A British senior who pre-planned his funeral and rehearsed it on TV in 2013, had his final wishes come true after peacefully passing away in June.
Malcolm Brocklehurst, who is a renowned aircraft expert, commissioned an orange airplane-shaped coffin ten years ago from Crazy Coffins, an offshoot of a Nottingham-based traditional coffin and urn maker in England that helps people customize their funeral.
The grandfather-of-nine was filmed sitting in the coffin on Channel 5’s Bizarre Burials, which also featured a rehearsal of the ceremony that the former aerospace engineer coordinated to the last detail.
The plane was aptly called Tango One and numbered with MB 1934—his initials and year of his birth.
He also announced that he wanted the funeral procession to leave from the stadium pitch where his favorite football team, Blackpool FC, plays.
Malcom decided to pre-plan his funeral to save his wife, Mary, from having to organize the day herself. It turned out that she passed away before him.
But speaking about the rehearsal in 2013, he said it was all “light-hearted fun”.
“It felt like—and indeed was—a dress rehearsal for my command performance—with the great author in the sky.
“It was a day like no other.
“It felt weird being laid to rest in my airplane coffin, although I insisted that they not put the lid fully on—in spite of protestations from pals who said, ‘We’ve got him at last, nail it down fast’.”
On a Monday two weeks ago, there was a Blackpool Football Club flag flying high on the pole in his front yard, as the airplane coffin was lifted onto a flat top vehicle for its final flight.
WATCH WITH KLEENEX: Kindergarten Student Brings Audience to Tears Remembering Late Mom in Graduation Speech
The service was conducted by Humanist Lancashire celebrant Richard Spedding, 57, who says the day was “quirky” but an “absolute privilege to do”.
“I’ve done a few interesting funerals but I’ve never, ever done one with a coffin like that.
“A lot of hard work goes into the final product, but it was well worth it, and the family were extremely grateful for the job that I’ve done.”
He does a lot of pre-planned funerals where he actually meets the person, but by that point they are usually receiving end-of-life care.
And, he had never done a memorial service that featured an original song played live that the person had written.
The cheeky song that Malcolm Brocklehurst wrote for his last party was called, Fry me, Toast me.
And Malcolm’s final request was for everyone to come give the propeller a spin on his coffin.
SHARE HIS LAST LAUGH With Your Favorite Friends And Family on Social Media…