If someone dies in the Torbay area and no suitable funeral arrangements have been made or are being made, we may have a legal duty to arrange the funeral.  

This is often referred to as a Public Health Funeral. 

When we will arrange a funeral 

We will step in to arrange a funeral if: 

  • The person has no family, or 
  • Family or friends cannot, or will not, help, or 
  • The person had no money, and no one else is helping. 

If the person died in hospital, the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust will arrange the funeral. 

Who pays for the funeral 

  • If possible, we recover the cost from the person’s estate (money, property, or belongings). 
  • If we find a spouse, parent, or other relative, we may ask them to pay, from the estate of the deceased person 
  • If there is no estate then we will pay. 

What happens to the deceased’s property 

If the person left behind personal belongings or furniture: 

  • We will ensure that the property is secure. 
  • We may sell belongings to help cover the funeral costs. 
  • If there is money left after costs, the estate goes to the next of kin. If no next of kin exists, the estate is referred to the Treasury Solicitor. 

Type of funeral provided 

  • We arrange a simple cremation. This is unless we know the person had religious or personal reasons for a burial.  
  • Public funerals are unattended, with no service or flowers.  
  • We do not offer the choice of funeral director. 
Public funerals held between January 2019 and February 2026
Deceased Name Date of Death Place of Death Next of kin located Passed to Treasury Solicitor
Mr Graham Dempsey 06/01/2019 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Roger Bushell 13/01/2019 TQ2 No No
Mr Ian Muir 26/01/2019 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Raymond Boucher 09/02/2019 TQ3 Yes No
Mr Dennis Martin 10/02/2019 TQ3 No No
Mr Keith Hunnisett 22/02/2019 TQ1 Yes No
Mr John Michael Robinson 03/03/2019 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Kevin Michael Smith 06/03/2019 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Michael Rowe 18/03/2019 TQ3 Yes No
Mr Andrew Bruce Surgenor 18/03/2019 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Vincent Bring 29/03/2019 TQ2 No No
Frances Mary Skyrme 09/05/2019 TQ4 Yes No
Mr Kevin Stevens 09/06/2019 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Richard Malcolm Paul Gould 17/06/2019 TQ2 Yes No
Jememiah McCarthy 27/06/2019 TQ5 No No
Mr Lee Hannon 03/07/2019 TQ3 Yes No
Mr A Villiers 24/08/2019 TQ1 No No
Ms Jean Patricia Frazer 19/10/2019 TQ5 Yes No
Lee Courtenay 27/10/2019 TQ4 Yes No
Mr Kenneth Tucker 22/11/2019 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Roderick Torrance 30/11/2019 TQ5 Yes No
Mr Fergus James Daly 15/01/2020 TQ4 Yes No
Mr Nigel John Davies 02/02/2020 TQ3 No No
Ms Pauline Shepherd 11/03/2020 TQ3 Yes No
Mr Hubert Ferguson 12/03/2020 TQ3 No No
Nigel Walters 14/03/2020 TQ3 No No
Mr John Clements 23/03/2020 TQ2 Yes No
Nicholas Stiles 30/03/2020 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Alberto Cotas 22/04/2020 TQ3 Yes No
Mary Dicken 22/04/2020 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Charles Clark 22/05/2020 TQ1 Yes No
Iwona Skorzewska 08/06/2020 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Brian Haslam 07/07/2020 TQ2 Yes No
