It is very seldom that I attend a funeral but this one was of a friend that I was getting to know and who passed from us very recently so we met in the chapel that I call mine which is Withyditch Chapel near Peasedown. There were few faces known to me as many were relatives of the deceased who did not live in the area but one or two people greeted me by name and this made a big difference to the occasion.

I do enjoy singing traditional hymns and I very much appreciated the testimony given on behalf of his daughter and another testimony from the chapels point of view what sort of a man who was.

I was wondering when I ascend from this mortal coil what people will say about me, hopefully the truth and hopefully including the good and not so good otherwise it’s all a bit cosmetic.

Burial Service for Tony

Friday, October 31, 2025 — 2:00 p.m.

Opening Words – Colin (Officiant)

We welcome you and ask that you join in with all that we do.
We come in remembrance of our dear friend and go away feeling a sense of joy that we had the privilege of knowing such a wonderful man.

Let us pray.

Our Heavenly Father, we come into Your presence at this solemn time to remember our friend, father, and grandfather — a man who touched our lives.
We come in thanksgiving that he knew you and rejoiced in worshipping here in this chapel.
We thank You, Lord, for Your wonderful love and grace that has brought us all here safely this afternoon.
We pray that You will be with us as we go through this service, and later as we travel into town to the crematorium.
May Your Holy Spirit guide us, bless us, and keep us safe.
Be with us now, O Lord, as we sing Your praises.
We ask this in the name of Your blessed Son, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.

We stand and sing our first hymn, All Things Bright and Beautiful.

Fiona’s Testimony
spoken on her daughter’s behalf)

Dan was a very kind and caring man. He was always looking out for me — including running marathons, helping me at university, and later buying me my first, second, and probably third car!

A memorable day in 2005 was my wedding. Dad overcame his nerves after realising he’d left his speech behind and had to go back for it. He gave a brilliant speech as father of the bride, and we all enjoyed celebrating the day with family and friends.

When I was working part time, Dad often visited me and his grandchildren, supporting Charlotte and Ellie at their various school events. He and Pat particularly enjoyed attending prize-giving last year, where Ellie played the saxophone with a small band. He was also a big hit with Charlotte’s friends, who loved his bright yellow sunglasses and infectious laugh.

I remember Dad enjoying ski trips with his brother Jerry and friends from the MFD in Plymouth. He always came back talking about clear blue skies and excellent chalet catering.

Over the years, he had a collection of boats, caravans, sand yachts, and go carts — with varying degrees of use! When I was at school, I remember him driving a bright orange three-wheeled Bond Bug car. It was fun, but also a bit embarrassing at the time!

He loved spending time with family — beach trips in Cornwall, and Christmases in Manchester with Mum’s family. In later years, he shared wonderful trips abroad with Jerry and Josephine, including one to New England to see the autumn colours, which they all thought were fabulous.

After Mum died, Dad continued her involvement with the chapel, taking on many responsibilities with great dedication, including serving as secretary.

In later years, he found a special friend in Pat. They cared deeply for each other, and after he moved into care, she visited him every day. We encouraged him to join the activities there, and he began to enjoy them. We have lovely photos of him and Pat playing bingo and carpet skittles with other residents.

All in all, Dad was a very special person — a wonderful father, father-in-law, and granddad. We will all miss him greatly.

Tribute to Tony from Colin (Officiant)

Tony’s roots were in Cornwall. He was born in a small village not far from Looe, where he went to school.
At 16, he left to complete an apprenticeship at Devonport Dockyard as an electrical fitter, later studying electrical engineering at the University of Manchester in the late 1950s.

While a student, he took adventurous trips to the USA and the old Soviet Union and met his future wife during that time.

He loved music — especially Dixieland jazz, rock and roll, and big bands. He once told us how he saw Louis Armstrong perform in Manchester and even shook his hand afterwards.

Tony went on to have a long career with the Ministry of Defence, working in London, Scotland, and Bath, before retiring in 1995, having raised his family with his beloved wife, Yvonne.

Tony and the Chapel

If you look around this chapel, remember that if it weren’t for Tony, we might not be here today.

Back in 2008, the powers-that-be decided this chapel should close. But Tony and a few determined friends refused to let that happen. Tony was the driving force — phoning people, organising meetings, and persuading us all to help.

When the chapel windows had to be replaced, most of us began searching online for grants and funding. Not Tony! He went straight to a local businessman and arranged for the windows to be made and painted locally. We then gathered in the schoolroom and painted the frames ourselves before they were installed — all at half the expected cost.

That was Tony — practical, resourceful, and community-minded.  He was the driving force who kept us going, never afraid to ask difficult questions at meetings, or to challenge our ideas if he saw a better way.

Our Sunday worship feels a little emptier without him. His place cannot be filled, but his vision and dedication will always be remembered.

This coming Sunday, when we meet for worship, it will be bittersweet — because now, officially, our friend Tony will not be among us.

Reading and Reflection

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great Baptist minister whose congregation numbered thousands, once said of “the poor in spirit”:

“Those who are of no account in their own eyes are of the blood royal of the universe. These alone have the principles and the qualifications for a heavenly kingdom.”

A few weeks before his death, Spurgeon added,

“May I be such.”

May we, too, know the God whom we worship in this chapel — the God Tony served so faithfully.

Scripture Reading – Matthew 5:1–12

And seeing the multitude, Jesus went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

We thank the Lord for the reading of His wonderful Word.

We then got into our cars to attend the second part of the ceremony which was the crematorium at Haycombe in South Bath. What an amazing establishment it is when my time comes I would love to be interred there. This is open to anyone. The post code is BA2 2RQ if you want to go and have a look. 

A beautiful backdrop to the service room

various wreathes in memorium of the deceased

very lovingly prepared plaques

As soon as I saw the word ‘operate’ I knew it was wrong. As for phrasing, “operate” sounds a bit technical or military — not quite natural for describing wildlife. I would have said ‘Deer roam this area’

Thereafter went to the Globe Inn which is an excellent establishment just off a roundabout on the bath to Bristol Rd BA2 9BB they had arranged a finger buffet for us which was quite delicious and varied and the quality was good. round the lunch table I met 2 delightful and extrovert sisters from Manchester who showed a real interest in what we were doing and this involved some lively discussion. She looked about 40 but was actually coming on for 60. We joked about age and how activity keeps you young. We stayed there for about an hour and then I took my leave taking care to thank Fiona the Hostess for the wonderful job she had done.

The only slight barrier to my enjoying myself was a grumbling tooth and hopefully I will get this fixed when I visit the dentist on Monday. I’m so glad I’m with a private dentist. You pay, but you get good service. In my case I’ve had two same day appointments when I was in pain. Try that on the NHS. It was a wonderful blustery and brain field day today so normally I would have gone to Glastonbury to celebrate Sanhein but the weather was totally unsuitable for outdoor celebrations so we made the right decision.