The Banchory Fly 8 (Autumn 2020)

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Planning For A Good End

Mum helps others in new career The loss of a beloved son has led an Aberdeenshire mum to offer bereaved families a personalised way to remember loved ones. When Ben Gray died suddenly, his family wanted to remember him in a way that paid tribute to the man he was. His mum, Isabel Addison, said: “Ben lived with Cystic Fibrosis, which we knew would limit his life, but when we lost him it was a terrible shock. "We wanted Ben’s service to reflect who he was, and so as a family we gathered together the limited pieces of information he had shared. The only thing we knew for certain was that he wanted his guitar placed on top of his coffin. "Ben loved playing his guitar and was passionate about it. He especially loved 70s rock music. Ben’s dad said that Ben wanted Burn by Deep Purple played at his funeral.” But other than that, everything was guess work. It was an extremely stressful and worrying time. Even now Isabel still questions if she got it right. When it came to his eulogy, Isabel wrote that herself, collecting stories from family and friends and getting those close

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Isabel is a funeral Celebrant and End of Life Practitioner She offers a unique and tailored approach to Planning for a Good End Funeral Services | Memorial Services Eulogy Writing | Interment/Scattering of Ashes Pet Funerals | Living Funerals End of Life Planning Get in touch if you would like to find out more about her services:

isabel@legacycelebrant.org.uk | 07846 689884

www.legacycelebrant.org.uk

to Ben involved, especially his closest friend. Often Isabel would think: “I wish I’d known that about him when he was alive.” Working in care management, Isabel came across people who were approaching the end of their lives. She would often ask if they had thought about what they wanted to happen when the time came and most had never had that discussion with their loved ones. On one occasion when she asked this question her client responded by saying her son refused to discuss this and that she was relieved to be having that conversation with someone. As a result, Isabel has trained and is now an accredited Independent Funeral Celebrant. This means that she can plan and run a funeral or memorial service that is a true reflection of the deceased. She is also offering a Funeral Planning service where your wishes are recorded so that your loved ones do not have to worry if they are getting it right.


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