Founder Robert Samson was a joiner by trade and set up the company in 1913. As was common around this time, he made coffins and as an extension to this, conducted funerals for his customers. Robert’s son George joined the business and they expanded the joinery base to provide housebuilding, caravan construction, tree surgery as well as coffin manufacture. George eventually succeeded his father as owner manager. Following George’s death in 1962, his own son, also Robert (Bob) and a masterjoiner, and wife Sheila, took over the reins. In 1965, they acquire James L Wallace in Dundee and a decade later, closed the joinery side of his business to focus solely on funerals. Nine years later in 1984, their son David, joined the company and in 2000 took over as Managing Director for the next 16 years. In 2015, David sought out another family business with ethics and experience to take on the legacy of his own. William Purves, with its five generations and reputation for premier funeral services, was a natural fit.
Today our values of compassion, dedication, integrity and respect are at the heart of Robert Samson and James L Wallace. The five-strong team continue supporting bereaved families in Broughty Ferry and the wider Dundee area and earning their trust.
