Barry's musical funeral

Barry was a very private, enigmatic man. He died of cancer in his early 50's. He wanted to be cremated, but left no other wishes. His friends decided to hold the funeral ceremony at the crematorium, but decorated the space with beautiful flowers as he always bought flowers for his home and workplace, and burned incense to reflect his strong links with exotic places. His beloved felt fedora and drumsticks were placed on the wicker coffin. The ceremony was made up almost entirely of music, reflecting his enigmatic nature and as a reminder of his legendary parties.

After the cremation a party was held in a local hotel, during which time his ashes were collected from the crematorium. Everyone gathered at a woodland site to bury them. As a friend held the urn, someone asked “what do ashes look like?” The lid was taken off and everyone gathered round to see. We all then stood in a circle and the ashes were passed around - each person said a few words about him before they were buried with his very last cappuccino and a rose. This singular day could only have been for Barry.

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