A FUNERAL director who has a considerable and entertaining story to tell will be signing copies of his book ?Your Death is My Life? at Book Stop in Market Street, Tavistock tomorrow (Friday).
Bill Earl, known as Earl of Plymouth, has enjoyed a colourful career, travelling the globe in his role as funeral director. Now his wife Carole Barkell has written the biography of this fascinating octogenarian.
Bill started from nothing and built up an international reputation with his undertaking business. He was the first to change the colour of funeral cars from black to silver fox and the first qualified embalmer in Devon and Cornwall. An acquaintance of Robert Lenkiewicz, his firm carried out the artist?s funeral. His firm also did Sir Francis Chichester?s funeral ? the procession travelled through Tavistock on its way to Okehampton for the burial.
A man with a wry sense of humour, Bill?s life, as reflected in the book, is a mix of practicality and quirkiness. He built his own funeral casket at home, using it as a wardrobe, and standing it next to a full length diagram of a skeleton.
During the war years Bill?s family lived at Honeycombe House, Gunnislake and his wife Carole?s parents were born in Glanville Road, Tavistock. Her grandfather was born at a farm in Merrivale ? one of 12 children.
Carole and Bill will be at Book Stop between 11am and noon.