The Bahamas’ Longest Serving Mortuary
Honoring Life with Dignity & Grace
Since 1927, Demeritte's has stood beside Bahamian families in their most tender moments — a family-owned funeral home treating every client as family, with compassionate care available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Explore
Everything, Thoughtfully Arranged
Each part of our care has its own place. Begin wherever feels right.
Our Story
A legacy of care since 1927 — and the people behind the name.
Services
Burial, cremation, burials at sea, repatriation, and grief support.
Plan Ahead
Record your wishes today — a gift of peace for those you love.
Planning Guide
Step-by-step guidance for families, from documents to the order of service.
Packages
Transparent, all-inclusive farewells for every family.
Foundation
The Fealy Demeritte Foundation — giving back to the community.
Obituaries
In loving memory — recent services and tributes.
Contact
We’re here day and night — reach a caring director anytime.
Mobile App
Our companion app — services, planning, obituaries, and one-tap calling, right on your phone.
"In our darkest hour, Demeritte's treated our mother like their own family. Every detail was perfect \u2014 we could simply grieve, and they carried the rest."\u2014 The Thompson Family, Nassau
Our Story
Since 1927 — A Legacy of Care
Since 1927, Mr. Fealy Demeritte's genuine passion for funeral service has inspired generations — and his legacy continues to motivate and inspire morticians to this day. Demeritte's Funeral Home serves the entire Commonwealth of the Bahamas and the world at large, with our hospitable staff available to assist the community 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Demeritte's is a family-owned and operated business. With intimate, one-on-one funeral planning care, we cater to every funeral and burial desire. We, the family of Demeritte's Funeral Home, treat all our clients as family — and we walk with you through the entire planning exercise with great care and transparency.
The Journey
1910
Fealy Demeritte is born in New Providence on April 28th, to parents from Governor's Harbour, Eleuthera.
1927
At just 17, he begins his career beneath a Sapodilla tree on Hospital Lane — a lantern hanging from a branch, a saw and a hammer — building caskets and preparing loved ones for burial.
1943
The establishment moves to Market and Peter Streets, and later south to Market and Dunmore Streets as Good Friends Funeral Home.
Late 1940s
Good Friends becomes Demeritte's Funeral Home. Mr. Demeritte becomes the first funeral director to announce funerals on the ZNS radio airwaves, and the first to open numerous cemeteries across New Providence.
1958
He marries Alice Gertrude née Lightbourn — a beautician and businesswoman who joins the family business, arranging services and caring for families with professionalism, integrity and compassion.
Today
The tradition continues under Mr. Llewellyn Astwood Sr. — from horse, carriage and lantern to ultramodern facilities, cutting-edge embalming techniques and a modern fleet, carried forward by young, shrewd and innovative morticians.
Known Throughout the Bahamas As
"The Poor Man's Friend."— Mr. Fealy Demeritte · 1910–1992
As his wife Gertrude would always say: "Fealy did not have any formal training, but he was gifted — he just had it." He trained the majority of today's leading Bahamian morticians in the art of mortuary science, and served as the official undertaker to the fraternities.
The People Behind the Name
Mr. Fealy Demeritte
1910–1992 · Founder
He began at 17 under a Sapodilla tree and went on to train the majority of today's leading Bahamian morticians. A founding member of Transfiguration Baptist Church.
Mrs. Alice Gertrude Demeritte
née Lightbourn · Family
A beautician and businesswoman who joined the family business upon her marriage in 1958 — arranging services, preparing loved ones, and serving the community through civic and church life.
Mr. James Edward "Jack" Davis
With Demeritte's since 1952
A protégé of Mr. Demeritte who mastered the art of casket-making and rose through the ranks — funeral director, embalmer, assistant manager — to Manager.
Marcus Wilkinson
30+ years of service
He learned the business from the bottom up and still shares his knowledge with younger morticians and funeral directors, who hold him in the highest regard.
Mr. Llewellyn Astwood Sr.
Continuing the tradition
Under his stewardship the Demeritte tradition continues today, with the same devotion to community that defined its founder.
Llewellyn W. Astwood II
A.Sc., M.Sc., LFDE, CFSP
Author of Demeritte's Guidelines to Planning a Funeral Service — guiding families through every step with professional care.
Community at Heart
Demeritte's has always been a community-oriented business. Beyond funeral service, we offer sponsorship and educational opportunities for those pursuing the funeral profession — evident in the many qualified funeral service owners and operators who received their pupilage under Mr. Fealy Demeritte, a tradition that continues today.
Keeping with our tradition of meaningful funeral services at the most affordable cost, we help families plan everything from a modest burial to an extravagant celebration of life.
Our Facilities
A Fully Interactive & Unique Appeal
"Demeritte's Funeral Home offers a fully interactive and unique appeal."
Full facility showcase — photography & details coming soon
Our Services
Every Detail, Handled with Care
From the first call to the final farewell, one dedicated director walks with your family through every step.
Traditional Burial
Full-service funerals with viewing, chapel or church service, and graveside committal — tailored to your family's faith and traditions.
Cremation Services
Dignified cremation with memorial options, elegant urns, and keepsake selections for the family.
Repatriation
Seamless coordination bringing loved ones home to Nassau — or onward to the Family Islands and abroad.
Pre-Planning
Arrange your own farewell in advance — your wishes recorded, your family spared difficult decisions.
