Funeral saved from snow by 47 people and a digger

Dec 16 2010 by Sandra Walls, Hamilton Advertiser

FORTY-seven people last week used shovels and a JCB digger to ensure a well-known Hamilton woman’s funeral went ahead.

Lucille Barkley (62) died on December 1 after a long battle with cancer but her funeral, due to take place on Tuesday December 7, was cancelled after blizzards a day earlier blocked roads across the county.

With the assistance of kind volunteers deep snow was cleared from pavements and roads and Lucille’s funeral was able to go ahead the following day.

Her family took matters into their own hands and started to try and clear the ice and snow from the road to allow the hearse access.

One of the family also put a message up on Facebook asking for help to clear the snow.

Lucille’s sister Pamela Burns told the Advertiser: “We were short of spades and shovels and had asked a few neighbours to borrow more.

“Before we knew it, there were 47 neighbours out with us helping to clear the ice and snow from the street.

“Someone even called a friend who had a JCB digger, and he managed to come along and clear some of Laighstonehall Road.

“Without this community pulling together, our sister's funeral would not have gone ahead.”

The family want to express their sincere thanks to everyone from Allanshaw Gardens, Rosevale Crescent, Laighstonehall Road and Ewart Crescent for helping them.

Pamela added: “Lucille would have been bowled over with the reaction of the community.

“Their action allowed us to pay our last respects to our loving sister who finally succumbed to her six-year battle with cancer.”

“Lucille was the last member of our family to have worked in the family business at Burns General Store Laighstonehall Road and was very well-known and well liked.

“This was apparent with the amount of help and kindness the family received during her long, hard illness and she will be very sadly missed.”

Lucille lost her husband Desmond in April 2004 age 56, and her severely disabled 21-year-old son, also called Desmond, died in 2005 from pneumonia.

She is survived by her two other sons Darren (41), and Laurence (37), grandson Kenneth (18), her sister Pamela, elder sister Rosemary Grant, her brother Ronnie Burns, and all her nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.

Lucille’s funeral service was conducted by Father Leo Muldoon at St Peter’s Church, Hamilton, and she was buried at Bent Cemetery.