Grieving household slam undertakers for ‘horrific’ funeral for mom

A grieving family have slammed undertakers after their mother’s coffin lid began to open during a ‘horrific’ ceremony.

Arlene Paul criticised the service her family received from Gooding Funeral Services for the funeral of her mother, Edith Elvira Paul, who died aged 84.  

The family, from Little London, Leeds used Gooding Funeral Services to discuss their mother’s funeral, and paid £3,000 up front to organise the ceremony.

They say no information had been passed on to the church or been recorded by the home and so the family had to go back over the details, delaying the progress of the funeral and picking up Edith’s body. 

Arlene said: ‘When my brother and sisters went up to go and see my mother in the chapel of rest, when they went in my mum wasn’t even dressed. She had water running down her nose and her ears and she wasn’t even presented.’

A grieving family have slammed undertakers after a mother’s coffin started to open during her funeral ceremony

She added: ‘Obviously, my sister was just horrified, my mum wasn’t even dressed or embalmed or anything and he [the funeral director] hadn’t even warned them.

‘Then, when my brother went to see him, he said ‘you’re supposed to wait until they’re in a coffin and have embalmed them’. 

So he said ‘well, why did you let us go into the room when you knew that my mum wasn’t embalmed?’ The next time they came, the same thing happened, so there was no adjustments done.’

On the day of the funeral, the car which used to move Edith’s body broke down in the street. Things got even worse when the coffin started opening up as Edith was being laid to rest.

She said: ‘Then, going up to the funeral, the coffin was opening while my mother was going to be laid to rest.

‘We said ‘the coffin is opening’ and the man came and adjusted it, but the horror of all the people that were there, was absolutely terrible. It was like living a horror film.’ 

She added: ‘Then he’s saying to us, ‘we wish you the best’ – have you ever seen a coffin opening up before you as your mum’s being laid to rest?’

Arlene says the funeral home said they would give them money back for the car, but she says this does not make up for the way they treated her mother.

One of the worst parts was the delayed embalming, which meant the family, who planned to have an open coffin for mourners, had to change this plan because of how their mother’s appearance had changed.

Arlene said: ‘They took our £3,000, and you were more concerned about that than the dignity of our mother.’

Gooding Funeral Services said they believed they had resolved the matter with the family in February.

A spokesperson for the funeral home said: ‘As an independent family-run funeral service, with close ties to our community, our reputation is critical to us.

‘Our business is run to the highest professional standards, as reflected in our 5/5 rating on the Funeral Guide, numerous positive reviews on Google and our online testimonials. We are members of the National Association of Funeral Directors and we are recommended by both the Good Funeral Guide and the Natural Death Centre.

‘When we fall below the high standards we set ourselves, we are proactive and swift in resolving the situation in a way that is satisfactory to our client.

‘We continue to offer our deep and sincerest condolences to the family in this case. The loss of a parent is always difficult and our thoughts remain with them at this time.’