The funeral home can be the grounds for celebration and a deceased U.K. woman organized a spectacle for her passing.
The deceased Sandie Wood passed away due to tongue cancer at the age of 65 years old. Wood was a bodybuilder and she had been one of the victims of the infected blood scandal that took place in the 1970s and 80s where people were administered blood contaminated with hepatitis C.
Wood steered away from a traditional service and she requested a flash mob to dance to Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” at her own service. A video of the performance is circulating and people are thrilled by the dark humor.
“She wanted everyone to remember her funeral but not for a sad reason,” friend Sam Ryalls said. “Everyone is sad and grieving because she is not here anymore but that doesn’t mean her final day had to be that way.”
With Ryalls’s assistance, Wood chose the Flaming Feathers to perform a flash mob at her final service. It wasn’t an easy task to secure a group as 10 other groups refused the unconventional setting.
“Her best friend Sam booked us, but this was about six months before she passed — so Sandie basically planned her own funeral,” Claire Phipps, the manager of the group, said. “It was definitely not your normal gig.”
The attendees took some time to warm up to the performance since it was not a seamless transition to wipe the tears and put on a party face. However, the mourners eventually put their grief aside and joined the dance to honor Wood’s last wishes.
“It was very odd to first pretend to be there for the funeral and then to see family and friends crying and upset,” Phipps said. “To then have to get up and rock out to Queen felt very weird — but it did go really well.”
Phipps added: “We got some very funny and mixed reactions at first, but we got the crowd going, they were all clapping to the music, and they were all really thankful and enjoyed it after.”
The performers wrapped up the show by doing a conga line while leaving the crematorium.
Her service also featured a horse-drawn hearse and a custom-made coffin with her favorite sparkly shoes. The box had the following words: “Going out in style.” She definitely hit the ground with a bang in her authentic style.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-bristol-64223053