Rain or shine, Whiteman is out each day mowing and edging graves, preparing the ground for any upcoming funerals – and, most importantly, talking to mourners.
“You’ve got to give people plenty of time, don’t rush them ... You get to deal with them for years and years. Some of them I’ve met have gone into homes, and you miss them, so you ring up and check on them.
“When you have a funeral on, everything comes to a stand still. You’ve got to allow those people that time and that moment. If you’re backfilling [the grave], you wait until the family’s gone,” he said.