Rumi Hiriomatsu-Crane 13/07/2020 TQ5 No No
Mr Paul Nathan Andrew Webb 13/08/2020 Yes No
Mr George Hay 13/08/2020 TQ5 Yes No
Anna Short 25/08/2020 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Neil Edward Morgan 15/09/2020 TQ2 Yes No
Ms Samantha Jane Hole 27/09/2020 TQ5 Yes No
Ms Christine McPhoy 03/10/2020 TQ2 No
Ms Janet Cuttell 12/10/2020 TQ2 Yes No
Mitchell Singleton 16/10/2020 TQ3 Yes No
Mr Peter Norman Grant 23/10/2020 TQ5 Yes No
Mr Richard Praill 19/11/2020 TQ1 Yes No
Ms Sylvia Pavey 26/11/2020 TQ4 Yes No
Mr Jonathan James Charnock 29/12/2020 TQ2 No No
Ms Jane Robinson 09/01/2021 TQ14 No No
Mr Bryan Aaron Barnes 19/01/2021 TQ1 No No
Linda Gwendoline White 07/02/2021 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Thomas Parrott 04/03/2021 TQ4 Yes No
Mr John Streeter 06/03/2021 TQ1 No No
Mr Mark Richard Beddows 14/03/2021 TQ2 No No
Mr Raymond Shuttleworth 14/03/2021 TQ3 No No
Mr David Dempsey 22/03/2021 TQ5 Yes No
Mr Keith Poole 26/03/2021 TQ3 Yes No
Mr Thomas Geekie 14/04/2021 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Paul Cave 14/04/2021 TQ3 Yes No
Ms Autumn Dakin 18/05/2021 TQ3 Yes No
Ms Sally Ann Cairns 23/05/2021 TQ1 No No
Mr Adrian Knibbs 09/06/2021 TQ2 Yes No
Mr David Patefield 12/06/2021 TQ3 No No
Mr Dennis Leslie Martin 26/07/2021 No No
Mr Kenneth Stevenson 29/07/2021 TQ3 Yes No
Mr Barry Landers 11/08/2021 TQ1 Yes No
Mr David Furneaux 17/09/2021 TQ1 No No
Mr David Sarjeant 18/09/2021 TQ3 Yes No
Mr Lee Martin 08/10/2021 TQ1 No No
Mr James Sweeney 10/10/2021 TQ2 No No
Ms Shelagh Amos 15/10/2021 TQ2 No No
Mr Jeffrey Moore 19/10/2021 TQ2 No No
Mr Martin Langley 30/10/2021 TQ3 Yes No
Mr Donald Carter 09/11/2021 TQ1 No No
Mr David Hanson 01/12/2021 No No
Ms Pamela Gehling 03/12/2021 TQ5 Yes No
Mr Paul Maybury 10/12/2021 TQ2 No No
Mr Malcolm Briand 16/12/2021 No No
Mr Nigel May 22/12/2021 TQ2 No No
Ms Susan Moignard 13/01/2022 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Anthony Caunt 25/02/2022 TQ2 No No
Mr Robert Owen 08/03/2022 TQ4 No No
Mr James Mahoney 28/03/2022 TQ3 Yes No
Ms June-Coral Gallier 13/05/2022 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Andrew Burns 23/05/2022 TQ2 Yes No
Mr John Collier 30/05/2022 TQ1 No No
Ms Sharon Jane Horner 01/06/2022 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Michael Hughes 13/06/2022 TQ1 No No
Mr Tom Golding-Lamble 20/07/2022 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Philip John King 24/07/2022 TQ3 Yes No
Mr Frederick Roy Smith 19/08/2022 TQ2 Yes No
Mr John Butterworth 24/10/2022 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Christopher Robin Stevens 07/12/2022 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Philip Putt 25/12/2022 TQ3 Yes No
Naomi Walton 26/12/2022 TQ2 Yes No
Ms Glennis Evans 26/12/2022 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Alexander Downie 12/01/2023 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Peter Hale 23/01/2023 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Anthony Stone 02/02/2023 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Patrick Walshe 08/02/2023 TQ3 No No
Mr Ian Medway 13/02/2023 TQ1 Yes No
Mr James Doyle 19/02/2023 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Barry Goldsmith 06/03/2023 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Paul Hensley Brooks 17/03/2023 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Philip Bailey 28/03/2023 TQ2 No No