Burials at Sea
A dignified farewell upon the waters, arranged with the same reverence, care, and attention to detail as every Demeritte's service.
Grief Support
Counseling, support gatherings, and resources for the weeks and months after the service.
"The greatest gift you can leave your family is peace of mind."
Pre-Planning
A Gift of Peace for Those You Love
Record your wishes today — music, readings, burial or cremation — and spare your family difficult decisions in a difficult hour. Flexible payment plans available.
Guidance for Families
Guidelines to Planning a Funeral Service
When a loved one passes, knowing what to do brings calm to a difficult hour. This guide — prepared by Llewellyn W. Astwood II, A.Sc., M.Sc., LFDE, CFSP — walks you through each step.
Documents you will need
When death occurs at home — with an attending physician
Contact the physician, who will come to the home, pronounce your loved one, and complete and sign the medical certificate of death on the spot. The funeral home can then transport your loved one directly and begin the preservation process.
When death occurs at home — without an attending physician
Notify the nearest police station first. Officers will attend, conduct preliminary investigations, interview the family members present, and instruct you to contact the funeral home of your choice. The funeral home and the officers will motorcade together to Princess Margaret Hospital, where an on-call practitioner will pronounce your loved one, before transport to the Rand Lab for storage.
The family then completes the identification process: bring two forms of legal identification for the deceased and for the person identifying, meet with officers of the RBPF and hospital staff, and the Coroner's Court will review the case. Once the Coroner is satisfied, a Coroner's Release is issued and your loved one is released to the funeral home. In total, this process takes from two business days to two weeks.
Life insurance claims
Notify the insurance company immediately — they will provide a Physician's Statement Form for the attending physician to complete (your funeral director can handle this for you). Allow one business day to two weeks for its return. The funeral home or cemetery will provide an invoice; take both to the insurer and await their response. The exception is BAF Insurance Company — being Bahamian-owned, it requires only a certified death certificate and the funeral home's invoice.
National Insurance death benefit — $1,720 BSD
If your loved one worked and made at least 150 National Insurance contributions, the family is entitled to a death benefit — currently $1,720.00 BSD. To activate it and assign it to the funeral home, bring the funeral director's invoice, the NIB card, and a photo ID to the claims department at any NIB office. You will receive a claims receipt as proof that the check is being prepared.
Order of service, obituary & final details
Meet with the minister at least a week in advance — every church operates differently, and proper hymns and details matter. All photos and tributes must be submitted at least three days prior, so everything is recorded and proofed correctly.
For attire, most families choose what their loved one would wear to church; whatever is chosen should reflect the utmost reverence. Notify your funeral director of any special seating, special guests, vehicle needs, and family addresses for collection. A good funeral director eases the family's burden — the time of mourning should be a time of reflection on a life well lived.
Service Packages
A Farewell for Every Family
Transparent, all-inclusive packages. Sample pricing shown — final details confirmed with your director.
Serenity
Essential Care
BSD 4,500
- Professional services of funeral director
- Preparation and embalming
- Simple graveside service
- Standard casket selection
- Death certificate assistance
Heritage
Complete Funeral
BSD 8,500
- Everything in Serenity
- Viewing and visitation
- Chapel or church service
- Premium casket selection
- Memorial programs & register book
- Hearse and family sedan
Legacy
Distinguished
BSD 14,500
- Everything in Heritage
- Fine hardwood or metal casket
- Limousine service for family
- Floral tributes coordinated
- Live streaming for distant family
- Repast coordination
Presidential
Bespoke Tribute
BSD 24,500
- Everything in Legacy
- Dedicated concierge director
- Custom casket & vault
- Full fleet and escort
- Cinematic memorial film
- One-year grief support program
Giving Back
The Fealy Demeritte Foundation
Mission: assisting persons to ensure a better way of life.
Founded in 2015 to honor the memory and legacy of Mr. & Mrs. Fealy & Gertrude Demeritte — great pillars of their community — the Foundation is a nonprofit organization supporting and empowering at-risk youth, particularly in the Farm Road community where the Demerittes lived and worked for years.
Through education, vocational training, and community projects, the Foundation improves the lives of underprivileged individuals — believing education is the key, alongside a stable family environment. Each year, the Foundation co-sponsors approximately five educational and social initiatives across the community, each designed to achieve clearly defined, lasting results.
Programs & Initiatives
Take the Lead
Entrepreneurship-focused education for youth — workshops and seminars that channel young people's ideas into economic growth and financial stability for their families.
Prepared to Learn
Making sure every student gets a fair chance: backpacks filled with brand-new school supplies, and partnerships connecting communities with the schools and programs that need them.
The Job Bank
Stimulating the local economy by paying individuals — with a focus on the elderly and community rebuilding — for completing tasks and household improvements.
Community Care
Providing companionship to senior citizens by connecting them with young people for a few hours each week.
Astwood Program
Supporting young people pursuing a career as a mortician, with rotational work experience across the funeral home business to develop professional skills.
Channel Your Energy
Non-conventional skill building for youth: physical empowerment through boxing and fitness, and music — including training scholarships and equipment for young junkanoo talent.
In Loving Memory
Recent Services
The latest funeral announcements and death notices are shared with the community on our Facebook page.
We're Here, Day & Night
Reach Us Anytime
A caring director answers around the clock. Call, or send a message and we'll respond promptly.