The Burial

THE BURIAL

I thought we’d had the final update, but a number of people have asked for details of the way John was laid to rest and I know it’s particularly helpful for people overseas.

The burial was everything John would have wanted. Firstly the village granted his long felt desire to be buried in his beloved village – this being something of an honour as he is not Greek Orthodox.

Secondly he was surrounded by his family, the villagers and his friends from near and far.

The family party included Damon and his wife Cherry-Anne, grand daughter Katie, Natasha and partner Alan, Ben and wife Lucy, Hans his oldest friend from Holland, our best friends from UK, Lynne and Peter Falconer and dearest friend Karina from over the hill in Prastio.

He had been given a splendid plot in the cemetery. We walked there from the house, a slow column all dressed in black and many in dark glasses, all very surreal and reminiscent of a scene from a mafia move. Hans linked arms at the front of the column with me on one side, Natasha on the other giving us a strange sense of calm and strength.

When we arrived at the cemetery they had already carried the coffin to the grave side. In typical Cyprus fashion, they realised the grave was not quite wide enough at one end and after much measuring, they started digging it out to make the coffin fit.  He'd have liked that bit of nonsense.

We had a glass panel on the coffin so people could see him, and he had a posh shirt on and a tweetie pie bow tie.  He looked as if he was just sleeping, so peacefully.  A happy memory.

Of the event, our friends Tina and Michael have written to say “how he would surely have been impressed with the way Damon spoke on behalf of the family.  He would most certainly have enjoyed the story of the swallow as told by Hans.  He would have been moved by the words spoken by Bambos the village head and we think he would have been amused that the priest was able to have his say”, the latter being a reference to the fact that John was a non-believer.

There were people there from the walking group, the chairman and other friends from the birds group, friends from the book club in Limassol.  Plus other friends and a lot of people from the village. There must have been over 150 people.

A lot came back to the house afterwards and told stories about John.  Colin Rugg made a very good point, tell your friends now that you love them .  He said he wished he had told John that.

Our chosen charity is the “Friends for Life”, Limassol Hospice Care Appeal, who collected 648 Euros at the cemetery.

I feel so supported by the village and especially Nina from the village shop who made all the arrangements and Bambos who guided me on the traditional ways of the village at this time.  I think that the outpouring of love has been a support to the family too.

We have also all been overwhelmed by the email response from overseas, particularly from Birmingham, where John was a founder Director of BRMB Radio. There was a story of his death in the Birmingham Post and Mail (www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-news/2009/10/09/brmb-pioneer-dies-in-cyprus-aged-71-65233-24888258/,) followed by a moving article from Robin Valk, his first rock jock on the station back in the 1970’s, also attached. And there are plans for a memorial there before the end of the year. All very extraordinary, when you consider we were there for a relatively short period (1974-1981) and have been away for 28 years.

So let me let you have the last say. In your letters you have described him as: a gentleman, of good humour and wit, with a fund of stories, a lovely man, an example to us all, a special person, a great godfather, one of the world’s great people, a gentle soul, a reassuring person, an inspiration, my guiding light, the best dad in the world, your Sean Connery look-alike who bought us orchids at our Christmas lunch, coached so many of us through challenging times and laughed with us through even more good ones, made fantastic gin and tonics - and was your soul mate, a popular man, good natured with an air of ‘bon homie’, a very formidable, jovial, friendly and interesting man with many tales to tell, a wonderful person, a very likeable man who made me laugh a lot, a great friend and great work colleague, a stimulating companion, an influence on my life and principles, a man passionate about his passions, he was a good, respectful, reliable and kind man to work with, we are all so lucky that John touched our lives, I feel so much gratitude towards him and owe him a lot to my success, a born actor who made a pretty dramatic final bow, a loss for us all, we are going to miss ‘our’ John.