The words below are messages I have received from families who have had a

humanist / secular funeral or memorial service for their loved one.

 

Funeral conducted at Mount Jerome Crematorium Chapel for a Dublin family

Dear Siobhan,

I am writing to you on behalf of my mam (Phil), Kevin, Michael, myself and especially Ronnie.

We would all like to sincerely thank you for your kindness and professionalism in delivering dad’s lovely service …

We are all agreed that Dad (Ronnie) would be very pleased with his send off and we can’t thank you enough Siobhan.

 Kind Regards,

 Ronnie, Phil, Kevin, Michael & Jim Reilly.  

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Funeral conducted at Dardistown Crematorium for a Dublin family

Dear Siobhán,
Just a quick thank you for your very sincere humanist celebration at Ger’s cremation. Without exception those in attendance & those online were impressed with the simplicity and emotional impact of your service. Hilary, Ger’s sister, and I can’t thank you enough.

Seán

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Funeral conducted at Mount Jerome Crematorium Chapel for a Dublin/Mayo/Offaly family

Dear Siobhan

Just a short note to say a very big thank you for yesterday.  I was absolutely thrilled with the way the service went.  You were amazing and brought a beautiful presence to the ceremony and Jim got the dignified departure that we wanted.

I received so many complimentary and extremely positive messages from friends and family who had never been at a Humanist funeral. They thought it was a very dignified and meaningful service and just hit all the right notes.  A lot of people commented on you, your voice was very soothing and you brought a real human touch to a sad occasion.  Many said they would certainly consider a Humanist funeral after attending Jim’s.

Regards and best wishes

Catriona

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Funeral conducted at Dardistown Crematorium for a Dublin/Belfast family

Siobhan
Thank you on behalf of my family and me for guiding us through a ceremony that was a wonderfully seamless tapestry celebrating the life of Fran/Frances McVeigh which she would have approved of. 
Wishing you and family the very best in the future.
John Bennett

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Funeral conducted at a graveside in Tallaght for a Dublin family

Hi Siobhan, on behalf of myself and Geoff I want to thank you for the beautiful ceremony you presented Tony with today. It’s been a sad and a very emotional past few weeks and your service comforted me in a way I can’t really describe, but I left feeling recharged. You were the perfect choice for Tony service and I know Tony would have really enjoyed it. We are very grateful. Hope that you have a lovely Christmas. 

Kind regards, Cathy
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Funeral conducted at Newlands Cross Crematorium Chapel for a Dublin/Meath family

Siobhan

I just wanted to say thank you so much for yesterday every thing was perfect.  You made it all a little easier.

Angie

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Funeral conducted at Dardistown Crematorium for a Dublin family

Hi Siobhán, 
I’m just sending you this mail to thank you very much from our family for your help and support with the ceremony celebrating the life of Mam.
The ceremony while being a sad event, was commented on by many who viewed it online as being lovely and comforting to them.
I know our small family group felt that the ceremony was a very fitting send off to Mam, and it was how she would have wanted it.
So again, from us all, thank you for your kindness and assistance.
Regards
Mark, Hughie, Anita and Colin 
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Funeral conducted at Glasnevin Crematorium for an Irish/New Zealand family

Dear Siobhan,

A combination of getting myself together and, maybe, hopefully, getting a little more energy has led me to a day of starting to catch up. One of the jobs in my to do list is to write an inscription for Bernadette’s grave stone. I went back to Bernie’s funeral to look at some of the adjectives we used there to describe her. And all that led me nicely (albeit tearfully) onto the next job on my to do list which is to, very belatedly, say thank you to you for the wonderful job you did of Bernadette’s funeral. I felt very confident that should anything go wrong or become a problem, you would take care of it – that was a wonderful feeling on that day. You were a steady mistress of ceremonies amongst a group of emotional wrecks, and you steered that funeral so that it became a very real demonstration of Bernadette and the love we all have/had for her. Countless people have since told me it was the best funeral they’d ever been to, others said they never knew it was possible to have a non-religious ceremony that would be meaningful, and others told me they wanted one just like it for themselves. Many people talked about your kind, calm, confident air, and asked how on earth we’d managed to find such a great celebrant.

I sent out copies of the video to all our friends and family who couldn’t be with us on the day and the women on Waiheke Island, in Auckland, held their own funeral for Bernie, playing the video and eating and drinking together on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

So, a big thank you to you,

Best wishes,
Ann

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Funeral conducted in a private garden for a Dublin family

Dear Siobhan,

A note to express my deepest thanks for your help and expertise with my Dad’s Funeral last Tuesday. 
We couldn’t have had a more fitting and perfect send-off for Willie, and we will be buoyed by it in the difficult months that are undoubtedly ahead.
We knew he didn’t want a traditional, religious service, and we had no idea how incredibly special a Humanist Celebration in the garden would turn out to be. 
Thank you so very much for helping us to make it all possible
Very best regards
Maria on behalf of the Murphy/Stanley/Lyons/Humpston family

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Funeral conducted at Mount Jerome Crematorium Chapel for a Dublin/Clare family

Dear Siobhan, 

I can never ever thank you enough for the outstanding funeral service for my Mum.  It was a truly unique and personal tribute to my Mum and you captured Mum perfectly.  We totally honoured her wishes.  

So many people have told me that it was the “best” funeral service that they have ever attended and that it was so on point for my Mum.   Some have said, they too would like a humanist service as they didn’t realise it represented their values and they didn’t know that it was an option.   

Although we had to do all the preparation via telephone, you really listened and picked up the key points which were so personal to Mum. […]

Your delivery was seamless and you’re an excellent public speaker.  Your compassion and kindness as a person shone through and was greatly appreciated by the family. […]

We can never thank you enough for making it such a wonderful celebration of remembrances, love and gratitude for my amazingly, beautiful Mum.  

Forever indebted to you and with very best wishes and so, so many thanks 

Adrienne & family

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Funeral conducted at Mount Jerome Crematorium Chapel for a Dublin/Wicklow/Kerry family

Dear Siobhán
A short note to thank you most sincerely and with the upmost gratitude for how you helped us celebrate Muiris’s life yesterday. I’ve received a great many appreciations of your considered and deft handling of a sad occasion. Your thoughtfulness, words and guidance was important.
Go raibh míle maith agat.
Fiach

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Funeral conducted at Mount Jerome Crematorium Chapel for a Dublin/Donegal family

Dear Siobhán,

Thank you so much, on behalf of the Gallagher family, for your great skill and thoughtfulness in creating the celebration of our father’s life yesterday morning at Mount Jerome. With your gentle encouragement, we were able to find the words to express our love for our father and choose the right music and poetry. I know I speak for all of those present when I say that the service was both moving and joyful. Your introductory remarks were lovely, and your quiet guidance supported us through this most difficult of occasions. All of the different parts came together perfectly, and the whole event worked seamlessly. The feeling of completion at the end of the service was like heaving a great sigh of sadness as the curtains closed, and we left the chapel feeling that something of great significance had happened. 

Thank you,

Djinn

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Funeral conducted in north Dublin for a Portmarnock/Donegal family

Thank you for everything both before and during Mum’s funeral service. Everywhere I go people are still commenting on what a beautiful service it was and are singing your praises. It is so comforting to know that we gave her the send off she deserved. 
It takes a very special person to be able to communicate in the way in which you did at her service and Mum clearly saw that in you from the moment she met you…
Vanessa
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Funeral conducted at Newlands Cross Crematorium for a Wexford/Kildare family

Hi Siobhan, I just wanted to drop you a quick line to say, thank you so much for today. You really helped make it an excellent service for my Dad and made the ordeal so much easier for myself and Kate.

Everyone spoke very highly of you afterwards…. I know it’s the type of send off he would have liked.

Thanks again and take care, Rob.

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Graveside & Celebration conducted at Glasnevin Cemetery for a London/Irish family

Dear Siobhán, I would like to thank you, on behalf of all of our family, for being the celebrant at the interment ceremony and celebration for my mother on 21 April.

You were knowledgeable, kind and reassuring and I know our mother would have approved of what you said!

I would gladly recommend your services to another family in a similar situation. Kind regards, Carlos

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Funeral conducted at Newlands Cross Crematorium Chapel for a Kildare family

All sides of the family were impressed by the celebration. I had hoped to speak about my life with K but by the end of the poem I knew that that would have been impossible. However your words conveyed much of what I wanted to say.

This was mine and for most of the family, their first experience of a Humanist Ceremony and all who spoke to me were complimentary.

Sincere thanks for your advice and assistance when it was very much needed. Kind Regards, Sean

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Funeral conducted at family home and at Dardistown Crematorium for a Dublin family

Thanks for thinking of us Siobhán, we are doing OK. I just want to say thank you again for such an amazing job, you made a very difficult time much more easier to get through and you will be highly recommended by me and my family. All the best, R

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Funeral conducted at Newlands Cross Crematorium Chapel for a Meath family

Dear Siobhán, We were so pleased with your contribution to Declan’s farewell, you were the subject of lots of warm compliments, many people said they had no idea that type of funeral was possible, and would like to have a similar service themselves, the word dignified was mentioned several times. Thank you very much, Siobhan, for all your advice and guidance on what was a very sad occasion for our family. Gwen

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Memorial service conducted in a north Dublin hotel for a local family

Siobhán, Many thanks again for the service and your help to Emily and myself in arranging it. You set just the right tone for the day. I have had many compliments on the manner in which the memorial was conducted. We feel that the event achieved all that we expected and more. Sincere regards, John

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Funeral service conducted in Mount Jerome Crematorium Chapel for a Dublin family

Hi Siobhan, thanks again for the lovely service yesterday, your professionalism and empathy meant a lot to me and my family, I hope we meet again under happier circumstances. Niall

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Funeral conducted at Newlands Cross Crematorium Chapel for a Kildare family

Dear Siobhán, I would just like to thank you again for Andy’s service. You were amazing, I felt that you truly knew him and captured all his mannerisms. So many people have asked for your details after the funeral which I have passed on. I would highly recommend you to anyone that comes my way and I hope our paths meet again but in better circumstances. Best Wishes, Clare

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Funeral service conducted in Mount Jerome Crematorium Chapel for a Dublin family

Hi Siobhan, on behalf of my dad, Lesley and David I’d like to thank you for yesterday. Everyone thought it was a lovely service and we enlightened a lot of people about humanism.  You spoke with professionalism and compassion, this helped to make the whole experience more bearable. Audrey

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Funeral service conducted in Mount Jerome Crematorium Chapel for a Dublin family

Siobhán, On behalf of the family, I’d like to express our gratitude for your very professional assistance at this morning’s ceremony for my father, Willem. Many people have expressed their appreciation and that it was a very fitting way to remember him. Again many thanks. Pieter