LONDON FUNERAL CELEBRANT: JO NAPTHINE
My role as a funeral celebrant is to officiate a ceremony or a celebration of life helping you to plan, write and deliver a service that reflects how you want your loved one to be remembered. As a celebrant, I am independent of any particular faith group. I offer my services regardless of religion, faith, culture, sexual orientation or gender. I am fully qualified and trained with The International College of Professional Celebrants.
You might not know where to start or you may have an idea already in place but together we will be able to create both a meaningful and heartfelt celebration of a life.
As a celebrant, I believe that a good funeral is very important and can mark a gentle turning point to living without the presence of your loved one. Funerals are a place to grieve. We are saying goodbye; but the ceremony doesn’t have to be solemn without humour, inspiration or hope.
When writing a funeral ceremony be it non-religious, semi-religious or spiritual, it is my heartfelt intention to create a service which fittingly reflects the person we are remembering.
Your ceremony can be conducted within reason anywhere…at a graveside, a crematorium or cemetery chapel, a natural or woodland burial site, even a burial at sea…and nowadays there are many creative and unique ways to scatter cremation ashes.
To find out how I can help you at this difficult time, feel free to contact me and book a free, no obligation consultation.
Together we can create a ceremony that will leave you with a sense of fulfilment and completion and a memory you can cherish.
Jo Napthine
WEBSITE: https://www.jonapthine.com/
“I want to thank you so much for your extraordinary thoughtfulness and dedication to making our remarkable mother’s memorial celebration so remarkable, and a very painful process so much easier to bear. You have been a tremendous comfort and a reassuring figure through this very difficult time and we are indebted to you.”
HB, January 2022
FUNERAL PLANNING
Together we will discuss an ‘Order of Service’ including any personal tributes from family and friends and selecting any readings or music you may wish to include. Writing and reading a eulogy in the midst of loss can be a daunting task.
I will weave your memories, words and love into a eulogy that captures the life and personality of your loved one; a eulogy I am happy to deliver or be there as your voice should the occasion be too much.
On the day of the funeral I will greet you at the chapel or crematorium and lead you and the congregation through the service using the agreed script. I will introduce and provide support to anyone who wishes to read, participate or make a tribute.
MEMORIAL SERVICES
A memorial service is an opportunity for friends and family to pay their respects and commemorate someone that has died following a burial, cremation or unattended service. Distinct from a funeral service, some people opt for a memorial service; a ceremony for the mourners to honour their loved one often at a later date giving you more time to carefully plan a meaningful ceremony.
LIVING FUNERALS:
A Living Funeral has a number of advantages especially for the terminally ill.
With the person actually present at the ceremony it can be rewarding and life affirming to plan the celebration of life avoiding any regrets. Often this can open up a healthy dialogue about loss and grief while celebrating life not death. What makes a living funeral uniquely different is the celebration of life.
This ceremony does not replace the actual funeral but in its own right stands as a much needed ritual of closure.
SS - January 2022 - Honor Oak crematorium
“After the sudden passing of our sister, the funeral planning process coincided with both the Christmas and New Year holidays, which set us back in finding a suitable celebrant. Jo came on board with seven days notice and immediately took hold of the proceedings and of us, holding us together in pulling together the best send off possible. Jo put our minds to rest and nothing was too difficult a request, even up to the last minute on the day of the service with some additional readings, etc. As a family, we do believe that Jo came to us by fate, her manner is entirely comforting at the time when we most needed that, she was understanding and her personal touches made all the difference at such a difficult and heartbreaking time. We cannot begin to recommend Jo enough, a wonderful celebrant whom we will keep in mind for the future.”
Dah - October 2020 - honor oak crematorium
"From the moment we first met, I knew Jo was special! The fact our initial meeting was held on Zoom made the connection formed all the more significant. I felt instinctively that we had found the right person to guide us through the most difficult of times.
Jo listened carefully, seemed to understand instinctively what was needed, helping us to plan and create a meaningful service for our lovely mum. Jo showed thoughtfulness and compassion throughout, holding us in our grief. We were able to go at our own pace and never felt under any pressure to do more than we could manage at the time, then somehow we managed to find the strength to face the funeral.
Being so involved was helpful and for us an important part of the healing process. The service was beautiful and a wonderful tribute to our lovely mum. Afterwards Jo continued holding us in her thoughts with kind, supportive messages.
Jo went above and beyond the call of duty, it felt as though we had found a companion on our journey, someone very special to lead the way and help us all at the most desperate of times.
Thank you Jo for everything!”
GC - August 2020 - West London Crematorium
“I just wanted to thank you for everything you did in the weeks before the service and on the day. I thought it went really well, the tone was just right and you captured dad perfectly. A number of people commented to me about what a good service it was. You made the process as easy as possible for me and as strange as it is to say, I’m sure my dad would have approved of it.”
WG - JULY 2020 - Hither green crematorium
“Our brother passed away and from our first contact with Jo we knew we had the right person to make his funeral exactly what he would have wanted. She went above and beyond in her duties as a celebrant. Jo, we can’t thank you enough for all you did for us to make it a very special day for our family. You are a very special lady.”