Here’s a lovely story from the Isle of Anglesey, reported by the BBC. A local funeral celebrant, Tim Clark, has founded a choir to sing at funerals. He has named it Threnody. Tim says: “Many [secular] funerals are at crematoria, where there is not a tradition of choral singing.

  Good night sweetheart, till we meet tomorrow Good night sweetheart, sleep will banish sorrow Tears and parting may make us forlorn But with the dawn, a new day is born (so I’ll say) Good night sweetheart, tho’ I’m not beside you Good night sweetheart, still my love will guide

  In the correspondence columns of the Feb Funeral Service Journal we find this touching plaint. Dig the velveteen undertakerly verbals, especially in the first sentence:  Dear Sirs Re: The missing link  One of the fundamental items provided by a Funeral Director is the coffin used to contain the mortal remains

  Really nice recent obit here from The Times:    Hilary Ruth ALLEN  Hilary Ruth (nee Castle). The family are sad to announce, after a long and brave 3 year battle with cancer the death of Hilary in Salisbury on the 5th January 2012, aged 67 years. She was a

  It’s a 1928 Chevrolet van converted into a hearse. The conversion was carried out by Robin Hattswell-Burt, who works at Penryn and Falmouth Funeral Directors in Cornwall. Says Mr Hattswell-Burt, ““I like to think we offer a more modern funeral.” Story in the Times here. Beware paywall.

  The funeral industry is in a bad place. Public reaction to last week’s Which? report revealed few friends. It also showed it to be no good at defending itself. Things are going to get worse. Time is running out.  At the GFG we’ve lost count of the number of