Our team at Johnson Family Funeral Directors act with uncompromising honesty and integrity. Everything we do for our families is to make sure they are helped every step of the way. Many of our team have been with the Johnson Family Funeral Directors for over 25 Years and have a passion for helping families with the upmost compassion and professionalism.

0191 456 0054
A female funeral arranger sits with a family to arrange a funeral.

To arrange a funeral for your loved one, please call our funeral home on 0191 456 0054 today.

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Funeral Services with distinction

We are proud to be part of Dignity Funerals, a collection of the UKs finest funeral directors, with each and every one committed to setting superior standards.

Many Dignity funeral directors have been part of the local community for generations and it is a privilege to serve those who live beside us. Our rich and lengthy heritage ensures we can deliver our service with local knowledge and unparalleled expertise.

99.0%
99 per cent of families said that Dignity met or exceeded their expectations.
97.7%
97.7 per cent of people said that they would recommend Dignity.
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Our services

With three packages available, we will be able to arrange the funeral you have in mind for your loved one.

If you’re looking for a traditional or contemporary funeral with a service, you should consider our Attended Funeral. If you want us to arrange a simple cremation without mourners present, our Unattended Funeral may better suit your needs.

View our Standardised Price List, Additional Options Price List and Crematoria Price List.

A tailored funeral

The Attended Funeral

The Attended Funeral provides a tailored and dignified goodbye for your loved one. Whether traditional or contemporary, you can pay your respects in the supportive company of family and friends.

  • The Attended Funeral£2395
  • (includes our Park Coffin)£-
  • Plus estimated third party costs for cost of cremation and attendance of a celebrant or minister£1189
  • Total estimated cost excluding optional extras£3584
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The Unattended Funeral

The Unattended Funeral is a lower cost option that allows family and friends to remember your loved one in their own way, without the need for a traditional service or ceremony.

  • The Unattended Funeral£1395
  • (includes our Park Coffin)£-
  • (Includes cost of cremation)£-
  • Total estimated cost excluding optional extras£1395
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Memorials

Commemorate your loved one's life with a Memorial to keep their memory alive. Choose from a variety of options, from headstones, urns to memorial plaques, vases, benches, statues, jewellery, and more, allowing you to create something special that reflects their life, love, and cherished memories.

Where to find us

Contact

Speak to our team 24 hours a day on 0191 456 0054

Our Address

Crossgate House, Western Approach, South Shields, NE33 5QU

Get Directions

Funeral home opening times

  • Monday0830 - 1700
  • Tuesday0830 - 1700
  • Wednesday0830 - 1700
  • Thursday0830 - 1700
  • Friday0830 - 1700
  • SaturdayClosed
  • SundayClosed

Directions and parking

We are located close to the town centre with a network of local transport. There is car parking available opposite the branch.

0191 456 0054
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Supporting you along the way

We understand that there is a lot to think about, so if you do need assistance with your loved one's funeral arrangements, our funeral experts will offer you all the support you need.

What to do when someone dies

What to do when someone dies

It’s perfectly normal to be unsure of what you need to do following the death of a loved one. These step-by-step guides will carefully explain everything you need to when someone dies, helping you through each stage of the process.

Planning a funeral

Planning a funeral

Our guides on planning a funeral will ensure your loved one's send off is a personal and unique celebration of their life. We will explain how our Funeral Directors will help you plan a funeral service and support you at every stage.

The day of the funeral

The day of the funeral

This guide will explain what happens at a funeral; including the funeral procession, funeral service, committal service and the wake. We will be here to help you through every step of the journey.

Frequently asked questions

When someone dies, the first steps will depend on how and where the person passed away. Our step-by-step guides will walk you through the practical steps. For additional support and personal advice, please get in touch with us.

You don't have to make an appointment at our funeral homes. However, doing so will ensure that someone can be available to cater to your needs. When arranging a funeral, our Funeral Directors are happy to visit you in your own home, if required.

Third party funeral costs are additional charges which we will manage for you and attach to your single invoice. Get in touch with us to confirm costs and plan a funeral to fit your budget.

If you choose to arrange the funeral with us, you will be given the option of a complimentary Funeral Notice. We will set it up for you using the details discussed during the arrangements. All we need is an email address.

Dignity Funeral Plans let you pay for your funeral in advance and at today's price. It's a way of taking control of the unexpected, setting out the arrangements and limiting the costs by paying for the services included in the funeral plan upfront.

From 9 September 2024, there will no longer be a doctor's fee in England and Wales when arranging a funeral. This is because from this date, all deaths in England and Wales will be independently viewed, either by a relevant coroner or by a Medical Examiner and the cost will be met by the NHS.

A Medical Examiner is a specifically trained independent senior doctor who will scrutinise all deaths across a local area that do not fall under the coroner's jurisdiction. By providing a greater level of scrutiny over the cause of deaths; it is hoped that the introduction of Medical Examiners will make it less likely that unnatural causes of death will go unnoticed; that the number of deaths unnecessarily referred to the coroner will be reduced and that national data about causes of death will be captured with greater accuracy.

