Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Musician to finally be laid to rest as funeral date set
Friends to remember talented Dan next week
A talented musician will finally be laid to rest next week almost a year after his body was found.
Dan Venes, 31, who lived off Sturry Road in Canterbury, went missing in Margate on August 14 last year.
His disappearance sparked a large-scale search by police, friends and family and he was still considered “missing” five months later.
But in January it was confirmed that his body had in fact been discovered on August 28, just a fortnight after his disappearance, when it is understood he was found on a beach in France.
Now, a date for his funeral has been announced.
A post on the Remembering Dan Venes Facebook page says: “We finally have a date for Dan’s funeral. It is Wednesday, July 20, at 12pm Barham Crematorium, Canterbury. Everyone is welcome.”
Friends and family are also invited to the Duke of Cumberland in The Street, Barham, after the service from 1pm for a toast and buffet to celebrate his life.
“Dan’s family have asked that instead of floral tributes, donations to the PDSA and Mind charities would be welcomed,” the post adds.
Earlier this month, an inquest detailed how it had taken considerable time for Dan’s body to be identified. For more than five months, his heartbroken loved ones were not aware he had been found and continued to fruitlessly search for him.
It wasn’t until January 19 this year that his family were informed Dan’s body had been discovered last summer, about five miles from Calais. A post-mortem examination was unable to establish how he died.
Coroner Bina Patel confirmed Dan was identified through dental records, but a pathologist ruled the cause of his death as “unascertained”.
Dan’s father, Jason Joiner, previously described his son - who has thousands of followers on Facebook pages exhibiting his art and music - as a “brilliant” guitar player and “a lovely, caring person”.
Prior to his disappearance, Dan is believed to have been picked up at Sturry Railway Station by police due to concerns for his welfare.
He was taken to the QEQM hospital in Margate, but is thought to have left soon after.
Dan was last seen alive a short while later on CCTV in Margate.
A full inquest - which hopes to establish the circumstances surrounding Dan’s death - is due to take place on October 3.