Speaker Meeting, 6.15 for 6.30pm

Mon, Mar 25th 2019 at 6:15 pm - 8:00 pm

Speaker: Former Funeral Director, Rotarian Lynn Withey


Club members please log in for more information.

Rotarian Lynn Withey is a former Funeral Director and was the Club’s President in 2013/14.  Taking the speaker’s role at this meeting she called her talk “It shouldn’t happen to a Funeral Director”.

“Certain qualities” she said, “are needed to be a Funeral Director, particularly patience and empathy”.  Another essential is the ability to be a good organiser since for any funeral there are so many logistics to arrange and get right.  Such as dealing with the bereaved families, speaking to the minister and arranging the vehicles.  She shared several stories with us to illustrate that a sense of humour is also a very important and essential quality.

Ministers were sometimes a challenge - some didn’t like doing funerals so they sent their curates; others would only do them on certain days of the week.  On two occasions the minister didn’t even turn up!!   And a certain Roman Catholic cleric liked to ensure that Lynn was well and truly drenched with Holy Water whenever he was officiating.  And then, after one particular funeral, Lynn received a telephone call from the minister complaining that instead of the requested “Silent Night” playing as the people left the crematorium, “Jingle Bells” was ringing out in its place!!!!! 

Vehicles of all types are used to bring the coffin.  Once it was a tractor – which of course travelled at tractor pace!!   Horse drawn carriages are very popular but come with a risk to a Funeral Director as only the “driver” has a seat belt.  Consequently emergency stops can be dangerous!!!  Lynn once arranged for a Fire Engine to lead the procession for a fire-fighter’s funeral.

On one occasion Lynn had a visit from a lady who said she had four bodies and didn’t know what to do with them.  It transpired that the bodies were actually skeletons owned by the Highworth Historical Society.  After informing the Coroner’s Office confirmation was received that as the skeletons were extremely old the Coroner had no interest in them and a funeral service could go ahead.  That funeral had coverage from the BBC!!!

Lynn has arranged funerals for all faiths and no-faiths – Military, Chinese, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Pagan – being just some examples.

She concluded her amusing talk by saying just how privileged she was to have been a Funeral Director.

'What We Do' Main Pages:

The world stands on the brink of the complete eradication of Polio. With your help we can end this dreadful disease for ever. Together we can make history

more  

A Partner Club is a Rotary club that supports ShelterBox's work in disaster relief by donating over £2,000 in a Rotary year

more  

24th October is World Polio Day

more  

From Rotary Club local heats to national finals, Rotary Youth Competitions in a range of creative areas let young people’s skills flourish.

more  

Brighter Futures launched their Radiotherapy Appeal in 2015. Today, 7 years later, a ribbon cutting ceremony has taken place at the Great Western Hospital

more  

£1286 has been sent from our Emergency Disaster Fund to the Disasters Emergency Committee UKRAINE HUMANITARIAN APPEAL

more  

Rotary’s second major donation, of £208,000, was handed over on 7th July 2021 when local Rotarians visited the Great Western Hospital to view the build progress of the nearly completed radiotherapy unit.

more  

A brief summary of our Rotary year ending 30/06/2023

more  

Giving money and support to the people in Swindon & district who need it most

more  

We went to the races in March. It was a meeting with 10 races, 8 riders in each. It wasn’t at Epsom, or Haydock Park, or just up the M4 at Newbury. It was, of all places, in Wanborough Village Hall.

more  

"In musical entertainment Swindon punches way above its weight. Some of the youngsters we've heard tonight will go on to make a name for themselves"

more  

The Rotary Club of North Wiltshire (the name was changed to the Rotary Club of Swindon North in 2008) received its charter from Rotary International on 28th September 1966

more  

Rotarian Terry Williams' remarkable and unique fund raising effort, living in a ShelterBox emergency tent for a week in the Market Place, Highworth

more