A Punch and Judy superfan was given the ultimate send-off after her daughter organised the puppet duo to play at her funeral - which left the audience of mourners in hysterics.
Rachael Lee, 36, from Brownhill, Walsall, West Midlands, wanted to offer a unique tribute to her mother, Carol Lee, who sadly passed away from Alzheimer's at the age of 68. Rachael knew that a "traditional" service wouldn't suit her "fun" and "joyful" parent, so asked funeral directors, Jennifer Ashe & Son, whether it would be possible to host a show.
She told The Mirror: "I sent my funeral director a text saying: 'Could we organise a Punch and Judy show?'. His initial response was 'how serious are you? Within 5 minutes, he’d found someone – I just went with it, and didn’t second guess my judgement, and I was really happy that we got it."
The Punch and Judy show took place at Lichfield & District Crematorium (Rachael Lee)
Rachael Lee said her mother Carol would have loved the show (Rachael Lee)Rachael explained that her family regularly went to Jersey on holiday when she was a child and her mum would head straight for the Punch and Judy show. "Every year, mum would make a beeline for it," she said. "She’d be shouting along with the show – and quickly became known to the performers, they appreciated that she helped elevate the audience participation involved. She was good for business! So they quickly asked if she could come back for the other sets, too."
Carol died just one day after the funeral of her husband, Bob Lee, who passed away on December 24 last year. With another funeral coming around so quick, Rachael wanted to find an unforgettable tribute. She said her idea for Punch and Judy mainly received "positive reviews." The show took place at Lichfield & District Crematorium, Fradley, Lichfield on February 8. Speaking about the service, Rachael said her mother, who was a nurse, would have had the "loudest laugh in the room". She said: "Most people knew my mum and enjoyed the show, they found it funny.
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The show was well-recieved by family and friends (Rachael Lee)"For me, it brought back fond memories of enjoying the Punch and Judy shows at the seaside. A lot of people, say when I die, 'I want this, and that' to make the funeral personal to them, but then they just end up having traditional funerals. It made me feel happy to give my mum something she would’ve loved. It brought a little bit of joy to a not so joyful situation - she would’ve had the loudest laugh in the room."
She added: "I was actually looking forward to the funeral for that very reason. It was very appropriate to my mum. She never cared what anybody thought, she was a rebel." Rachael paid tribute to her "partner-in-crime" and described Carol's playful personality as resonating with "Peter Pan". She had a close relationship with her mother, who was her "best friend", and explained that she was her parents' "miracle child" after they had struggled to conceive.
Carol and Bob often took Rachael to see the show whilst enjoying their seaside holidays (Rachael Lee)Speaking about why the show suited her mother's personality, Rachael added: "My mum was fun, very nurturing, very sassy, but not in your face, very humble. There was never any malice with her, just compassionate love. As I mentioned, she was rebellious, and if there were any rules to be broken, it would be her doing it. She never grew up, she wasn’t an adult. She was the female Peter Pan, the girl that never grew up. She was well-spoken, unassuming, and taught me how to be a woman. She was my best friend, my partner-in-crime, always fun and full of life. She had more courage than anyone realised, and she was always true to herself."
Rachael was seen as Bob and Carol's miracle child (Rachael Lee)
Carol was described as 'joyful' and 'humble' (Rachael Lee)Joe Evans, who helped secure the Punch and Judy booking, explained that he wanted to go the "extra mile" to help fulfil the unusual request. He said: "Whilst it was up there with the most ‘out there’ requests we’ve received, it was so special to put this together for Rachael. The company we used had never done a funeral before, and the crematorium had not hosted a performance like this." The funeral director added: “It was very important we could make this happen for Rachael. It is our duty to guide and act on a family’s request – we will always do our best to carry out the wishes of a family. It took us all of 5 minutes to secure the booking. We wanted to go the extra mile for Rachael, and requests like this can always be fulfilled with a little bit of effort and the correct due diligence.”
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