A son honoured his roofer father’s dying wish for a cut-price funeral by building his coffin from used scaffolding boards and transporting him to church on the back of his work van.
Charlie Dowdeswell made the DIY coffin following the death of Clive Dowdeswell, 63, from emphysema on January 14th.
Having cobbled the coffin together and lined it with cloth, the roofing business owner comically turned the ‘this way up’ arrows the wrong way round in a nod to his late father’s sense of humour.
Attending mourners let out a tearful smile on February 8 as the 21-year-old drove the deceased to Christ Church in Stroud, Gloucestershire, on the back of his flat-bed truck.
Handy Charlie took the seemingly drastic option to save cash on ‘ridiculous’ expensive coffins, that can cost thousands of pounds – forking out just £150 on his own version.
Charlie Dowdeswell (right) made the DIY coffin following the death of Clive Dowdeswell (left) from emphysema on January 14th
The roofing business owner comically turned the ‘this way up’ arrows the wrong way round in a nod to his late father’s sense of humour
The 21-year-old drove his deceased father to Christ Church in Stroud, Gloucestershire, on the back of his flat-bed truck
He even shared his casket-building exploits on TikTok with the caption ‘pov: your dad didn’t wanna pay for a coffin so you used scaffolding boards and a truck’, racking up 678,000 views.
Charlie, from Stroud, Gloucestershire, said: ‘He was one of a kind, it suited him down to the ground.
‘Before he died he said ‘check if we can make a coffin out of scaffolding boards’.
‘We could, so we went up there with the coffin and he loved it. He was very happy with it, it’s what he wanted so we did it.
‘We had loads of scaffolding boards lying around so we just used them and we lined it with cloth material.
‘We put the arrows upside down on purpose to make it more funny.’
Charlie, who was taught the trade by his dad, revealed that the unconventional coffin and tarpaulin cover brought a smile to people’s faces and helped make the sad day ‘more fun’.
Charlie said: ‘It made it more fun and brought a smile to people’s faces. Everyone was smiling that we could celebrate it in that way.
‘It wasn’t a sad funeral where everyone was really upset, everyone was laughing. It was a good send off.
‘Obviously it’s sad, but it’s a lot better doing it that way. It’s not every day you see something like that.’
After having a taste of coffin building, Charlie says he now wants to have his own DIY funeral.
Charlie, who was taught the trade by his dad, revealed that the unconventional coffin and tarpaulin cover (pictured) brought a smile to people’s faces and helped make the sad day ‘more fun’
Many social media users praised Charlie in the comments for honouring his dad’s trade and doing what he wanted’
He added: ‘It saved a lot of money as well which was a bonus.
‘My dad didn’t want us to pay much money at all. He wanted the easiest way possible, the least expensive.
‘You can spend thousands for a coffin. It’s ridiculous, especially in the cost-of-living crisis.
‘I’d want to be buried like that, I wouldn’t want my family to have to spend all that money.
‘What’s the point if you can have a good laugh and do it yourself and save a lot of money as well?’
Many users praised Charlie in the comments for honouring his dad’s trade and doing what he wanted’.
On TikTok users flocked to the comments section to praise his thrifty decision.
One user wrote: ‘Wanted to go out with the trade. Legend.’
Another commented: ‘The price of funeral cars and coffins I’d be happy to go out this way.’
One wrote: ‘I’m glad you did what he wanted.’
A fourth user commented: ‘This is loads better than a normal funeral.’