Mr George Arthur Smith 09/04/2023 TQ4 Yes No
Mr Anthony Buchanan 25/12/2022 TQ2 Yes No
Mr John Speller 26/05/2023 TQ5 Yes No
Mr Ian Thomson 30/04/2023 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Henry King 14/06/2023 TQ1 No No
Sally Ann Cross 29/06/2023 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Malcom Noye 17/07/2023 TQ1 Yes No
Mr David Hughes 26/07/2023 TQ4 No No
Ms Jane Bolter 14/08/2023 TQ1 Yes No
Mr John Barton 23/09/2023 TQ5 Yes No
Mr Anthony Davies 26/09/2023 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Brian Topping 01/11/2023 TQ2 Yes No
Mr George Philip Siddall 19/10/2023 TQ3 Yes No
Ms Jane Teague 21/09/2023 TQ4 No No
Mr Stephen Spiller 21/09/2023 TQ1 Yes No
Mr David Brownlie 18/10/2023 TQ1 No
Mr Peter Whittle 06/11/2023 Yes
Miss Kim Walsh 09/11/2023
Nina Stone 04/12/2023
Mr Andrew Taylor 10/01/2024 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Noel Harrison 15/01/2024 TQ1 No No
Ms Christine Marion Jones 04/02/2024 TQ1 Yes No
Mr David King 08/02/2024 TQ1 No
Jolita Alisauskaite 26/02/2024 TQ1 Yes No
Ms Victoria Jane Hanna 28/02/2024 TQ3 No No
Mr John Patrick Walsh 18/03/2024 TQ4 No No
Mr Ian Kenneth Taylor 19/03/2024 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Darren Drake 27/05/2024 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Brian Caird 16/07/2024 TQ1 Yes No
Ms Debra May Hughes 10/08/2024 TQ5 Yes
Ms Louise Claire Richards 27/08/2024
Ms Susan Miller 28/08/2024
Mr Richard Brimicombe 04/10/2024 TQ1 Yes No
Mr Paul Saunders 21/10/2024 TQ1 No
Mary Monica Powys-Lybbe 1/10/24 TQ2 Yes No
Mr Martin Hoyle 9/12/2024 TQ4 No No
Mr Bernard James Linnegar 14/02/2025 TQ1 Yes No
Yuliia Hrytsai 01/03/2025 TQ5 Yes Unknown
Christopher Smithies 03/03/2025 Yes Unknown
Mr Thomas Keill 11/03/2025 Unknown No
Mr Gordon Chilcott 25/03/2025 Yes Unknown
Alan Harris 08/04/2025 Unknown Unknown
Christina Lilanthea Hambling 17/04/2025 TQ1 Unknown No
Trevor Charles Williams 12/05/2025 Unknown Unknown
Sean Harris 16/05/2025 Unknown Unknown
Paul Peers 24/05/2025 Unknown No
Molly Betty Degowan (Smout) 01/06/2025 TQ3 Yes No
John Howard Leary 09/06/2025 TQ3 Yes No
Michael George Lane 03/07/2025 TQ2 Yes No
Michael Adams 01/08/2025 TQ1 Yes No
Lisa Catherine Gumbley 06/08/2025 TQ2 Yes Unknown
Pamela Marlene Crewes 17/09/2025 TQ1 Yes No
Gordon Alexander Harris 24/09/2025 TQ1 Unknown No
Julian Simon Williams 23/09/2025 TQ3 Yes No
John Leslie Smith 10/10/2025 TQ1 Unknown No
Raymond Cooke 26/10/2025 TQ4 Unknown Unknown
Brian Douglas Kingman 20/10/2025 TQ2 Unknown Unknown
William Spray 28/12/2025 TQ5 Unknown Unknown
Glenda Campbell 28/12/2025 TQ2 Yes Unknown

Further information 

How to find the date and place of birth of the deceased 

This information is shown on the death certificate. You can request a copy from the Registrar Service at Paignton Library. 

Why we do not publish the value of the deceased’s estate

We do not publish this information because: 

Releasing estate values could lead to fraud, which would cost public money and put pressure on the police. We believe it is in the public interest to keep this information private. 

Visit the Bona Vacantia website if you think you may be a rightful heir or to find out more information. 

Contact Us 

If you believe someone has died without arrangements in place, or if you need help: