David Robert Bates
b.13.01.1936. d.16.04.2010
Introduction by funeral celebrant Shirley Coates.
Welcome everyone
On behalf all the family, may I welcome you and thank you all for being here. Your support at this time is greatly appreciated.
We are gathered here today to honour, commemorate and pay tribute to the life of David Robert Bates. Although this is a sad day, it’s also a day of celebration for a life well lived.
At the centre of David’s life has been his family and friends and it’s fitting that you are here to share sadness, yet bring comfort to one another and we think about David’s life and his many qualities.
My name is Shirley George and l am a Funeral Celebrant and it’s a privilege for me to lead David’s ceremony
During the ceremony we will hear David’s eulogy and tributes and some music and for those of you with religious beliefs, there will of course be time for your private prayers and thoughts later.
When someone like David dies, long before you would have wanted, it can feel like such a huge loss.
Funeral ceremonies are often a time of much pain and grief, because no-one can bring back the person you have known and loved.
Death can sometimes devastate us and make us question the meaning of life itself. It takes from us people we love and who are integral to our lives.
In the meantime, life goes on and somehow you have got to learn to live without your loved one.
Increasingly, your minds may go back to the person he was. His family and friends all said David was a man of great character, fine principles, good humour and kindness.
There will never be another David. But he will live on in your hearts and memories.
He will always remain a member of your family or circle as he played such an important role in your life and he will have influenced you all in different ways.
When you lose someone, as close and as important as David was to you, you never lose the comfort of knowing him.
So this service is an opportunity for you not only to share sadness and give each other comfort, but also to celebrate David’s achievements.
I hope we can all take away from here some very warm and happy memories of a remarkable inspiring man who touched many people’s lives.
