HEARTBREAK FOR DAD WHO CAN’T AFFORD TO BURY HIS DAUGHTER
Cremation for mum who asked to be buried Parker
A Grief-stricken dad has told how he can’t afford to fulfill his daughter’s wish to be buried after she died in a car crash.
Father-of-eight Kevin Gregory has instead taken the heartbreaking decision to have his beloved daughter, Gemma Gregory, cremated.
The 32-year-old mum-of-four was killed alongside her friend Drew Pedley, aged 22, after his Mini Cooper crashed into a tree near Marton, just outside Congleton.
Kevin – who was on holiday in Blackpool at the time – then had to break the news to Gemma’s sevenyear-old girl.
The 54-year-old, from Alsager, said: “I didn’t expect to bury one of my kids before me. It’s horrendous.
“Her wish was to be buried, but it’s so expensive we can’t afford a burial so we have opted for a cremation.
“We want to give her the send-off she deserves. She didn’t have life insurance so me and my partner decided to set up a Gofundme.”
Kevin believes his daughter had just returned from a night out with her sister on the morning of the crash.
Former Victoria Community High School pupil Gemma, who was originally from Crewe but was living in Congleton, received a message from Drew asking if she wanted to go for a drive, her dad said. They then drove around for a while before crashing into a tree on the A34 Congleton Road, with passing police discovering the wrecked vehicle at around 3am on September 27.
Kevin was alerted to the news by Gemma’s eldest sister.
He said: “She told me Gemma had been in a car crash, but I didn’t know she had died.
“I rang up the police to check. A police constable rang me back and told me what had happened.
“When I found out, I had one of her children with me. I had to explain it to her seven-year-old daughter, who was hysterical.”
Gemma leaves behind three daughters – Jessica, aged 10; JaycieLeigh, aged nine; and seven-year-old Shianne.
She is also survived by her threeyear-old son AJ, who suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) which causes progressive weakness in all muscles and means breathing and swallowing is difficult.
Kevin added: “She wasn’t expecting to die before him. We were told he would pass away before his second birthday. He will be four in July. She called him the ‘SMA warrior’.
“She was an unbelievable mum to AJ, she was inspirational. Her life revolved around him as he needed 24-hour care.”
An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing. Anyone with information can call 101.