A West Midlands-based funeral director has stepped in to help support the bereaved family of a police officer, following his tragic passing at the age of 26.
PC Jack Reay, from Uttoxeter, died while on holiday in Mallorca last month. His brother, Tom, subsequently set up a GoFundMe fundraiser, to help with Jack’s repatriation and funeral costs.
Having seen news of Jack’s death on Facebook, Jennifer Ashe & Son Funeral Directors which has five branches across the region, offered the Reay family their services free of charge, to help give Jack the send-off he deserved.
Company Secretary Joseph Evans, who has worked for the business for six years, spotted the GoFundMe campaign and knew exactly how he and his team could help the Reay family.
Joseph said: “I was scrolling through Facebook and stumbled upon Tom’s story about his brother’s sad passing. As it did with many others, it struck a chord with me and when I shared the news with the rest of our team, we all agreed without hesitation to offer our services to Jack’s family.
“We know how distressing as sudden a death as Jack’s can be to family and friends, and we wanted to provide a helping hand to assist his loved ones in any way we could, especially given the fact that he was a serving police officer with the Staffordshire Police and has dedicated his career to protecting and helping others.”
Jack’s funeral was held on Tuesday 29th August at St John’s Church, Marchington Woodlands, and saw his colleagues at Staffordshire Police given the opportunity to pay their respects. Jennifer Ashe & Son helped to ensure the process from start to finish honoured Jack’s career and personality, with a police escort being of utmost importance.
The 26-year-old’s funeral procession passed police headquarters, based on Weston Road in Stafford, before making its way to the church.
Jack’s mother, Sarah, said: “We were speechless when we received the call from Joseph at Jennifer Ashe & Son offering to provide Jack’s funeral free of charge. It was one of the kindest and most unexpected gestures.
“Joseph and the team have been absolutely amazing and constantly supportive throughout the last month in the build-up to Jack’s funeral, and since with their aftercare offering.
“Nothing has proven to be too much trouble, and we wanted to thank all of the staff behind-the-scenes that have gone above and beyond for our family as we wanted to celebrate and remember Jack’s life.”
Jack’s GoFundMe fundraiser still open for donations, please click here to provide the Reay family with crucial support.
For more information on Jennifer Ashe & Son Funeral Directors, please visit: www.jafunerals.co.uk.
