A grieving husband says his grief worsened after his wife’s coffin was “stuck in his head” during his funeral. Vincent McGuire, 60, lost his beloved wife Elaine, 53, last September after a long illness.
And he chose the “beloved” mother of three and the grandmother of two children to be at Mill Lane Cemetery in Cheadle, Stockport, not far from the Levenshulme family home.
However, what should have been a solemn and moving occasion became “shocking and embarrassing” for Vincent and his family when his coffin could not pass through the grave that had been excavated for more than 200 bad guys watched.
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Arriving from the church at the Stockport Council-run cemetery, McGuire says funeral directors told him that he and several family members could not act as bearers because burial had to be expedited as the tomb was “deforming.”
He then says that when the coffin was lowered, it got stuck at the end of the foot and had to be dragged to the surface. A cemetery staff member had to use the ladder to climb the 9-foot-deep grave and remove some levels of wooden props before lowering it again.
Elaine’s husband Vincent (right) and mother Josie Buckley (left) at Mill Lane Cemetery (Image: Manchester Evening News)
Talking to him Manchester Evening News, McGuire said he was angry and disappointed with both the funeral directors and the council. “It’s so shocking to see, shocking and embarrassing,” he said.
“He went down on his head, went down three feet and then got stuck in his back. One of the other bad guys intervened and told them to take him out. He got up again and lay down. Then the cemetery was I couldn’t believe what was going on. “
McGuire claims he was unable to bury his wife in the plot he originally chose, that the ruffles hung from the casket when he arrived at the church service and the live broadcast of the funeral for the mourners who they were unable to attend it was “in poor condition and unprofessional”.
“I can’t sleep yet,” McGuire added. “I wanted to give it my best and what we got was rubbish.
Former store clerk Elaine McGuire was a beloved mother and grandmother (Image: McGuire family)
“If it weren’t for my kids, I’d have them take it out and do it all over again. But my family doesn’t want that. I don’t want anyone’s pity. It’s not about money. Come back, I’ll make a donation to ‘St Ann’s Hospice “.
Elaine’s mother, Josie Buckley, 80, said: “It was horrible. The worst experience. It was like watching a comedy on TV, it wasn’t real. It would have been fun if it weren’t so tragic.”
Since then, Maguire has filed complaints against Kane Funeral Services and Stockport Council. He filed a claim in county court to recover £ 2,035 paid to Kane for “professional services”.
In the claim documents, he said he could not explain “the level of great distress” that this incident had caused and that he had “created memories that will distress me and my family forever.”
McGuire says what happened at his wife’s funeral caused shock and embarrassment to himself and the more than 200 bad guys at the grave (Image: Manchester Evening News)
A ruling ordering Kane’s to pay him the money was issued last month after the company failed to respond. The funeral director told the MEN that she was not aware of the judicial process but that she would have “felt vindicated in fighting any sentence, as we believe we have behaved with the utmost dignity and professionalism”.
A spokesman added: “We are aware that the grief caused to Mr Maguire and his family cannot be undone, but once again we want to express our deepest and most sincere condolences for the loss of Elaine.”
The council has apologized to Vincent for what happened and how it was handled. He was told that an “air pocket” caused the surrounding ground to become unstable and meant that burial had to be done faster than expected and they offered to pay for a priest to return. send prayers to the grave.
Elaine’s mother, Josie, said it was “the worst experience ever” (Image: Manchester Evening News)
However, they claimed that the information given to them about the size of the ark was not “accurate” and that the coffin had not been lowered correctly. Kane’s funeral services refute this and insist that accurate information was given. They also insist that the funeral was done with “utmost care and consideration.”
A spokesman for Kane Funeral Services said: “We can confirm that the funeral of the late Elaine McGuire was conducted with the utmost care and consideration as are all funerals performed by the company.
“We are aware of the situation in question, and while we understand why and how this would have been annoying to Mr McGuire, we have provided the Mill Lane staff with the right measures.
Stockport Council partially accepts Mr McGuire’s complaint (Image: Manchester Evening News)
“It simply came to our notice then. the cause of the problem with which a grave had occurred.
“External measurements of the casket were provided and we have proof of this through the Halliday’s Funeral Supplies coffin order form and the Stockport Council internment form.”
The city council’s complaints department conducted an investigation which was partially confirmed. McGuire referred them to the Local Government Ombudsman, although they refused to investigate as they decided the council had “explained what went wrong and apologized”.
Mark Glynn, Director of Site Management at Stockport Council, said: so difficult and traumatic for Mr. McGuire and his family. “
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