‘I wouldn’t care what they wore so long as they wear transplant pins’
Charity campaigner and former MLA Jo-Anne Dobson (50) lives in Waringstown with her husband John and sons Elliott (27) and Mark (25). She says:
Icompletely understand Colin Brazier’s point of view and, as a father of six young children, why he wanted to make his wife’s funeral sombre and respectful for them. My children are older and I’d like to think my funeral would be a mix of a traditional service and celebration of my life.
I would like it to be a positive occasion at which John and the boys marked and celebrated the good things I had achieved in my life and a life which I enjoyed.
I would hope they would look back over a life I had lived which made them proud.
My son Mark’s kidney transplant experience has taught me to live every day to the full and to leave a footprint on the world.
I would like my family to know my wishes. I am a regular churchgoer and attend the Church of Ireland.
In that respect I would like a traditional service with hymns and readings.
My best friend Louise died two years ago when she was just 48. She had cancer and to me her funeral service was perfect. There was a traditional church service and her children read the lessons in memory of their mum.
After the service was over all the friends and family went out to a hotel for a meal.
The service was emotional and reflective but Louise had said she didn’t want people to be sad — so the meal was a joyous celebration of her life.
It was very uplifting and people shared happy stories and memories of her. It was a wonderful gathering.
I would like to marry these two elements in my own funeral and I hope my family would be beaming with pride.
I’d like it to be personal and about me. I’d like to have a mix of contemporary music such as Robbie Williams’ Angels and Bette Midler’s The Wind Beneath My Wings alongside traditional hymns such as Here I am Lord.
The chorus means so much to me: ‘Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord? I have heard you calling in the night, I will go Lord if you lead me, I will hold your people in my heart’.
I wouldn’t want my funeral to be private but to be open to everyone whose lives I have hopefully touched.
Everyone would be welcome and I wouldn’t care what they wore — but I would like everyone to wear a transplant pin.
I think it is important for people who are thinking about and talking about their funeral to consider transplantation and to make their wishes known to their family. It makes it easier when they are grieving to know what you would want and being a transplant donor can save up to seven lives.
But I hope all this is a long way off and that I continue to live a full and happy life and leave a really positive influence for people to remember me by.”