Medical Examiners, or Medical Examiner Officers, will also be available to meet with families, or their representatives, if they wish to discuss the cause of death.

Our reviews

4.91
based on 45 reviews
Merle Mellors
23rd Mar 2022

I cannot express how grateful we were for the prompt arrival of the out of hours team who came in the early hours of a Sunday morning after our mom passed away at home. The were smartly dressed and very professional but caring towards us and our mom on the start of her final journey. This was followed up by phone calls from the courteous staff at R S Johnson & Sons the local funeral directors and part of Dignity Funerals. They assured us our mom had arrived safely into their care and asked if we had any particular requests which meant we were able to ask for her hair to be brushed and styled as normal. Mom was to have an unattended funeral but they kept us informed as to the date this would take place and helped us let others know what her choice was as well as arranging for a link to Dementia Uk for people to donate to instead of flowers by setting up a memorial page on the Dignity Website that we could send out to all family and friends. There were several follow up calls to simply ask how we were coping and if they could help in any way even after they advised us our mom’s ashes were ready for pick up. This is not the first time that they had looked after loved ones for our family and each time was made as stressless as possible by their professional caring attitude and we would highly recommend them to anyone seeking for funeral directors to care for their loved ones on their final journey. We would just like to thank them once again for guiding us through this very sad and difficult time in such a kind and courteous manner.

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24th Mar 2022

Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed review. It is incredibly helpful to other families in the same circumstances as yourself. I am pleased that we provided the highest level of care and guidance for you and your family and I am glad that all of your wishes and requirements were carried out by the team as you had requested. We are very proud of our team and the care they give and it means the world when we hear from the families that we have looked after.

Raymond Calder
30th Jan 2024

Professional, courteous, helpful and compassionate. You couldn't ask for anymore during the loss of a family member.

Regards

Ray

Nikki Gallagher
7th Jul 2023

Our family used Johnsons for my late Grandfather, from start to finish every aspect of my Grandfather's funeral was meticulously planned with care, compassion and a great deal of empathy.

These are some of the most difficult moments in anyones lives and you can often feel overwhelmed by the decision making process especially given the countless options we have to choose from, yet Richy (Richard Scott) put us all at ease and made the difficult task of quite a big family coming together to make these decisions, effortless.

The service itself was impeccable, its of great relief to know my Grandfather was cared for and respected throughout and that he got the send-off he so deserved. I couldn't recommend Richy or Johnsons enough.

Thank you so much to all the team, including Claire for making sure my Grumps looked impeccable for his final journey, but especially Richy. You done us proud.

Jo S
4th Feb 2023

During the pandemic Johnson’s handlers funerals very poorly compared to other funeral directors and as you only have one funeral, I cannot forgive them, despite the fact my father didn’t pass away from covid and didn’t have covid they said they wouldn’t embalm him (other funeral directors were embalming at this time it wasn’t a law or a rule/restriction at the time, it was a choice) We were also told we could only have ONE visit during his 2 weeks at the chapel of rest as they would only open the coffin once, they made us sign a disclaimer to say that we accept ‘the body’ would be basically in a very bad way due to not being embalmed and that they wouldn’t dress him because they wouldn’t touch him etc, we were told quite clearly that seeing ‘the body’ would be very unpleasant to see etc they basically tried to talk us out of seeing him and the whole family said they didn’t want to see him (imaging how bad he may look etc) except me and my husband, we went and he looked NO different to someone who had been embalmed! They also HAD dressed him (laid his shift and tie over him but tucked it all in etc) and he looked so beautiful and peaceful there was NO right or reason for this company to behave the way they did during such a difficult time. They stole the time me and my family could and would of had with my dad during his time in their chapel of rest and I will never ever forgive them for this.

Carole Tinmouth
19th Oct 2022

I would like to say the service I received from John and all his work colleagues was impeccable from the care of my mam from the start to the end they really did look after everything, kept me updated with everything and on the day of the funeral it all went along perfectly I would recommend them to anyone at this sad and difficult time they were someone I could rely on

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Donna Bennett (donna.bennett@dignityuk.co.uk)
20th Oct 2022

Thank you so much for this lovely review which means all the more at this very challenging time. The team are working very hard to ensure that each family receives outstanding care and I am so glad their dedication has given you the service you needed.

Calls are recorded for monitoring and quality purposes. All calls made to 0800 and 0808 numbers are free of charge whether made from a landline or mobile phone. Dignity Funerals Limited is a company registered in England No. 00041598. VAT registered No. 486 6081 14. Registered office: 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield B73 6AP. Dignity Funerals Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under Firm Reference Number 967130. Please note that the selling and administering of funeral plans is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), however if you are purchasing a funeral without a funeral plan this will not be covered by FCA regulation.