An ‘art-felt tribute’ – creative Huddersfield dad honoured with colourful coffin after falling in lo

When Ian Fellows died at the age of 80, his Huddersfield-based children Alison and Peter knew they wanted a service that would celebrate his love for art while also being eco-friendly.

Ian loved arts and crafts his entire life and enjoyed making gifts for loved ones. As he got older and developed Alzheimer’s, he fell in love with colouring-in – going through hundreds of books and thousands of felt tip pens.

When Alison and Peter met Funeral Director, Zoe Midgley at Co-op Funeralcare Brighouse, on Huddersfield Road, they had an unusual request for her: to decorate their dad’s eco-friendly cardboard coffin with the pieces of art that he had created over the last couple of years. Zoe immediately set to work to make the wish happen and so Alison and Peter handed over his work, not knowing exactly what to expect.

Kirsty Rigg, Funeral Arranger at the funeral home, came on board and worked hard to pull off the special request, spending several hours expertly cutting and sticking the pictures to the coffin showcasing Ian’s final masterpieces. The result was unveiled on the day of the service as the hearse arrived, much to the guests’ amazement – and the family’s delight.

Alison commented: “It changed the feeling of the day. Having such a personal touch brought a smile to the faces of people we drove past, and many of the people at the service commented how touched they were.

“No family looks forward to the funeral of a loved one, but having Dad’s coffin decorated with his art certainly brought a touch of joy and happiness to the day. For the family, it brought a little bit of happiness to a day we were dreading. Dad would have so deeply enjoyed that people got to see his artworks in a final showing and the colour and pattern was so uplifting.

“We cannot express our thanks enough for the care and the personalisation of our dad’s funeral.”

Zoe Midgley, Funeral Director from the member-owned Co-op Funeralcare’s Brighouse, said: “We were delighted to support Alison and Peter with such a personal request. At Co-op Funeralcare we believe that funerals have evolved, with many families now choosing to celebrate a loved one’s life and honour the things that were important to them.

“We take great pride in offering flexibility to fulfil any family's wishes – no matter how big or small they might be – and love helping families find unique, heartfelt or creative ways to say goodbye to their loved ones in the way they find most fitting.

“Alison and Peter were over the moon when they saw the beautifully decorated coffin – it was personalised in such a wonderful way that brought joy and comfort to everyone who knew Ian.”

To find out more about Co-op Funeralcare’s Brighouse, please visit: Funeral Directors in Brighouse, Huddersfield Road - Co-op (coop.co.uk)