Did you?
Did you like it? I’d be inclined to give it 10 out of 10. Last night’s BBC2 programme Dead Good Job is well worth watching. If you missed it, it covers: a Muslim funeral company’s attempts to bury the dead as quickly as possible in accordance with Islamic tradition, a terminally ill mother of two […]
In jest?
Lockwood woman’s colourful funeral request – including a jester to walk in front of hearse Funeral director Debbie Ingham dressed as a jester at the funeral of Margaret Harper IT WAS a fitting end to a colourful life. Lockwood grandmother Margaret Harper had only one dying wish – that no-one wore black to her funeral. […]
Interdependence
Posted by Vale We were saying farewell to a very old lady – nearly 99 – who had spent her last years living in a care home. She had no family there and, apart from myself and the organist, there were just four people present, all of them members of staff from the Care Home. […]
Requiem mass for Philpott children
Posted by Richard Rawlinson Before they were arrested and charged with the murder of their six children in a petrol-fuelled arson fire in their Derby council house last month, Mick and Mary Philpott started planning a funeral at the Anglican Derby Cathedral. With the tragedy making headline news, they chose this local landmark, rightly predicting a lot of […]
Quote of the day
“It is costly to our society in general, quite beyond the church, not to observe the death of a person in a way that witnesses to the dignity of the person and the meaning of life and death.” Thomas G Long Source
The first f***
Posted by Vale A favourite – even hackneyed – funeral song. The words really work though – and it’s the only possible accompaniment to this short video of some of the tributes at Graham Chapman’s memorial service. Was this – as John Cleese claims – really the first f*** at a memorial service? Some things […]
A bird’s-eye view: Jack’s funeral
Posted by Juno Gatsby Jack’s granddaughter called me and asked if I could recommend a venue for his funeral service. His family knew he didn’t want his last journey to be in a church or crematorium. He would be laid to rest in their local cemetery after his farewell ceremony. We talked about hotels and […]
All in a state funeral
Posted by Vale When is a state funeral not a state funeral? Back in 2008 there was speculation in the press about plans for a state funeral honouring the life and achievements of Lady Thatcher. The rumours were denied at the time but have never gone away or stopped being controversial. Look at the reactions […]
Games people play
Posted by Kathryn Edwards California economist Glen Whitman’s preoccupation with ‘Two Things’ is such fun that it’s no wonder it gets whirled around the papers every now and again, most recently in Saturday’s Guardian. Its premiss – laid out by a man whom Professor Whitman met in a bar – is this: for […]
Thoughts of a funeral-goer
Posted by Lyra Mollington The lovely Mr Cowling and his little friend Vale have kindly invited me to contribute to the splendid GFG. As a lady of a certain age, I have attended more than my fair share of funerals, becoming something of a connoisseur. I have also attended more than my fair share of […]
